Student life

Find out everything you need to know on student life in Paris, including how to find accommodation, libraries or where to eat.

Student Visa

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Student Visa authorizes the student to enter French territory. A long-term visa marked student is required for students intending to study in France for more than 6 months. Once having a proof of admission to the University Paris 1, students from outside the European Economic Area must obtain a long stay student visa (3 to 12 months).

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    The application must be presented to the French consulate services of your country of residence. This visa is mandatory in order to obtain the student residence permit (required within two months of arrival in France), authorizing the student to remain on French territory. If you enter France with a tourist visa, you cannot apply for a residence card and cannot apply for a student visa while in France.

    The following documents are usually required:

    • 2 completed long stay visa application form
    • 2 ID photos
    • Passport, valid for three months beyond the date of return from France
    • Letter of admission from Paris 1 University
    • Financial guarantees
    • Resume (Curriculum Vitae)
    • Letter of motivation explaining the purpose of your studies

    You can find more information on this website:

Housing

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Living in Paris, immersing yourself in a new culture, becoming part of a Parisian neighbourhood, interacting daily with your neighbours, landlord, the shopkeepers, etc. may be an exciting cultural experience for international students. However, you may prefer to look for university residence accommodation. In such a case, every effort is made by the PSME program and support services of the University to provide you with solutions. The two main possibilities are:

  • Student residence

    In both type of accommodations, students may be offered one-room apartment with kitchen, bathroom, WC, TV/phone socket. Most of the apartments are furnished and contain a writing desk, desk lamp, office chair, bed, built-in wardrobe, etc. Rents vary between 300 and 550 Euros per month. There are also some possibilities of accommodation for couples.

    As for the rooms in the Cité Universitaire which are pre-booked for PSME students, they are given out on a first come -  first served basis.

    Once you are admitted in the PSME program, you are directed to the international office of Paris 1, who will provide you as much help and guidance as possible to find the solution that suits you best.

  • Other Housing Options

    1) Independant Rooms:

    An Independent Room is typically a chambre de bonne, a small, furnished, converted maid's room, located at the top of a classical French apartment Hausmannian building, usually without an elevator. An average room is between 10 and 15 square meters in size. These rooms are equipped with basic cooking facilities such as a refrigerator and a hot plate, a shower in the room, as well as a shared toilet located in the hall. On the same floor there are often several chambres de bonne occupied by other young people studying in Paris.

    • Rent: € 650 - 1000 per month; utilities and phone are extra.

    Search for a room on www.Uniplaces.com
    Enter Discount code: STUDYPORTALSUNI

    Another possibility to look for rooms is over french realtors. The usual fee for an apartment is one month of rent. This investment has proven to be worthwhile for past students as the quality of service and of the housing facilities is usually superior to the ones offered in newspapers and similar offers.
    Also, students can contact the PSME secretariat in order to get into contact with PSME students giving up their rooms towards the end of the academic year.

     

    2) A Room With a French Host:

    A room with a French family in an apartment is a private room rented out to students by a family or landlord. The size of the rooms varies, but is usually between 12 and 20 square meters. Varying degrees of privacy exist; you may have a private bathroom and a personal phone. Some families allow use of the family kitchen (perhaps with some rules to be followed) and most will allow access to the washing machine. Utilities, except the phone, are included. Students can choose an option with or without meals. Meals shared with the French family offer the student the opportunity for language and cultural exchange (vegetarians are discouraged from choosing this option).

    • Rent without meals: 550 - 700 euros per month
    • Rent with meals (daily breakfast and 2-3 dinners per week): 650 - 800 euros per month.
  • Housing Subsidies

    Nearly all students under the age of 26 can apply for the CAF once they have signed their rental contract.

    Accomodation Financial Aid (“APL”) may be given by the French government through CAF, the Caisse d'allocations familiales (CAF) on specific criteria (resources, surface, valid resident permit) up to 1/3 of the value of the rent.

    Information is available here.

Insurance and Health

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Social security

Health insurance covering reimbursement of medical expenses is mandatory in order to obtain a residence permit. Students benefit from the students' health-insurance scheme (already included under Paris 1 registration fee) if they are less than 28 years old; otherwise they have to subscribe to a private insurance.
More about the French social security.

  • Mutuelle

    A complementary health insurance is not compulsory but strongly recommended. This is a student insurance program costing from 125 to 250 Euros per year depending on the coverage offered (including civil liability and accident).

  • Useful phone numbers and addresses:

    Emergency services (phone numbers):

    • Police secours (police) : 17
    • Pompiers (fire service) :18
    • SAMU (emergency ambulance) :15
    • SOS Médecin (on-call doctors) : 04.73.42.22.22
    • Centre anti-poison (in case of poisoning) : 04.72.11.69.11
  • Preventive Medicine and Health Promotion Service

    The university has a Preventive and Health Promotion Service, which offers medical services to students free of charge:

     

    Centre Pierre Mendès France
    90, rue de Tolbiac,
    75013 Paris
    4th floor, Office A4 02

    Phone: 01 44 07 89 50
    Fax: 01 44 07 89 55

    Open from Monday to Friday 9h AM to 5h PM.

  • Doctors

    Your are free to choose your doctor. You will find all addresses on the telephone directory “Pages-Jaunes”

     

    General Practitioners:

    Students who are affiliated with a social security organisation and wish to see a doctor must register with a GP. In other words, to make sure that you don't pay an extra charge, you should choose a practitioner whom you must consult every time you are ill. You may be referred to a specialist if necessary.

    Check that your general practitioner is affiliated to the French State's health care scheme (“conventionné secteur 1”) in order to pay only the Social Security regulated fee of €22, In case you choose a non-affiliated doctor, you will have to pay the extra charge yourself.

    Unless you have the CMU Universal Medical Insurance, you must pay the doctor's fees immediately and then claim expenses from the social security office and you complementary insurance (your doctor issues a form called “feuille de maladie”, which has to be completed and sent to your social security office). The doctor may prescribe medication on a prescription, which you will have to hand in at the pharmacy, as well as your social security card (Carte Vitale) and complementary card if applicable. You may have to pay for part of your medication. If a prescription has been issued, you should enclose it with your “feuille de maladie” before sending it to your social security office.

    Health Service at the University

      An alternative to town doctors is available: a medical service, “SSIU” (“Service de Santé Inter-Universitaire”) provides students with free access to the following services:

    • General practitioners or specialists (gynaecologist, sports specialist...), nurses (vaccinations, sick bay...);
    • Health checks and minor emergencies;
    • Blood tests (HIV & Hepatitis);
    • Psychological support;
    • Social services (support and advice).

    The closest alternative for PSME students is:

    Centre PMF, 90 rue de Tolbiac 75013 Paris
    Bureau A4-02
    01 44 07 89 50, siumpps@univ-paris1.fr

  • Facilities for students with special needs:

    Mme Liliane Durocher
    Centre Pierre Mendès France
    90, rue de Tolbiac,
    75013 Paris Office B11-08 (yellow lift)
    Phone: 01 44 07 89 27

  • Useful link

    Egide

    (Principles of social coverage. Different regimes. Additional health insurance coverage. Health services. Reimbursement of medical expenses. Preventive measures)

Libraries

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In order for PSME students to find adequate reading and working space, there are several libraries which can be consulted for books and internet access. The libraries recommended by the professors for economic students are:

University Restaurants

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Students can go to any university restaurants for lunch and dinner. There are more than ten university restaurants throughout Paris. One ticket costs 2,85 euros. With this ticket, you can take an entry, a dish and a dessert.

The nearest restaurants from the center of Pantheon and the center of the Sorbonne are “Assas” and “Bullier”. They are both within 10 minutes on foot.

Here is the list of university restaurants in Paris

Number 1 Student City

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Continuously ranked the #1 top student city, you'll find the city of lights has a lot to offer at a relatively affordable price including access to leading academics, small class sizes, and a number of historical and cultural activities just minutes from your classroom located in Paris Center.

Internships and Jobs in Europe

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Students may find an internship with the following websites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions