Students expelled from their dorm in 15 minutes, belongings thrown outside

For most students, a university dorm room is more than just a place to sleep—it’s a fragile safety net. Yet in France, dozens of young people each year are abruptly expelled from their residences, sometimes with just minutes’ notice, according to a new report from the Abbé Pierre Foundation.

A growing number of painful expulsions

Between January 2022 and February 2023, French administrative courts ordered the eviction of 193 students from dorms managed by the Crous (the national student housing network). The hardest-hit cities are those already struggling with housing shortages: Paris, Lille, Aix-en-Provence and Versailles.

Half of these expulsions stemmed from financial hardship. Many students simply could not keep up with their rent. “The social context is alarming,” said Manuel Domergue, research director at the Abbé Pierre Foundation. “One in five students lives below the poverty line, nearly half are forced to work alongside their studies, and food bank queues keep getting longer.”

The story of Rojda, a Syrian student in Paris, illustrates this. In her first year, she managed to cover her Crous rent thanks to a grant and housing aid. But after applying for asylum, her benefits were cut to €200 a month—far short of what was needed. She went a year without being able to pay rent.

Limited protections for student tenants

Unlike regular renters, students in Crous housing lack many basic safeguards. They do not benefit from the winter truce that protects other tenants from eviction during cold months. Nor do they have access to the committees designed to prevent evictions or lengthy grace periods before being forced out.

Crous officials argue that unpaid rent, which averages €1,700 per case, threatens their fragile budgets. With limited housing stock, they also apply strict renewal rules, refusing around 60% of contract extensions to free up space for new undergraduates.

Still, Cnous deputy director Clément Cadoret insists expulsions are rare and “always a last resort.” He points to efforts to expand social support, noting a 30% increase in social workers in two years to better help struggling students.

Brutal eviction methods

According to the Abbé Pierre Foundation, some evictions have been carried out in ways that students describe as traumatic: locks changed without warning, power cut, belongings removed, and even calls made to parents.

In more than half of the cases reviewed, students were expelled without delay. Rojda recalls being forced out on August 31, 2022: “They gave me 15 minutes to pack. My access card was deactivated on the spot. For weeks, I slept at friends’ places and sometimes on the street.”

The lack of due process leaves many students in limbo, struggling to find new housing in already overheated markets. Those most affected are often international students or young people estranged from their families. Some ultimately abandon their studies.

Calls for reform

Housing advocates argue that reforms are urgently needed. Suggestions include extending the legal protections that apply to other renters—such as notice periods, respect for the winter truce, and proper handling of personal belongings—to student housing.

But beyond legal fixes, the Abbé Pierre Foundation stresses the need for prevention: ensuring every struggling student has access to a social worker and financial aid. The organization also calls for an ambitious construction program of 15,000 new dorm spaces per year.

Currently, only 6% of France’s 2.7 million students are housed in Crous residences, leaving most to battle the private rental market, where price caps are frequently ignored.

The cost of inaction

For students like Rojda, eviction means more than losing a roof—it can derail entire academic paths. As she put it bluntly: “It’s impossible to study when you’re homeless.” After finding shelter through an association and obtaining refugee status, she is now searching for work instead of continuing her degree.

Her story is a stark reminder that behind every eviction statistic is a young life interrupted—and a system that risks failing the very students it was built to support.