CVEC: The New Fee
What is "contribution vie étudiante et du campus"?
President Emmanuel Macron has implemented a new law called orientation et reussite des étudiants, which requires a €90 fee each year starting the academic year 2018/2019. Without this proof of payment, students in France can't have access to universities. This fee was meant to build up activities for the CROUS and to do that the government needed money. The CROUS is an institution that takes care of the activities involved in universities and schools. It makes sure of a good quality of life for students. The fee will help promote social support, finance students' ambitions and projects, develop sports activities, make art and culture important in students' environments and improve reception of students.
The other reason for the CVEC is to eliminate student social security. Starting September 2018, incoming students will not have to go through signing up for a student social security but stay with their general social security, which is generally their parents' social security. Students who were with the student social security system before 2018 can remain within the student system for this academic year. However, they will have to sign up to the closest social security system for the academic year of 2019/2020.
Regardless of the reason for the fee, it is mandatory for all students to pay if they want to continue studying in France.
How this applies to AUP students
Returning students of academic year 2017/2018, have been paying the student social security fee, SMEREP, of €217 as well as the private insurance as a complement of €270 per semester. Because of the new CVEC law, the SMEREP fee has been canceled in September 2018. This means that incoming students won't have to apply or pay the SMEREP. For returning students, for this academic year we are covered by the SMEREP but in September 2019 we will have to switch back and apply to the general social security system, which is free. This leaves them to only pay the €270 fee per semester for MHS as a complement.
The health office explained what happens for incoming students. Because students have to be covered with an insurance right away, they will be provided the full insurance of MHS for the first semester which is €440 per semester. After this semester, they have the choice to either remain with the private insurance and keep paying €440, or switch to the general system and only pay the MHS complement of €270 per semester.
In the end, because social security became free, students would save €170 per semester and have to pay €90 per year as it is still mandatory. Instead of paying SMEREP and MHS complement, students would only pay the MHS complement.
Who has to pay for it
Any student who is studying at AUP or is transferring into AUP has to pay the fee. It does not matter whether you are returning students or new students or if you plan to graduate soon. This is a mandatory fee that all students studying in France have to pay.
The only students exempted from this fee are visiting students who are following their degree in a foreign country or are associated with international programs such as Erasmus.
How to pay for the fee
To get the certificate, students have to create an account on the government website. To create the account, students need to prepare all personal information and have an online copy of their student ID and school certificate which can be found on their student portal. After the account is created, an email will be sent to confirm the account and then they can start the process for the CVEC certificate.
Image credit: Annelyse Gaston-Carrere
There are two ways to pay for the CVEC certificate. The first one is to pay by credit card and get the certificate right away or the second way is to go to the post office. However, there will be a delay of two days to receive the certificate. Either way, the certificate will have to be uploaded on the student profile on the AUP website. Only then will students be able to register for next semester's classes.
For non-French speakers, please follow thoroughly the AUP CVEC guide which helps navigate through the site, from creating the account to getting the certificate, step by step.
