France - English Speaking Universities
 

My 18yr old daughter, wants to enrol in English Speaking Uni in south of France, maybe Perpignan area, to be able to get a student visa. Can anyone give us advice as to where there are English speaking unis and what is involved in getting into a Uni in France etc? Also what subjects are taught and any other advice will be appreciated. We will be travelling with her but under a separate different visa obviously. Would learning French in a college qualify her for a student Visa? Has anyone done this themselves?

As far as I am aware there are no English speaking uni's in Franvce other than the American uni in Paris.

BTW all French students take the IB before uni - if she hasn't got that of 5AP classes she won't get in

Well, there is Schiller College, also in Paris. I attended for a year . . . a lifetime ago.

Schiller College has campuses throughout Europe, so she may want to check to see if another campus might attract her.

s

Could she enrol on a French language course instead? Plenty of French universities offer courses for foreign students. I did one in Toulouse for example.

Googling "study abroad france" has brought up dozens of programs for you to look at. The U of Minn has one in Montpellier. I am sure with time you can find just what you are looking for.


Enrolling at a French language school will also give her the papers she needs for a visa. The course will be pre-paid and she must attend the time she has enrolled for. She will be given a visa to cover the amount of time for which she has enrolled. Not more.

Am I missing something? The OP says 'My 18yr old daughter, wants to enrol in English Speaking Uni in south of France, maybe Perpignan area, to be able to get a student visa'

Does this mean she actually wants to study a particular subject, get an education, or just find a way to stay in France? It sounds like the latter, but obviously there would be different approaches, based on her objectives.

How long does she want to stay in France? It sounds like indefinitely. She will have to attend classes to maintain her student visa status and follow up on any medical requirements (i.e., my niece had to get a chest xray part way through the year she was on a student visa). You should be talking with your local French consulate to get the paperwork and requirements you need for your daughter to apply for a student visa.

It's not really clear what you want. Does your daughter want a university education? Does she want to learn French? Does she want to hang in France for a few years on a student visa w/o attending classes?

AUP is an obvious one, and I know there are some English-language universities for some graduate studies in business and things like that, but seriously, Perpignan isn't going to have one of those. Besides, she's 18.

She needs to look at foreign language programs in some schools, that seems to be about all she could possibly do to get a student visa in that area. It doesn't have to be a language school, regular French universities usually have programs for foreigners like that, even in the regular school year. I know some technical programs over near Nice that are in English, but she couldn't do that at her age.

I don't understand what you mean about you will be traveling with her. If she is in school, she can't be traveling but must stay in one place (barring weekend trips).

Enroll in an English speaking university in southern France.

About as common as French speaking universities in the US!

Many many many many US colleges have study abroad programs in France, often with courses entirely in English. One of these might fit your bills better but you have to be enrolled somewhere first to take part in one of those. You could probably enroll her in community college here and get one of those programs to accept her.

Yes she does want to study a degree. We, as her parents are retiring to Perpignan area, France. However, our 18 yr old daughter needs and wants to accompany us. Due to her being 18yrs, she is not classed as a dependent and therefore our application for a visa cannot include her, hence it has been recommended that she applies for a student visa. Here in Aust she has enrolled in and just commencing her first semester of a Business/Commerce degree. She wishes to continue her degree in Perpignan if possible or do subjects relating to her degree. However, due to her lack of fluency in French she would also need to learn French. We are not at this point travelling around aside from a day or two here and there. She will be enrolled permanently and attending a University or college full time. Hope this explains our situation a little bit more. Thanks for your replies, much appreciated.

Sashh, what does IB classes mean? BTW all French students take the IB before uni - if she hasn't got that of 5AP classes she won't get in - could you please explain what this means? I know in Aust, foreign students needs to do English learning classes before starting their degree - I presume it would be the same?

IB (International Baccalaureate) is a public exam taken by French (and other) students for university entry - it's roughly comparable to ACT and SAT in US. If your daughter has comparable US qualifications, that may be sufficient to gain entry to a uni in France (there are no national rules, and each uni decides on its own), provided her French language skills are up to scratch (i.e. fluent in spoken and written language). Except for a few subjects like medicine and dentistry, there is no competitive entry to a French uni - anyone achieving a set standard can enrol. Otherwise she will first have to enrol on a French course and pass a test before she is able to start her degree course (licence). There are also Grandes Ecoles, with very competitive entry and higher academic status than public unis.

Sorry you are from Australia. Her Australian qualifications may be sufficient to gain entry into a French uni, but language requirements remain. If she hasn't a pass in DALF (Certificate of Proficiency in French), she will have to take a French test, and if she fails, she will have to enrol on a French course (usually for a year) and pass a test before permitted to start her licence (degree) course (usually 3 years). She should be able to get a student visa for a French course as well as her degree.

Thanks Alex - most helpful
Does anyone know if there are any organisations/colleges/unis in the Perpignan area, that will have a recognized French language course which will allow our daughter to receive a pass in DALF (Cert of Proficiency in French)? We know there are some in Montpellier however, we would like one closer to Perpignan if possible?? If you do know of one, we would appreciate their web address if possible.

Are you now moving to Perpignan or northern italy, given your other post on a similar subject? the chances of finding and English speaking Uni In Northern Italy are probably similar to finding one in Perpignan.
Maybe you should consider the Netherlands where some unis do have English speaking courses?
Not as warm in the summer true.
Do you speak either French or Italian?

are your google searches not giving you these websites? this is only one of many you will find

http://languagestudy.goabroad.com/se...ance/perpignan

there are language courses in most towns of a certain size.

We want to go to Perpignan area preferably but the other option was northern italy - learned a bit of Italian years ago but we are learning French at the moment until we come over. Just considering all our options - what will work the easiest for us.

this might help

http://www.aacupi.org/

Living in Italy can be a bureaucratic nightmare...make sure you research very carefully before you make your move. Great holiday destination, pain in the @rse to live in.

Pros and cons between Perpignan/Northern Italy

Perpignan
Pros
It is your preference
You are learning French
House prices are probably less
Near sea
Cons
No English speaking university nearby or one offering business & commerce degree in English
Poor travel connections

Northern Italy (say Como)
Pro
Bocconi offers degree in English. Bocconi is generally rated as about the 15th best business school in Europe.
Good travel connections
May be a more appealing location for an 18 year old
The jump from French to Italian is not that difficult. When I first arrived 30 years ago I spoke no Italian and my French help considerably
Connections help with all applications!
Con
House prices probably more expensive
Not your preferred destination?

Maybe others can add or comment this list which I have also posted on the French forum for more visibility (future posters should consider doing the same or perhaps you - Original Poster - should re post tagging the article both Italy and France).