French President Emmanuel Macron has promised all university students can receive two meals a day for one euro in a move to help them cope during lockdown, reports BBC News.
"We must be able to provide better support," he said at a meeting with students in Paris on Thursday.
It follows protests in which students called for more help to tackle loneliness and financial problems.
France is currently under a 6pm-6am curfew, and coronavirus cases have risen steadily in recent weeks.
Mr Macron, who addressed students at Paris-Saclay university, also said the government would provide subsidies to pay for counselling and other mental health services.
The subsidies would take the form of a voucher which students can redeem if they feel the need to talk to a mental health professional, the president said.
He added that the discounted meals would be available from university canteens and other nearby outlets that are providing takeaways.
"We remain in a period of uncertainty," Mr Macron said. "We will have a second semester that will have the virus and a lot of constraints."
"You need to take care of each other," he added.
The president spoke a day after students took to the streets to demand more attention from the government. They sought to raise awareness of the rising mental health problems many say they are suffering as a result of the pandemic.
A combination of isolation, inactivity and concerns about the job market has left many students close to breakdown, according to university psychologists.