Welcoming international students

Visa

Depending on the student’s nationality, situation and length of stay, a visa may be required to study or do research at Université de Paris.  

European students are exempt from visa requirements. Non-European international students should check the Campus France website or the websites of the French Consulate of their country for information. As of April 2021, international students can apply for their visa online on France-Visas. This new service is available to students applying for a long-stay visa residing in a country where the visa application is externalised and available online.

Residence permit

Foreign students (non-EU citizens) must obtain a student residence permit, within 3 months of their arrival in France. The student residence permit is not the same as a visa. The prefecture can issue a multi-year residence permit. The request for a residence permit must be made three months before the visa expires or 3 months before the expiration of the previous residence permit. For more information on the application process, visit the website of Ministry of the Interior.

How to apply for a residence permit

• All requests and applications must be done directly online.
• The holders of a VLS-TS, or Long-Stay Visa valid as a Residence Permit (1st application), must process their application online to finalise their residence permit.
• The holders of a type D Visa (long stay visa) bearing the mention: “residence permit to be requested within 2 months of entering France” (Algerian students) or in the case of a renewal application, will be given a certificate of application with a validity of at least 90 days, pending the issue of their final residence permit.

Université de Paris aims to promote access for international students who wish to undertake their academic studies at the master’s level and for those pursuing research projects at the doctoral level. We offer several types of scholarship programmes. The criteria and eligibility requirements for each programme may be different depending on your situation. Read more >

Read more website: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. 

Access to medical care

During their studies at Université de Paris, international students can benefit from basic free health coverage under French Health Insurance. To obtain reimbursement of their health expenses, students should go to the dedicated website etudiant-tranger.ameli.fr and follow the instructions there.

To increase receive increased health care cover, students can also subscribe to a complementary health insurance or ‘mutuelle’. > For more information

Insurance

• It is mandatory for all foreign students to take out third-person liability insurance.
• It is mandatory for all foreign students to take out repatriation insurance.
• A complementary health insurance scheme (‘Mutuelle’) is strongly recommended for all foreign students.

Housing

Finding accommodation is an important step towards successfully integrating into Parisian life. It is a step that should be planned before your arrival in France. Finding housing in Paris, as with all capital cities, can be a challenge. It is crucial to start your search in December prior to the year of your arrival in Paris. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the conditions and requirements for admission to student dormitories.

To find out options for accommodation, go to the Accommodation page.

Budget for your accommodation

In a résidence universitaire (University dormitory):  

A minimum of 450 to 500 Euros a month (price varies depending on the type of accommodation)

As a private tenant:

From 600 to 900 Euros a month

If you are planning to rent an apartment, remember that you will need to provide a deposit equivalent to two month’s rent.

N.B.: You may possibly be entitled to financial assistance for your accommodation expenses.

Note: The CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales), a family allowance fund, can allocate personal accommodation assistance (APL) in some cases.

Food

You should allow between €200 and €250 per month.

For the academic year 2021, due to the pandemic, the student price for a meal is €1.00 per meal. This amount is subject to change based on the developments in the health situation. For more information > read here

Restaurants: the cheapest ones range from €12 to €15 per meal (in France, service is always included in the price)

A coffee (espresso): €2 minimum

A soda: about €4

A loaf of bread (baguette): about €1.

Public transport

The transport card to get around Paris (all areas included) costs €75.20/month.

With the ‘Imagine’R’ Student card, students under 26 can benefit from a discount of about 50%.

For more information, go to: www.ratp.fr

Opening a bank account

If your main residence is located in a non-European country and if your stay in France is going to last more than three months, it is in your best interest to open a resident bank account. However, students should ask their bank in their country of residence whether it is associated with a French banking network.

To open a resident bank account in Euros, three documents are required:

• A passport
• A residence permit
• Proof of residence (telephone or electricity bill, rent receipt, certificate of accommodation,…)  

Opening an account entitles you to a cheque book and/or to a credit card. Cheque books are usually free. However, an amount of €15 to €40/year can be charged for a credit card, depending on the bank and the type of card.

For more information and tips about living in Paris, download the brochure “Welcome to Paris and Ile de France” from Campus France. 

If you are an international student and have enrolled at Université de Paris, you can take French courses throughout the academic year. An online assessment (FLE 7) for the evaluation of written comprehension, knowledge of language structure and oral comprehension needs to be taken. This will allows students to be divided into groups according to their level of French. For more information, please go to the page Language-centres.

The French as a Foreign Language (FLE) Department of the Grands Moulins Campus can provide information to international students wishing to enquire about the French language courses on offer.  Students whose courses are located on the Grand Moulins campus or its immediate surroundings can take the assessment online using the following link:

http://www.eila.univ-paris-diderot.fr/enseignement/lansad