Conseil Départemental de la Mayenne - Department Student Loans

What you get

You receive an interest-free loan of 2,000 EUR if your school's yearly tuition is below 2,000 EUR, or 4,000 EUR if it is above that. The money is paid once, straight to your bank account. It comes from the Mayenne departmental council in France, which supports students whose parents live in the Mayenne. You repay the loan later without interest. You can spread repayment over three instalments starting five years after you receive it, or pay it in one go after five years. You can take up to 3 of these loans across your studies, one per academic year.

Who can apply

• Where your parents live: Your parents’ tax residence must be in the department of Mayenne (French department 53).
• Age: You must be at least 18 to apply.
• Level of study: Any university degree programme for which the ‘Baccalauréat’ (the French A-level equivalent) is a prerequisite and which leads to a qualification at a higher level than this. Preparatory years for training in nursing, physiotherapy and other paramedical professions are also included.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• Type of study: You must be in the first stage of your degree, be studying full-time at a higher education institution and not be receiving a salary for your studies. Apprentices, participants in vocational training programmes, distance learners and paid interns (e.g. medical interns) are ineligible to apply. A standard scholarship is not considered a salary.
• Nationality: All nationalities welcome.
• Family income: Your parents’ gross income must be below a threshold determined by family size; for example, 45,000 euros for one dependent child, rising to 65,000 euros for five children. For each additional child – from the second child onwards – who is pursuing a higher education qualification, the upper limit increases by 10%.
• Guarantor: If you are financially dependent on your parents, one of your parents or a legal guardian must act as a guarantor.

How to apply

The application forms will be available from August. You can submit your application online via the demarches-simplifiees.fr platform or by post; the deadline is 1 June 2026. The departmental committee will review complete applications every month from October onwards.

How realistic are your chances?

This loan is strictly limited to students whose parents live in a French department and whose family income is below a specified threshold, meaning that the eligible group is small. If you clearly meet the residence and income criteria and are studying full-time on a first-degree course, your chances are good, particularly as applications are assessed on a monthly basis. Please note that this is a loan which you must repay, not a grant.