Most international students renting in Paris are eligible for the Aide Personnalisée au Logement (APL), a monthly housing benefit paid by the French state through the Caisse d’Allocations Familiales (CAF). This is not a loan — it is a direct monthly payment that reduces your rent, and it is available to both EU and non-EU students.
How much can you receive? The amount depends on your rent, the arrondissement, and your personal situation. In practice, most BSBI Paris students receive up to 30% of the rent. On a €900 studio, that represents a significant reduction over an academic year.
Who is eligible? You must be enrolled in a French higher education institution, renting accommodation in France that is your primary residence, and the property must meet minimum size and condition standards. Students under 28 from EU countries and most non-EU students on a long-stay student visa qualify. You cannot receive APL if you are housed by your parents or in CROUS student residences (which already have subsidised rent).
When and how to apply? Apply online at caf.fr as soon as you have signed your rental contract — not before. Processing typically takes 4–6 weeks. Payments are backdated to your application date, so apply immediately on arrival. You will need your French bank account details (RIB), your rental contract, and your BSBI enrolment certificate. Estimate your entitlement on the official CAF website →
Paris offers four main accommodation options for international students. Each has a distinct profile in terms of cost, flexibility, social environment, and administrative complexity. Understanding the differences before you search will save you significant time and stress.
Private student residence halls are the most straightforward option for international students arriving in Paris for the first time. They remove most of the administrative complexity of renting privately — no need for a French guarantor in most cases, bills are typically included, and the process is managed entirely online in English. The tradeoff is cost: residence halls are more expensive per square metre than private rentals, but the all-inclusive pricing and zero administrative friction justify the premium for most first-year students.
Typical cost: €650–1,000/month — all bills included (water, electricity, internet, building services). CAF APL benefit is not available in most private student residences.
Colocation — renting a room in a shared apartment — is the most common accommodation choice among students in Paris and typically offers the best balance of cost, location, and social experience. The market is competitive: the best rooms in well-connected arrondissements are taken within 24–48 hours of listing. Start your search at least 2 months before your arrival date.
Typical cost: €600–850/month per room (excluding bills, which add €50–100/month in a shared flat). CAF APL benefit is available for colocation — apply as soon as your contract is signed.
Homestays place you in a private room within a French family home. They are typically the fastest way to improve your French, the most inclusive accommodation in terms of social integration, and often include breakfast or meals. They are a particularly good option for students arriving alone for the first time. The administrative process is simpler than private rental and no French guarantor is required.
Typical cost: €700–1,100/month — often including one or two meals per day, which significantly reduces your food budget.
Renting a private studio or apartment independently offers the most autonomy but requires the most administrative preparation. You will need a complete dossier de location (see the documents section below), a French guarantor or a guarantee service such as VISALE or Garantme, and a French bank account. This option is most suitable for students who have spent some time in Paris already, speak some French, or are renting with a partner.
Typical cost: €900–1,300/month for a furnished studio (meublé) in a well-connected arrondissement. Unfurnished (non meublé) rentals are cheaper but require a minimum 1-year lease and significant upfront furniture costs — not recommended for students on academic calendars. CAF APL benefit is available for private rentals.
Paris is one of Europe’s most expensive rental markets. The figures below reflect current 2025/2026 market rates for furnished accommodation within or near the périphérique, with good public transport access. Budget at the lower end of each range requires either living further from campus or accepting smaller spaces.
The 14th arrondissement (where BSBI is located), the 13th, and the southern 15th offer better value than central or western Paris. See our Paris neighbourhood guide for a breakdown of living costs by area.
The single biggest obstacle for international students renting in Paris is the guarantor (garant) requirement. Most French landlords require a guarantor — a person or organisation that legally agrees to pay your rent if you cannot. For most international students, providing a French guarantor in the traditional sense is not possible. Here are your practical options:
VISALE is the French government’s free rent guarantee scheme, managed by Action Logement. It acts as your guarantor with the landlord and covers up to 36 months of unpaid rent. It is available to all students under 30 regardless of nationality, and to students over 30 who are in work-study programmes (alternance). Crucially, it is free for the tenant — there is no fee or deposit.
How to obtain VISALE: Apply online at visale.fr before you sign your rental contract — it cannot be applied for retroactively. The process takes approximately 48 hours and generates a digital certificate you present to your landlord. Many landlords now explicitly request VISALE rather than a personal guarantor. Apply for VISALE →
For students who do not qualify for VISALE (over 30 and not in alternance), or whose chosen landlord does not accept it, Garantme provides a private paid guarantee service. Their fee is approximately 3.5% of annual rent. They cover landlords’ concerns about international tenants, process applications entirely online in English, and are widely accepted by Paris landlords and agencies.
Some landlords — particularly private individuals rather than agencies — will accept a guarantor based outside France. This person must provide the same dossier documents as you (see below), demonstrating stable income typically at least 3 times the monthly rent. Documents must usually be translated into French by a certified translator. This option works best for informal rental arrangements or direct landlord contact through platforms like PAP.
The French rental application requires a standardised set of documents called a dossier de location. Landlords are legally required to accept the standardised DossierFacile format (dossierFacile.fr). Prepare your dossier before you start searching — it is requested at the moment of application, not after viewing.
→ Tip: Upload your full dossier to DossierFacile.logement.gouv.fr — the official free government platform that certifies your documents and generates a secure shareable link. Landlords recognise and trust this format, and it significantly speeds up the application process.
For students comfortable navigating French-language platforms, these aggregate the broadest range of private rental listings in Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region: