Back to School: Finding Housing, an Obstacle Course for Thousands of Students

The 2026 academic year brings with it, for many students, a particularly difficult housing search. According to RFI, three million students resumed classes in France this year, with enthusiasm but also stress related to finding a place to live.

Faced with growing demand, the supply of student housing is not keeping pace, resulting in continuous price increases, RFI reports. In major cities, many young people say they are struggling to find affordable housing.

A study by the consumer advocacy group Que choisir, published in July 2026 and cited by RFI, indicates that landlords offering a studio or small one-bedroom apartment receive an average of between 750 and 1,000 rental applications.

This pressure on the rental market is pushing some students to submit multiple applications. According to testimony gathered by RFI, one student claims to send "up to fifty applications per day" in an attempt to secure housing.

Journalist Cassiopée Etchevers collected testimonies from several students still searching for an apartment at the start of the academic year, illustrating the extent of the difficulties faced by this population in major French university cities.