Actual group and ESUP are taking action to promote access to higher education for all.

The cost of student living, especially in times of inflation, represents an obstacle to access to higher education for the most vulnerable students. To support them and encourage access to training, Actual group and ESUP are launching, starting this 2023 academic year, a social grant scheme offering up to €3,000 per student per year.

While tuition-free education prevails in France for primary and secondary schools, higher education comes with a constantly increasing cost. And tuition fees, which are particularly high in private business schools, are only part of a budget that is also weighted down by housing, food, and transport.

According to Unef, the cost of student living rose by an average of 6.5% in 2022 under the pressure of inflation, ranging between €8,000 and €12,000 per year, excluding tuition fees. In the face of this increase, national or local support systems (need-based grants, regional grants, merit aid, etc.) are no longer enough. This is what prompted ESUP – Actual group's network of business and management schools – to deploy its own social grant scheme.

The goal of this grant is to help students facing the greatest difficulties – whether from low-income backgrounds, or having experienced life accidents, family issues, or health problems – who wish to enroll in a BTS at ESUP. The amount of aid ranges from €800 to €3,000 per student per year depending on the situation, and is directly deducted from tuition fees.

To benefit, students simply need to complete an application file for ESUP, and fill out – following a meeting with the school's training advisors – a social grant request before April 30, 2023. After reviewing individual cases, aid will be awarded to students who are most in need and demonstrate genuine motivation to pursue a BTS at ESUP.

For Actual group, this initiative to facilitate access to higher education for the most vulnerable students reflects a vision of inclusion through education. As a major player in employment and temporary work, Actual group advocates for easing the right to work for everyone and promoting integration through training. This humanistic vision is expressed, among other ways, through ESUP, the network of business and management schools created in 1990 by Actual group.

ESUP plans to award nearly €70,000 in grants in 2023, an amount set to double the following year. While this support system provides direct financial help, it also benefits educational institutions by promoting equal opportunity, solidarity, and ensuring a diverse student body. Inclusion through education is an opportunity that benefits more than just those who receive a grant.

About Actual

Today, as the 5th largest player in the French job and labor market, Actual group is a French group with a resolutely humanistic vision, advocating daily to make the right to work accessible to all. Structured around 4 core business areas – temporary staffing, recruitment, guidance, and training – the group is No. 1 in social integration through temporary work in France. Led by Samuel Tual, a committed entrepreneur, Actual group has developed true expertise in guiding individuals into employment across France, as well as in Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland, through employment solutions and skills development. The group also offers a comprehensive suite of HR solutions to support companies and help them find or build the skills they need. Thanks to its 4,000 employees and over 600 agencies across the territory, Actual group currently supports 33,000 companies and 156,000 job candidates, achieving a turnover of 1.5 billion in 2024. Its ambition is to build the work of women and men together, everywhere in France.

About ESUP

ESUP is a network of business and management schools created by Actual group in 1990. Over three decades, it has trained more than 2,000 students each year and currently operates 7 campuses (Paris, Lyon, Angers, Laval, Rennes, Vannes). ESUP welcomes students in work-study programs or initial education, featuring 300 trainers from the professional world. ESUP's ambition is to build the success and employability of its students by offering training fields connected to the labor market and employment areas: business, marketing, communication, human resources, management, banking, international affairs...

Contacts, practical information and links

Michaël Draï
Actual group press office
Tel:06 60 41 86 78
Email:drai@uneidee.com

Guillaume Neron Bancel
Actual group Communications
Email:guillaume.neronbancel@groupeactual.eu