At the start of the 2025 academic year, COP1 and IFOP present the third edition of their annual barometer on the situation of students in France. Two years after the inflationary peak of 2022-2023, this survey assesses the evolution of student insecurity in its multiple dimensions: food insecurity, housing difficulties, mental health and access to healthcare. The results reveal a mixed picture, with slight improvements in certain indicators and persistent structural difficulties that call into question the effectiveness of existing support systems.
Food insecurity embedded in daily practices
The 2025 edition confirms that food insecurity among students is a long-term problem. While the proportion of students regularly skipping meals for lack of money has stabilized at 34% (versus 36% in 2024), it remains higher than the national average (29%). COP1 beneficiaries remain particularly affected, with 62% concerned, reflecting situations of great vulnerability. In the face of these constraints, coping strategies have become widespread and permanent: 74% systematically favor home-delivered meals, 70% turn to cheaper products and adopt anti-waste practices, and 68% regularly visit discounters. More worryingly, 46% are reducing their portions and 53% are changing their menus to less expensive recipes. Recourse to food aid now concerns 16% of students.
After the inflationary peak: a relative but fragile improvement
In 2025, there was a slight decline in the number of people giving up on several expenditure items. Restrictions now affect 45% of students for entertainment and clothing (versus 52% in 2023), and 33% for household products (versus 39%). This relative improvement, probably linked to the deceleration of inflation, should not mask the fact that these levels remain systematically higher than those observed in the French population as a whole, suggesting a normalization of precariousness rather than a genuine return to normality.
Mental health: persistent negative emotions and inadequate support
Mental health issues are still prevalent in the student population. Two-thirds of students (66%) report feeling mainly negative emotions – fatigue, feelings of overwhelm, loneliness – versus 34% positive emotions. The feeling of loneliness particularly affects this population: 34% of students regularly feel lonely, a much higher proportion than the national average (19%). However, this feeling has been steadily declining since 2023, from 45% to 41%, then 34% in 2025. This gradual improvement suggests a form of post-COVID normalization, with current student generations gradually returning to more normal socialization conditions after the major disruptions of the pandemic period. The Santé Psy Étudiant scheme is currently struggling to gain momentum: only 35% of students who consulted a psychologist did so in 2025, a proportion comparable to 2024 (37%). Lack of awareness remains the main obstacle, with 41% of non-users claiming to be unaware of the scheme’s existence. More generally, less than half of students (47%) feel sufficiently informed about the psychological aids available.
Menstrual insecurity and denial of healthcare: a double penalty for female students
The situation of female students reveals specific vulnerabilities that remain unabated. Menstrual precariousness still affects 23% of them, a level that has remained stable since 2024 and is higher than the national average (16%). Among COP1 beneficiaries, this proportion rises to 40%. The stagnation of these figures calls into question the effectiveness of the free sanitary protection distribution schemes in place. At the same time, 42% of female students have already foregone gynecological care, a proportion that rises to 47% among COP1 beneficiaries.
Academic paths constrained by financial difficulties
Economic constraints are profoundly reshaping academic careers. The survey reveals that 30% of students have given up on enrolling in their chosen institution for financial reasons, 27% have changed their initial career orientation, and 22% are considering shortening their studies. These refusals, combined with difficulties in passing their exams (53% have failed at least one part-time exam), call into question the ability of the higher education system to ensure equality of opportunity. The link between precariousness and academic failure is blatantly apparent in repetition rates: 32% of students who received food aid repeated a year, compared with just 17% of those who did not. This 15-point gap illustrates how food insecurity directly compromises learning and success. Students in precarious situations thus accumulate a number of handicaps: they give up early on the choice of courses, find it difficult to keep up during their studies, and face an increased risk of failure, which automatically lengthens the duration and cost of their studies – creating a vicious circle in which precariousness generates failure, which in turn exacerbates precariousness.
A chronic lack of information on available aid
Ignorance of assistance schemes is a major obstacle to accessing rights. Less than half of students say they are well informed about financial (49%), psychological (47%) or administrative (39%) assistance. Only 24% are aware of the legal aid available. This lack of information, which is stable or even increasing in certain areas, considerably limits the effectiveness of public policies to support students.
The viewpoint of François Legrand, Research and Client Director
This third edition of the IFOP/COP1 barometer reveals a paradoxical situation. While certain indicators show an improvement after the inflationary shock of 2022-2023, levels of precariousness remain high and practices of forced saving have become a permanent feature of student life. More worryingly, existing aid schemes are struggling to achieve their objectives, whether it be the Santé Psy Étudiant scheme, or measures to combat menstrual precariousness. Faced with this situation, the challenge is no longer simply to increase resources, but to rethink the very architecture of student support. Co-construction with students is essential if we are to adapt our services to their real needs and lifestyles. Improving communication on existing assistance and simplifying access procedures are immediate priorities. In the longer term, more thought needs to be given to a more universal and less fragmented support system, to ensure that every student has the material conditions necessary for academic success.
