College or high school social fund
Verified 22 May 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Your child is in middle school or high school and you have trouble paying for school fees? A financial aid called the social fund can be attributed to you. What are the conditions to benefit from it and how to apply for it? Here is the information you need to know.
The social fund is an aid that allows you to meet expenses for school or school life.
This may include the following:
- Transportation and school outings
- Child care (oral care, purchase of glasses, hearing aids, etc.)
- Workwear
- Professional or sports equipment
- Textbooks or school supplies.
Please note
This aid may be supplemented by social fund for canteens.
If your child is enrolled in a public college or high school, the social fund can take the form of a sum of money or a benefit in kind. If it is privately registered, the aid is only financial.
To benefit from the social fund, your child must be enrolled in one of the following classes or structures:
- Public college or high school
- Private college or high school under contract
- Middle or high school class at the National Center for Distance Learning (Cned)
- Regional adapted education institution (EREA).
If your child is enrolled in a preparatory high school class, you cannot benefit from the social fund.
FYI
It is not necessary for the child to be a scholarship recipient in order to benefit from the social fund.
The head of the school informs you at the beginning of the school year of the possibility of benefiting from this aid. You can also inquire about the social fund from the school's secretariat.
You must remove a file from the institution's secretariat and return it, with the required supporting documents.
Who shall I contact
The procedure for allocating the social fund is different in public and private schools under contract:
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Your child is enrolled in a public institution
A special commission, chaired by the head of the institution, examines each file and gives its opinion on the applications.
The head of the school informs you of the decision whether or not to grant you the social fund.
Your child is enrolled in a private institution under contract
The head of the institution examines each file and makes proposals for assignments. These proposals are first forwarded to the rector of the academy, who then takes the decision.
The head of the institution informs you of the decision taken by the rector.
If your child is minor, the help is assigned directly to you. If it is major, it may be attributed to him personally.
When you have been refused the social fund, you can make an appointment with the school social assistance of the college or high school. It will direct you to the aid you may be entitled to.