With the new academic year approaching, finding accommodation remains one of the biggest concerns for many students.
Mattis Noël, president of the Association of Luxembourg Student Circles (ACEL), said the organisation is regularly contacted by both Luxembourgish and international students struggling to find affordable housing.
He underlined that the main problem is not simply high rents, but a lack of supply. Noël argued that increasing the number of available student homes would also help bring prices down by creating more competition.
The new student aid reform, which was approved by parliament in June, increased the mobility grant for students studying abroad, introduced partial reimbursement for language tests, and provided for the state grant to be indexed every semester. Interest on student loans has also been capped at 1.8%, down from 2%, while students can now receive a completion bonus after finishing a study cycle, he added.
Noël said ACEL remains broadly positive about the reform, having worked with the Higher Education Ministry on the changes for two to three years. However, he stressed that the system should continue to evolve. ACEL continues to criticise the fact that students cannot receive the mobility grant if they live and study in the same country.
ACEL raised some concerns about the new framework for doctoral students, who have now been removed from the student grant legislation. Previously, only a limited number of PhD candidates received funding, whereas projects are now funded more broadly.
The Greens (déi gréng), meanwhile, have raised concerns that conditions have worsened for part-time students, who can now earn no more than 80% of the qualified minimum wage to remain eligible for a grant.
ACEL does not see this as a major issue, however. Noël pointed out that such students can still apply for and receive a student loan, meaning they are not entirely excluded from financial support. In ACEL's experience, he added, students combining part-time study with part-time work are also less likely to depend on a grant.
Overall, only 11% of Luxembourgish students pursue their studies in Luxembourg, while 89% go abroad.
In absolute terms, around 4,200 study in Luxembourg, some 4,400 in Germany, and approximately 3,080 in Belgium.
Against that backdrop, ACEL is also following discussions around Belgium's planned motorway toll, although it has not yet adopted an official position.
Another area ACEL sees room for improvement is Luxembourg's internship legislation.
While Noël welcomed the fact that interns in Luxembourg are paid, he said the requirement can sometimes make it more difficult for students to secure placements, particularly as employers are not always clear about the applicable rules.
There is still a lack of information about the rights and obligations of both interns and employers, he explained. ACEL has also identified inconsistencies between the Social Security Code and the Labour Code regarding affiliation and social security contributions.
The issue has already been raised with Labour Minister Marc Spautz and Health Minister Martine Deprez, Noël said. ACEL was therefore surprised that a recent evaluation of the internship framework did not result in any changes, leaving the inconsistencies between the two legal frameworks unresolved.
