Student loneliness in France: the figures and a way out

Four young people chatting standing up, holding a coffee or a glass of water, in a bright room

Student loneliness in France is common and well documented: more than one in three calls received by Nightline, the student-run listening line, is about loneliness and relationship difficulties, the highest share of the six European countries studied. It has less to do with a personal flaw than with a lack of opportunities, with fewer places to meet and more expensive outings. Two things help: talking about it (Nightline, and Santé Psy Étudiant with its free psychologist sessions), and giving yourself a regular meeting to see the same people again around an activity.

How many students in France feel lonely?

Several recent surveys measure the problem, each in its own way. Their methods differ: you don’t add them up, you read them side by side.

Source	What it measures	The figure
Nightline Europe, 2026 report	More than 23,000 calls and chats from students in 2025, across 6 countries	In France, more than one contact in three is about loneliness and social difficulties, the highest of the countries studied
OVE (Observatoire national de la vie étudiante, the national student life observatory), Well-being and health survey 2024	Health of students in France	One third show signs of psychological distress; nearly one in two went through at least two weeks in a row feeling sad, depressed or hopeless
Fondation de France (a French philanthropic foundation), Solitudes study 2025	The whole French population	24% of French people feel lonely

The Nightline figure speaks most directly to students: when they call a line run by other students, more than one time in three it is to talk about loneliness or difficulties with other people.

Why do students in France feel lonely?

The Nightline report, covered by the French student magazine L’Étudiant in July 2026, points to very concrete causes:

Fewer shared spaces in Crous residences (the halls run by CROUS, the student services agency), so fewer chance encounters.
Falling interest in team sports, which used to be a natural way into a group.
The cost of living, which cuts down on going out.

A psychologist quoted in the article sums it up: students have "fewer places to meet" (translated from French).

Then there is the move into higher education. In first year, you often arrive in an unfamiliar city, in lecture halls where you know nobody. In February 2025, L’Étudiant published accounts from students describing this isolation throughout their first semester.

What we heard when interviewing students points the same way. They don’t lack people around them: a campus has thousands. They lack one place to see what is going on, because information is scattered across emails from the administration, posters, word of mouth and a dozen Instagram accounts. So they don’t look, and they stay home.

Where can you find help when things are not OK?

Feeling lonely is not an illness, but it weighs on you, and talking about it already helps. According to the OVE, two students in ten don’t know where to turn. Here are the free resources:

Resource	What it is	How to access it
Nightline	Night-time listening service run by student volunteers	nightline.fr
Santé Psy Étudiant	Government scheme: twelve free sessions a year with a partner psychologist, renewable, without going through a doctor	santepsy.etudiant.gouv.fr, then book directly
Your university or school health service	Consultations, prevention, guidance	On your university or school website

If you feel in danger, don’t wait: talk to a health professional right away.

How can a student get out of loneliness?

What creates a bond is not a big party where you cross paths with fifty people. It is seeing the same people again, several times, around something you do together. A few ideas:

Choose an activity that comes back every week. Same day, same time, same place: repetition is what turns strangers into familiar faces.
Start from what you love. A sport, studying, a project: you will have a ready-made topic of conversation.
Look at what already exists: student associations and the BDE (the student union of a school), your university sports service, study groups in your class.
Say yes once a week. A proposal, an invitation, an "anyone up for a run?". The first yes is the hardest.
Propose it yourself. Many people wait for someone else to start. A study session at the university library or a five-a-side football game is enough.

We compared the apps that help you meet people this way in apps to meet people in France. Our guide with precise steps for the first days, se faire des amis à la fac, is in French.

What can a school, an association or a BDE do?

Student loneliness is not only an individual matter. Schools and associations have a real role, especially in the first semester:

Make activities visible in one place, rather than scattered across ten channels.
Offer regular meetings rather than one-off events: a weekly slot keeps people better than a big welcome party.
Reach out to first-year students in the first weeks, when groups form.
Know who comes, to follow up with those who came only once.

Where does Kumul fit in?

Let’s be clear: Kumul does not treat anyone and does not replace a listening line or a psychologist. Our role is simpler. Kumul is a free French app, in French, starting in French schools and universities. On it, you see the activities proposed around you, in sport as well as for studies and projects, and you join them in one tap. If nothing suits you, you propose your own, and others join you. Student associations and BDEs post theirs there. It is currently a web app, and the mobile app is coming to the App Store and Google Play.

The key facts are on the About Kumul page, in English, and the reason it exists is told by its founder in how I built an app without being a developer. The page for your campus is in French.

What students lack most is not people. It is simple occasions to meet them. If you study in France, create your account and see what is happening near you this week.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. In France, more than one in three calls and chats received by Nightline, the listening line run by students, is about loneliness and relationship difficulties, the highest share of the six countries studied in its 2026 European report.

The Nightline report mainly points to a lack of opportunities: fewer shared spaces in student residences, falling interest in team sports, and a cost of living that cuts down on going out. The first year of study, in a city and lecture halls you don’t know, is also a hard time.

You can contact Nightline in the evening to talk to a student volunteer, and see a psychologist for free with Santé Psy Étudiant, the government scheme: twelve sessions a year, without going through a doctor. The health service of your university or school can also guide you.

Choose an activity that happens every week, at the same place and time, rather than a one-off party. Seeing the same people again is what creates the bond. You can join a student association, your university sports service, or an activity proposed near you on Kumul, a free French app.

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