Daily Life
Making the most of your college experience also means making the most of your day-to-day life. Housing, transportation, and meals are all practical aspects that extend beyond the university campus and directly influence your daily life, playing an essential role in your success and well-being.
The University of Montpellier supports you throughout the process by providing useful resources and advice tailored to your situation.
Finding a Place to Live
Accommodation Options
CROUs University Housing
The CROUS is the primary point of contact for student housing options. It offers a wide range of university residence halls and other housing options tailored to different budgets and needs, located near colleges, schools, and institutes.
- Housing – CROUs Montpellier-Occitanie.
- Lokaviz: a CROUS platform that offers students housing options with private landlords.
Private Housing and Shared Housing
In addition to university housing, students can look for private rentals—furnished or unfurnished—through private landlords or real estate agencies.
Shared housing is also a more affordable option that emphasizes sharing common spaces and daily life.
There are several platforms that make it easier to find apartments or roommates: leboncoin, se loger, la carte des colocs, colocation 40+, Proby, etc.
Public Housing
In Montpellier, the social housing provider ACM Habitat offers student housing in several neighborhoods throughout the city, close to universities, schools, and institutes, as well as all amenities. You do not need to be a scholarship recipient; only the student’s income is taken into account (not the parents’ income).
Intergenerational Housing
Intergenerational housing is one of the more affordable options for those looking for moderate rent. Sharing a home and helping each other out with small daily tasks provides an opportunity to live in a supportive community while reducing housing costs.
If you have a disability and have any concerns or questions about accessible housing, please contact us by email.
Housing Assistance
CAF
The Family Allowance Fund ( CAF) is a public agency responsible for providing social benefits and financial assistance, subject to certain conditions.
The CAF's online calculator lets you estimate the amount of assistance you may be eligible for.
Visale Device
The Visale program is completely free and acts as a guarantor for students under 30. It simplifies the process by strengthening your application and, if necessary, covering rent payments in the event of payment difficulties. In fact, if a payment is late, Visale pays the amount due directly to the landlord, and the tenant then repays the amount advanced.
Easy Case
This service allows you to create a simplified, comprehensive, and secure digital rental application to maximize your chances of finding a place to live.
Useful Resources
Here is a selection of practical information to help you with your procedures:
Eating
The various campuses of the University of Montpellier have several dining facilities managed by the CROUS. In total, 6 university restaurants, 22 cafeterias, and 7 brasseries are available to students atUM locations, including Montpellier, Perpignan, Béziers, and Nîmes.
In Sète, in cooperation with the CROUS, a special service for IUT students is provided at the Lycée Charles de Gaulle (38 rue Robespierre, 34200 Sète).
The Carcassonne Inter-Administrative Restaurant (RIAC), located at 37 rue de la République in downtown Carcassonne, welcomes you to its dining area. Thanks to the CROUS’s social dining program, you can enjoy meals there for €1 if you receive a scholarship, or €3.30 if you do not.
The campus in Mende offers a space dedicated to students, equipped with a vending machine for hot and cold beverages, sweet snacks, a refrigerator, and microwaves. In addition, students can dine at the inter-administrative cafeteria on Boulevard Lucien Arnault.
By creating an Izly account, you can take advantage of discounted rates at university dining halls: €1 for students receiving financial aid and those in financial need, and €3.30 for other students. You must complete this process through the Crous.
Once a week,UM BVE offers free food distributionsUM the student centers, in partnership with the Linkee association, for students facing financial hardship.
Getting Around
Montpellier
All residents of the Montpellier metropolitan area are eligible for free transit on the TaM network, provided they hold a valid free pass.
Whether by tram, bus, bustram, or bike, you have plenty of options for getting around the metropolitan area in an eco-friendly way.
Béziers
The Béziers IUT is located a 20-minute walk from the SNCF train station. By bus, it can be reached via Bus Line B. A parking pass is also available.
Carcassonne
The RTCA urban transit system makes it easy to get around the city of Carcassonne.
Bus lines 2 and 3 serve the Faculty of Education.
Nîmes
The Tango bus network makes it easy to get around the city, especially with lines 2 and 5, which serve all three campuses.
Mende
Urban transportation is provided by TUM (Transports Urbains Mendois).
Line 1 drops you off near the Faculty of Education.
Perpignan
The Sankéo network serves Perpignan and the surrounding area. Lines A and C, as well as Line 24, run near the School of Education.
Sète
Buses 1, 2, 3, and 7 stop near the IUT and provide service to the train station and downtown Sète.
Social and Financial Support
If you are experiencing financial, administrative, or social difficulties—whether related to housing, meals, or other needs—the University of Montpellier and the CROUS offer additional support services.
The Social and Family Economics Advisor, the Student Life Office, and the CROUS social workers are here to listen to you, guide you, and support you throughout your academic journey.
In addition to the services offered by the University, other external programs are available to support students in their daily lives. For example, the activity allowance paid by the CAF helps supplement the income of workers—whether they are employees, self-employed individuals, or working students—after three months of employment.
Services for International Students
International students can find all the information they need about housing and student life in Montpellier on this page: Studying at the University of Montpellier – University of Montpellier.
The SAIEC (International Student and Researcher Services) assists international students and researchers with administrative procedures (residence permits, housing, health care, etc.) to help them integrate into university life.
