Life in France

New sights, unfamiliar words — there’s a lot to take in when you’re navigating your way through France for the first time. Here are some important things you should remember to do once you arrive in France.

After you arrive in France, you will need to register in person at your new university or institution, at the beginning of each academic year. Registration comprises two parts:

• Administrative registration (inscription administrative): You will enroll in the national student health plan, choose a supplemental insurance plan (mutuelle), and pay any balance due for your tuition. At the end of the process you will receive your student ID card. Visit your university’s website to find out the dates and other details of registration.
• Academic registration (inscription pédagogique): In this second phase of the process, you will register for your courses, learn the dates and times of your classes, and receive additional information on grading methods and examination schedules.

If you plan to study in France for more than six months, you will need to get an extended-stay visa with residency permit (VLS-TS – Visa Long Séjour Valant Titre de Séjour), which must be validated once you arrive in the country by the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII).

The different regions of France display incredible variety: culture and heritage, their traditions and cuisine, sea or mountain, town or country. Use your time studying in France to explore a colorful country.

There are many ways to travel in France. Plane, train, car: there is an embarrassment of choice. As a student, you may qualify for discounts that let you travel without going broke.

- BY TRAIN, you can get from Paris to Brussels or Lyon to Marseille in one hour ! Even London is only three hours from Paris. France has one of the most effective rail networks in the world, managed by the SNCF.

- BY BUS, you could reach lots of destinations in France and Europe with very attractive fares. Unlike the train, the price remains low even at the last minute. Reclining seats, Wi-fi, electric sockets: buses are getting more comfortable with each passing year.

- BY PLANE, as there are about 45 airports connecting the different cities in France.

- BY CAR: Visiting the back country around Toulouse and cruising through the moors of Brittany is much easier by car. You can drive in France if you have a European driver's licence or an international driver's licence.

France is a safe country. Public authorities have implemented plans such as the Plan Vigipirate to ensure everyone remains safe, and they will be in place while you are studying in France.

With regard to the security policy in French universities, a large number of preventive and crisis-management measures have been implemented by the Ministry of National Education that regularly involve simulation exercises. Generally, there are guards at the entrances in order to inspect the bags of everybody who enters.

If necessary, there are different emergency phone numbers you can for free at any time:

• 112: the European emergency number 
• 15: SAMU number (emergency medical service) for help from a medical team
• 17: emergency Police number if an event requires the intervention of the police;
• 18: fire brigade in the event of danger to a person or an accident.

Use your time studying in France to give both your head and your legs a good work out. There are many accessible and economical ways for students to work out in their host institute or elsewhere.

The Tour de France, the French Open, the Vendée Globe, the 1998 FIFA World Cup and soon the 2024 Summer Olympics: France often plays host to the biggest competitions in the world of sport. The quality of the infrastructure and the geography of France make it easy to do many different kinds of sport, in both summer and winter. On campus, the Service Universitaire des Activités Physiques et Sportives (SUAPS - the University Physical Activity and Sport Department) lets students stay in shape for a modest annual payment. Many different sports are available to all, regardless of your level.

Overall, Metropolitan France enjoys a temperate climate. The weather is often mild but there are big differences between the seasons and regions. Keep that in mind while you're packing your bags !