Student-support services at institutions of higher education
France's PRES (higher education and research clusters), her universities, and her postsecondary schools are at your service.
WELCOME TO FRANCE
Arriving in a new country can be stressful. For this reason, many institutions have set up systems to support newly arrived international students. The features of those systems vary but often include an airport pickup, reserved housing, individualized guidance, tutoring, and instruction in French as a foreign language. By offering such support, France's PRES, universities, and schools endeavor to be at your service.
The CampusFrance catalog provides descriptions of international support services at every institution that offers them.
The CampusFrance catalog provides descriptions of international support services at every institution that offers them.
Register at your new institution
The registration process at the universities
All students are required to register in person at the beginning of each academic year. The procedure is the same at all of the nation's universities.
Registration has two parts:
Administrative registration
In the process of administrative registration you will enroll in the national student health plan, choose a supplemental insurance plan (mutuelle), and pay any balance due for your tuition (unless paid in full in advance). At the end of the process you will receive your student ID card. Visit your university's Web site to learn the dates and other details of registration.
Academic registration
In this second phase of the registration process you will choose from among the course options open to you, learn the dates and times of your classes, and be briefed on grading practices and examination schedules.
Registration at other institutions of higher education
Other institutions of higher education are free to set their own registration procedures, which normally are communicated to students well before the beginning of the academic year. Be sure to take note of any documents that you may be asked to provide at registration. Originals are often required.
Validating your VLS-TS visa
WELCOME TO FRANCE, RESIDENCY PERMIT, VISAS
The validation process
Upon their arrival in France, they must send to OFII by registered mail (with confirmation of receipt):
- the stamped OFII certification form that they received from the official who granted their visa
- a copy of the pages of their passport bearing their identity data and the stamp signifying entry into France or another country of the Schengen Area.
Upon receipt of these documents, the OFII will send, by regular mail to the address provided by the visa holder, a letter acknowledging receipt of the form and summoning the applicant for a medical visit (if such a visit was not carried out in the applicant’s home country) or an orientation session.
Pilot efforts are being made to use e-mail to facilitate exchanges between students and the OFII.
In all cases, a fee of €58 is charged.
The fee is collected through the sale of a tax stamp bearing the initials "OMI." The stamp may be purchased:
• Online from www.timbresofii.fr
• In some tobacco shops
• At offices of the French tax authorities.
Special cases:
1 - Students residing in Paris must bring the above documents to the OFII. During the months of September, October, and November, students may use the OFII office at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris (CIUP). At other time
2 - Some institutions (including many of France’s universities) have entered into agreements with OFII. Where such an agreement exists, the student must submit the above documents to the institution’s international student office. Students are strongly advised to lea
Finding a place to live
HOUSING
The cost of housing varies widely, but international students, like French students, are eligible for housing assistance.
It is reassuring to make housing arrangements before leaving for France. This is possible if you are able to secure a room in a university residence managed by CROUS, the regional student-service agency (although spaces in CROUS buildings are largely reserved for recipients of French government scholarships and students participating in exchange programs) or if you plan to attend an institution that maintains its own student residences.
Otherwise searching for housing from outside the country can be difficult. You won't be able to visit properties and make fully informed decisions. It may also be difficult, from a distance, to persuade a property owner to let you sign a rental contract or convince him that you have someone who will guarantee payment of your rent.
For these reasons, many international students choose to find temporary housing for their first few weeks in France. They use that time to look for a more permanent arrangement.
Below you will find a set of useful (if diverse) links, organized by city. Use them to learn more about the housing market in the area in which you plan to study.
University residences
HOUSING
University residences in France are managed by regional student-service agencies, known as CROUS. The residences may be located on campus or in town. Spaces are made available according to stringent social criteria.
CROUS residences are far and away the most affordable form of student housing. Monthly rents vary from €120 for a single room to €350 for a studio apartment. Most of the spaces allocated for international students are reserved for recipients of French government grants.
Many universities have reached agreements with CROUS to reserve rooms for international students participating in exchange programs, often under the umbrella of foreign assistance. Some institutions also reserve rooms for international students enrolled in the second year of a master's program or in a doctoral program. If you fall into any of those categories, you should ask your institution or the organization that manages your grant whether reserved housing is available.
Otherwise, your chances of finding a place in a CROUS building are slim. You may still wish to submit a request to CROUS after you arrive, as places sometimes open up in the course of the year.
For short stays
Short-term lodging
Living in the home of a host family is one of the best options for short-term housing. University residences managed by CROUS sometimes offer short-term room rentals during the summer. To find out, contact CROUS in the city where you intend to stay. Similarly, many private student buildings offer short-term rentals.
The city-by-city housing resource files compiled by CampusFrance offer contact information for numerous hostels, hotels, and other providers of housing for young people.
If you plan to take a course in French language before the beginning of the academic year, you should know that almost all centers for the teaching of French as a foreign language have a housing service that can offer you various options for the duration of your course.
Living with a host family
Renting a furnished room from a host family is ideal for short stays. This option is popular with students taking a short course in French as a foreign language. It allows the student to share in family life and, in so doing, to speed his or her adaptation to French language and culture—a perfect way to start a period of study in France.
Many centers for the teaching of French as a foreign language will make advance arrangements with a host family for students who enroll in their courses.
Specialized agencies can put you in touch with potential host families. For example, www.sejoursfrancefamille.fr. Other addresses are listed on CampusFrance's housing resource files.
The weekly cost of a room with a host family in Paris ranges from €200 (with breakfast) to €300 (breakfast and dinner). Average costs are lower outside Paris.
Working while enrolled
WORK
International students have the right to work while studying in France as long as they are enrolled in an institution that participates in the national student health-care plan. Students who are not nationals of EU member countries must also hold a valid residency permit. The right to work applies to all students, inlcuding those who are in France for the first time, those who are enrolled in the first year of a university program, and those who are enrolled full-time in a language school.
The law allows students to work 964 hours in a given year, which corresponds to 60% of full-time employment for the year. Remember that you can't expect to meet all of your expenses by working part-time, so you must have other means of support.
France has a national minimum hourly wage, known as the SMIC. The SMIC presently stands at € 9 gross per hour worked, before mandatory withholding for social benefits. Withholding reduces the worker's net wage by about 20%.
You are no longer required to obtain temporary employment authorization (APT, Autorisation Provisoire de Travail) in order to work part-time while enrolled. (Exception: Algerian students are still covered by the Franco-Algerian agreement of December 27, 1968.)
Working at a university
International students are also eligible for student jobs at universities and other public institutions of higher education. Students are hired to provide the following services: assisting incoming students; helping disabled students; providing tutoring; providing IT support and assistance; coordinating and staffing cultural, athletic, and social events; working in the career center; and supporting their institution's promotional efforts.
Student employment contracts are offered for a period not to exceed 12 months. They run from September 1 through August 31. Students may work up to 670 hours between September 1 and June 30, and up to 300 hours between July 1 and August 31.
Student employees follow a work schedule that will not interfere with their studies. The terms and conditions of employment specified in the contract are adapted to the requirements of each student's program so as to ensure academic success while also offering work experience.
University residences in France are managed by regional student-service agencies, known as CROUS. The residences may be located on campus or in town. Spaces are made available according to stringent social criteria.
CROUS residences are far and away the most affordable form of student housing. Monthly rents vary from €120 for a single room to €350 for a studio apartment. Most of the spaces allocated for international students are reserved for recipients of French government grants.
Many universities have reached agreements with CROUS to reserve rooms for international students participating in exchange programs, often under the umbrella of foreign assistance. Some institutions also reserve rooms for international students enrolled in the second year of a master's program or in a doctoral program. If you fall into any of those categories, you should ask your institution or the organization that manages your grant whether reserved housing is available.
Otherwise, your chances of finding a place in a CROUS building are slim. You may still wish to submit a request to CROUS after you arrive, as places sometimes open up in the course of the year.
For short stays
Short-term lodging
Living in the home of a host family is one of the best options for short-term housing. University residences managed by CROUS sometimes offer short-term room rentals during the summer. To find out, contact CROUS in the city where you intend to stay. Similarly, many private student buildings offer short-term rentals.
The city-by-city housing resource files compiled by CampusFrance offer contact information for numerous hostels, hotels, and other providers of housing for young people.
If you plan to take a course in French language before the beginning of the academic year, you should know that almost all centers for the teaching of French as a foreign language have a housing service that can offer you various options for the duration of your course.
Living with a host family
Renting a furnished room from a host family is ideal for short stays. This option is popular with students taking a short course in French as a foreign language. It allows the student to share in family life and, in so doing, to speed his or her adaptation to French language and culture—a perfect way to start a period of study in France.
Many centers for the teaching of French as a foreign language will make advance arrangements with a host family for students who enroll in their courses.
Specialized agencies can put you in touch with potential host families. For example, www.sejoursfrancefamille.fr. Other addresses are listed on CampusFrance's housing resource files.
The weekly cost of a room with a host family in Paris ranges from €200 (with breakfast) to €300 (breakfast and dinner). Average costs are lower outside Paris.
Working while enrolled
WORK
International students have the right to work while studying in France as long as they are enrolled in an institution that participates in the national student health-care plan. Students who are not nationals of EU member countries must also hold a valid residency permit. The right to work applies to all students, inlcuding those who are in France for the first time, those who are enrolled in the first year of a university program, and those who are enrolled full-time in a language school.
The law allows students to work 964 hours in a given year, which corresponds to 60% of full-time employment for the year. Remember that you can't expect to meet all of your expenses by working part-time, so you must have other means of support.
France has a national minimum hourly wage, known as the SMIC. The SMIC presently stands at € 9 gross per hour worked, before mandatory withholding for social benefits. Withholding reduces the worker's net wage by about 20%.
You are no longer required to obtain temporary employment authorization (APT, Autorisation Provisoire de Travail) in order to work part-time while enrolled. (Exception: Algerian students are still covered by the Franco-Algerian agreement of December 27, 1968.)
Working at a university
International students are also eligible for student jobs at universities and other public institutions of higher education. Students are hired to provide the following services: assisting incoming students; helping disabled students; providing tutoring; providing IT support and assistance; coordinating and staffing cultural, athletic, and social events; working in the career center; and supporting their institution's promotional efforts.
Student employment contracts are offered for a period not to exceed 12 months. They run from September 1 through August 31. Students may work up to 670 hours between September 1 and June 30, and up to 300 hours between July 1 and August 31.
Student employees follow a work schedule that will not interfere with their studies. The terms and conditions of employment specified in the contract are adapted to the requirements of each student's program so as to ensure academic success while also offering work experience.
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