Finding Student Housing in France

Choose between a CROUS room and a flatshare, ask the right questions on a viewing and sort out your guarantor and housing benefit.

Students in France can apply for a cheap room in a CROUS university residence through the « dossier social étudiant », but places are limited, so many end up in a « colocation » (flatshare) or a small furnished studio. Landlords almost always ask for a « garant » (guarantor); if you don't have one in France, the free state-backed Visale guarantee is accepted by many. Most students, foreign ones included, can claim the APL housing benefit from the CAF, and every move-in starts with an « état des lieux », a room-by-room inspection.