Each year, the FAGE (Federation of General Student Associations), the largest student union, evaluates the cost of the start of the academic year for students. Regarding the department, it is the FACE 06 that calculated the students’ expenses, as well as their monthly budget.
In 2020, the start-of-year cost reportedly increased by 1.9%, amounting to 2,516.10 euros. However, when looking in detail, one can see that some expense categories remain unchanged, while others increase more significantly.
Expenses that remain stable
The first observation is that university registration fees, regardless of the level, have not changed. The reason? The freeze on registration fees for the academic year 2020-2021. Everything related to health expenses remains unchanged. It must be said that these young people sometimes prefer to sacrifice these expenses in order to eat better or face unforeseen costs. This is why the majority of students eat at the university restaurant, knowing that their prices are not on the rise. Miscellaneous fees like transportation or agency fees hardly change. Only the cost of so-called “educational” materials has slightly increased by 0.86%. Finally, because they do not earn a lot of money, they have little left for leisure, hence the stagnation of expenses.
But also price increases
Rent remains the largest part of a student’s expenses, being around 618 euros with an annual increase of 2.23% that persists over time. After that, students spend a large part of their budget on food, hygiene, or even clothes. It is true that the price of vegetables and fruits continues to rise, especially since the lockdown. Indeed, the majority of products are made in France and therefore have a higher production cost. The student contribution (CVEC) has also slightly increased by 1.09%.
And unforeseen expenses
Young people who are studying have been obliged in recent months to purchase protective masks. This represents approximately 30 euros per month.
