The €1 student meal — until now reserved for scholarship holders and students in financial hardship — will be available to every student in France at all CROUS university restaurants from May 4, 2026. The expansion was confirmed by the National Assembly and is funded by a €50 million envelope written into the 2026 finance law.
The €1 meal includes a main dish plus up to two sides (starter, cheese, dessert, or fruit). It will also be offered at dinner in CROUS restaurants that stay open in the evening. Each student is limited to one €1 meal per service. To benefit, students must present an active Izly account linked to their student card — this includes ordinary student cards, vocational student cards (apprentices and trainees), doctoral cards, and civic service cards.
To handle the surge in demand, the government has authorised the recruitment of 204 additional CROUS staff, deployed first to the university restaurants most at risk of saturation.
Expat Impact
For Indian students in France, this is a meaningful cost reduction. A typical CROUS meal previously cost €3.30 for non-scholarship students — at €1, that is roughly a 70% saving on each meal taken at a university restaurant. Over a full academic year of weekday lunches, the savings can run into hundreds of euros, easing pressure on monthly budgets that already absorb rent, transport, and remittance fluctuations.
Practically: ensure your Izly account is set up and topped up before May 4, since payment goes through that system. If you have not yet activated Izly, ask your university student services or visit izly.fr — your CROUS-linked student card is required.