Financial help

When you have found accommodation in France, you can apply for student accommodation financial help (ALE) at the nearest Caisse d’Allocations Familiales (CAF) (family allowances fund). All students can benefit from this. It is calculated according to the rent you pay and your resources.

Who is entitled to ALE?

All French or foreign students are entitled to the ALE under certain conditions:

• the student’s flat or room must be rented in the student’s name;
• the student must pay the rent.

Where and when to apply for the ALE?

At the Caisse d’Allocations Familiales (CAF) (family allowances fund). Before applying, you must :

• have found accommodation in order to be able to include the address, rental amount, etc. in your application form
• already be enrolled in the Social security scheme since you must indicate your French Social security number. How do I enrol in the student Social security scheme
• you need to open a bank account in France because the allowance will be paid directly into your bank account. How do I open a bank account in France

When is the allowance paid?

The accommodation allowance is attributed from the month following the date of entry into the accommodation. This means that in all cases you will pay your first month rent in full.
For example: if you rent from 1st September. You will receive an allowance for the month of October and this will be paid to you in November. 

Allowance retroactive effect

You have 3 months in which to apply for the ALE. In your form, you must indicate the date you moved in, not the date on which you are applying.
For example: if you rent from 1st September and you apply on 1st December, your form must indicate the date of the start of the rental (1st September). You will then receive the allowance for October, November and December in one single payment.

If you are sharing a flat or living together with someone

If you are several people sharing the accommodation, the name of each tenant must appear on the lease (rental contract) and each person must apply for student accommodation financial help (ALE). If you are living with someone, you must just apply once for both persons.

How to apply

To apply for student accommodation financial help (ALE), you must complete and sign a form, then send it in addition with the supporting documents required (rental payment receipt, proof of grant, proof of revenues, etc.). Foreign students from outside the European Union must also include a photocopy of their residence card.

Online form
You can apply easily at site de la CAF in the “étudiants” (students) section. You must then print out the dossier and send it back to the CAF with the supporting documents required. Before starting to fill in your dossier, make sure you have the following informations :

• full address of the accommodation;
• your resources (amount of your grant, amount paid to you by your parents, salaries earned, etc.) ;
• bank details;
• French Social Security number;
• e-mail address.
• Hard copy dossier 

You can obtain this directly from the CAF. However, bear in mind that the forms entered via Internet receive priority processing.

Information updated: 31st March 2008