Student life guide in Toulouse: transport, housing, schools

Getting around Toulouse: the Tisséo network

The Tisséo network serves the entire city and its metropolitan area with:

• 2 automated metro lines (VAL): line A (red) and line B (yellow), 38 stations over 28.2 km, connecting the main university campuses.
• 2 tram lines (T1, T2) and the Téléo urban cable car, which links Oncopole to Université Paul Sabatier in 10 minutes.
• A dense bus network, including Linéo routes, complemented by late-evening services on Fridays and Saturdays.
• A 3rd metro line (line C) planned for 2028.

Students and young people under 26 benefit from reduced fares on the Pastel card compared with the full fare, with specific pricing grids by age and discounted “solidarity” fares for scholarship holders. Exact amounts change regularly, so check the official Tisséo website when you apply. To complement the network, vélôToulouse offers more than 3,300 self-service bikes (mechanical and electric) across 400+ stations in Toulouse and nearby municipalities, accessible with a Pastel card or a student card.

Student housing in Toulouse: what are your options?

Housing is typically a student’s biggest expense. In Toulouse, the average monthly rent for a studio was around €516 in 2025 according to L’Étudiant’s ranking, but it varies widely depending on the area and the type of accommodation. Private residences like UXCO Student, for example, advertise studios from about €570 per month including charges. Several housing options coexist:

• Private student residences, such as UXCO Student Atlas (city center, Marengo-Jolimont area) and UXCO Student Thalès (Rangueil-Montaudran area, close to the aeronautics hub): furnished studios and apartments (kitchenette, storage furniture, private bathroom), all-inclusive rent, with an on-site residence manager.
• CROUS Toulouse Occitanie university residences (via crous-toulouse.fr): furnished rooms and studios across several campuses (Rangueil, Arsenal, Mirail), with subsidized rent subject to means testing, via the “Dossier Social Étudiant”.
• Flatshares or private rentals, often found through free platforms that list available offers such as Studapart, Adele or Erasmus Play for international students: rooms, apartments or studios, furnished or unfurnished depending on the listing, to be confirmed with the landlord before you commit.

The most popular neighborhoods for students are the city center (Capitole, Jolimont), close to nightlife and shops, and Rangueil, by the Garonne, just minutes from the science faculties.

Schools and universities in Toulouse

Toulouse brings together several well-known universities and grandes écoles, with programs in almost every field:

• Université Toulouse Capitole: law, economics, management, political science.
• Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès: literature, languages, arts, humanities and social sciences.
• Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier: science, health, sports, engineering (more than 30,000 students).
• Toulouse INP and INSA Toulouse: engineering schools.
• ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC: engineering programs specialized in aeronautics and space, linked to the city’s Airbus ecosystem.
• TBS Education and Toulouse School of Management: business and management schools.
• Sciences Po Toulouse: political science.

These institutions cover nearly all post-secondary pathways, from bachelor’s to PhD level, which partly explains why Toulouse attracts students from across France and abroad every year.

Support and services for students in Toulouse

Several schemes can help reduce the student budget:

• CAF housing assistance (APL or ALS), calculated based on income and housing type.
• CROUS means-tested grants, to be requested each year via the “Dossier Social Étudiant”: applications are made online at messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr, to check from March onwards.
• Visale rental guarantee, free for 18–30-year-olds without a personal guarantor, covering unpaid rent for landlords.
• Student associations: each university or school has a student union/association (BDE) to run campus life, alongside wider associations such as Nightline (listening support and mental health) or AFEV (community support).

Student and cultural life in Toulouse

Voted best student city in France for the second consecutive year in 2026, Toulouse is not just about studying. The city organizes events throughout the year designed specifically for students:

• University sports: linked to the Fédération Française du Sport Universitaire d’Occitanie, CROUS offers a program of free summer sports activities (handball, football, basketball, volleyball, running, etc.), alongside sports facilities and equipment provided by each university.
• Affordable culture for students: free concerts by the Orchestre National du Capitole, a culture pass providing access to theater, dance or opera performances, festivals like Toulouse les Orgues, and museums such as the Musée des Augustins or the Cité de l’Espace.
• Hanging out along the Garonne: the riverbanks (Prairie des Filtres, Port Viguerie) are popular spots for picnics, sports, or supervised summer swimming (Toulouse Plage).
• Campus community life: beyond each institution’s BDE, places like La Turbine, a third place dedicated to student engagement, host community, volunteer and artistic projects.

As France’s aeronautics capital with Airbus, the city also attracts many international students every year who come to study in this sector, adding to the diversity and energy of Toulouse’s student scene.

In summary

To settle successfully in Toulouse, combine a transport option that fits your needs (Tisséo and vélôToulouse), housing that matches your budget and campus (private residence, CROUS housing or an aggregation platform, comparing several sites before deciding), and a clear choice of school among the many universities and grandes écoles in the city. This combination is what lets you fully enjoy student life in Toulouse from the start of the academic year.