efg

My daughter will be studying at Sciences Po in Paris in the fall and will need to find her own housing. I've read all the very helpful postings re: student housing in Paris but now am looking for any housing suggestions or information specific to the area near Sciences Po (which I'm just beginning to learn about myself). Would also love to hear of any former students' experiences with the university. Thank you!

Dave_in_Paris

My wife lectured for a short while at Sciences Po in journalism, in the mid-1980s. Her French students were impressive -- outstanding. It's a fine school. Congratualtions to your daughter!

I'm not sure it's best to limit a housing search to the area around the school. Finding lodging will be challenging. The Metro and bus systems make movement throughout the city quite easy. Also, I would expect her classmates' lodgings to be scattered throughout Paris.

Art_Vandelay

As I arrived to Sciences Po from the provinces twenty five years ago, my parents also thought it was best to seek accommodation next to the university. But of course it is one of the priciest places in Paris, so we broadened our scope, until we found a place finally not too far away, next to Port Royal RER. But none of my fellow students had apartments in the vicinity. The ones living in the suburbs at their parents just commuted like millions of Franciliens do. Last time I heard (10 years ago), the Bureau des Elèves had a housing service which was quite efficient. Landlords are normally former students who feel more comfortable renting out their place to ScPo students (for what it's worth... ). As for the studies there, I liked it in my own time, and now, from what I read and hear, it's better, more open to the world and other parts of French society.

efg

Thank you for your suggestions and feedback. I know my daughter won't hesitate at all to extend her search beyond the Sciences Po area. Because she'll be there for the semester, I anticipate she may need to sublet an apt - any suggestions for how to find a connection for these types of arrangements?

Dave_in_Paris

One resource is France-U.S.A. Contacts, or FUSAC, an all-classified- ad English-language publication here. It's available at the W.H. Smith bookshop on the rue de Rivoli but you can also consult it online. Sublets are a good bet because the requirements for rental tend to be less strict. (You might also want to complete a standard "caution," or guarantee of rent payment form -- the magazine De Particulier a Particulier sells those and other forms, I believe -- for your daughter before she departs, although if you have no accounts or other assets in France, this may be of limited value in negotiations with a potential French landlord.