At the time when future graduates register on Parcoursup, the presidential candidates have expressed themselves in recent weeks on higher education and student life. The True of False cell verified some of these remarks.
“Only a third of scholarship holders in France”?
At the end of February, most of the candidates spoke on France Inter in front of the young people. Among them, the communist candidate Fabien Roussel, who declared this on scholarships based on social criteria: “There are only a third of scholarship holders in France. The conditions are increasingly difficult and many of these scholarship holders are at level 0, so they are entitled to nothing, just free registration”.
There is a bit of truth and a lot of falsehood. First, on the part of scholarship students, Fabien Roussel is not far. This is not a third, but 38% according to figures from the Ministry of Higher Education for the year 2020-2021. On the other hand, he is wrong to say that many scholarship holders are at level zero. They are only 32%. And contrary to what Fabien Roussel says, this level does not only offer free registration at the university: the students also receive a hundred euros per month throughout the school year and they are also entitled, for example , one-euro meals in CROUS restaurants.
“Our country has reduced public investment per university student by nearly 10% in ten years”?
We continue to talk about money with Yannick Jadot, the environmental candidate, who said this: “Our country for ten years has reduced investment per student. We have reduced public investment per university student by almost 10%.
It is rather true. Even if we lack recent data, we can see on the website of the Ministry of Higher Education that in 2010, the expenditure per student was around 12,440 euros. It is 11,530 euros in 2019, a drop of 7% in a decade. This can be explained in particular because the number of students has increased sharply and, at the same time, the total budget for education expenditure has rather slowed down.
“Half the students fail first year”?
Eric Zemmour, Reconquête! candidate, talks about the success rate in university exams: “50% of students fail in the 1st year.” It is rather true. The success rate in the first year of baccalaureate holders was 54% in 2020. These are the latest figures from the ministry which show a sharp increase during the health crisis, but not only: after having remained stable for several years around 40%, the pass rate to second year has been increasing since 2018.
“We did not have the impression that there was a massive dropout” students, declared in March 2021 on franceinfo Manuel Tunon de Lara, president of the Conference of University Presidents.