Come and study on an exchange program

Contact your home university to find out whether a cooperation agreement exists with the Université Bourgogne Europe in your field and at your level of study.

Your home university will inform you about the application procedure within your institution, so that you can be selected to come on exchange to Université Bourgogne Europe.

If you have been selected for an exchange by your home university, you must apply to Université Bourgogne Europe.

1. I fill in the online application form on the Mobility-Online platform.

Application periods:

• mid-February to May 15 at the latest for students coming for the first semester;
• mid-September to November 15 at the latest for students coming for the second semester.

2. I complete my mobility file.

After submitting your application via the online form, you will receive an e-mail asking you to create your personal space on the Mobility-Online platform. If you haven’t received an e-mail, please check your Spam folder.

Once you’ve created your personal space, you’ll need to upload all the documents required to complete your application:

• passport photo,
• ID document (passport or ID card),
• CV,
• cover letter,
• learning agreement signed by you and your home university.

If your home institution has not provided you with a learning agreement, please complete the Université Bourgogne Europe document with your choice of courses:

• learning agreement for Erasmus+ students;
• learning agreement for other exchange students.

Your application must be complete:

• before June 30 if you are coming for the first semester;
• before November 30 if you are coming for the second semester.

3. I wait for a reply from Université Bourgogne Europe.

We will process your application. If you are accepted to study at our university, we will send you a notice of admission, which you can use for administrative registration when you arrive in France.

No late applications will be accepted. All applications must be made online. We will not accept applications sent by e-mail or post.

The exact list of documents required for registration is published here:

• in July for registrations taking place in September,
• in December for registrations taking place in January.

The list of documents required for registration in the second semester of the 2024/2025 academic year:

• a completed and signed application form;
• a passport-size photograph;
• a photocopy of your identity document (ID card or passport);
• a photocopy of your Université Bourgogne Europe admission notice for an exchange program in 2024/2025;
• a photocopy of your student card or registration certificate from your home university for 2024/2025;
• a photocopy of your French civil liability insurance certificate (take out a policy with an insurance company or bank when you arrive in France; cost: approximately 20 euros). If your European university has already insured you, please provide a certificate or details of your tuition fees mentioning liability insurance. If your American university covers this insurance, please provide proof. If you have any doubts in this respect, please ask your home university’s international relations office before registering with the Université Bourgogne Europe;
• if you have already been enrolled in a French higher education establishment, please enclose a photocopy of your previous student card or certificate of attendance;
• only for students who are not nationals of a country in the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation: a photocopy of your passport with a D visa or a long-stay visa marked Étudiant;
• only for students residing in one of the countries on this list:

• • vaccination record (recommended vaccinations),
  • lung X-ray (with report, in French if possible), which you must have before leaving for France. The X-ray must be less than 3 months old. This is required for tuberculosis screening.
    Once you’ve arrived at the Université Bourgogne Europe, we’ll direct you to the Student Health Service (SSE), where you’ll be given a free medical consultation.

Erasmus+ exchange students pay no registration fees.

The majority of students coming on exchange under a cooperation agreement outside the Erasmus+ program do not pay registration fees. To find out whether you have to pay registration fees at the Université Bourgogne Europe, contact your home university.

Administrative registration usually takes place:

• early September for students arriving for the first semester,
• mid-January for second semester students.

This is a compulsory step you need to take in order to obtain student status at the university, obtain a student card, access university facilities, follow courses and take exams.

Detailed information on registration dates and procedures is usually published here:

• in July for registrations taking place in September,
• in December for registrations taking place in January.

Registration information for the second semester of the 2024/2025 academic year

Administrative registration takes place at the International Office (office R24) at the Maison de l’Université in Dijon:

• from January 6 to 10, 2025: every afternoon from 2pm to 5pm and
• from January 13, 2025: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, from 2pm to 5pm.

Procedure

• Report to the registration desk with all necessary documents.
• The International Office will check your documents and register you if your file is complete.
• You will receive your student card and a welcome kit from the International Office and the European Union’s Erasmus+ program.
• Once administrative registration has been completed, students who do not have health insurance from one of the EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland must join the French social security system.

This registration procedure is for students who will be studying in Dijon. For students on the Nevers, Auxerre, Chalon-sur-Saône and Le Creusot campuses, please contact the administrative services and your exchange coordinator to find out how to proceed.

Once you have completed your administrative registration with the International Office, you must contact the administrative services of the course program you have enrolled in to complete your academic registration (choice of options, etc.), if necessary.

If your course program starts before you have completed your administrative registration, you can (and must!) still attend classes.

To complete your learning agreement, you need to pre-select the courses you would like to take at the Université Bourgogne Europe.

All courses are open to exchange students, provided that you fulfill the language requirements to take them, but please note that at least 60% of your courses must be selected within your component (faculty/school/institute) at the Université Bourgogne Europe. All other courses can be taken in other components and departments, subject to the agreement of the teacher(s) concerned.

Remember that your choice of courses must be validated by your UBE coordinator and your home university.

Courses in French

• Most of our courses are taught in French.
• To find courses in your field and at your level of study, check out all the courses on offer at the Université Bourgogne Europe.

Courses in English

• The UBE is currently developing courses taught in English in various fields. To find out whether English-language courses are offered in your discipline, write to the International Office, who will put you in touch with your exchange coordinator at the Université Bourgogne Europe, who will provide you with further information.
• Good to know: some institutes, schools and faculties have courses in English especially designed for exchange students: Institut universitaire de technologie (IUT, University Institute of Technology) Dijon-Auxerre, Faculté des sciences du sport (Sport Science Faculty), Institut d’administration des entreprises (Institute of Business Administration).

In order to study at the Université Bourgogne Europe as an exchange student, you must have at least a B2 proficiency level in French and/or English, depending on the language of instruction of your preselected courses.

We do not require a certificate to prove your language proficiency, but if you have one, please enclose it with your application.

Ideally, you should arrive on the campus where your course program will take place before classes start, so that you can settle in and attend classes from the very first day.

The general organization of the academic year at Université Bourgogne Europe:

• first semester: September to December;
• first semester exam period: January;
• second semester: January to June;
• second exam period: June.

This information is given as an indication only – please note that each course program has different dates that are specific to its organization.

The academic calendar for each course program is usually updated at the end of June or beginning of July each year for the following academic year.

Good to know: if your courses start before your administrative registration is complete, it’s okay – you can (and should!) go to classes. The fact that you are not yet registered does not prevent you from attending classes.

Grading out of 20 possible points

20 – Excellent
19 – Excellent
18 – Excellent
17 – Excellent
16 – Very good
15 – Very good
14 – Good
13 – Fairly good
12 – Fairly good
11 – Fair
10 – Fair

Below 10 – Insufficient

Unlike the case in many other countries, in France it’s possible to pass and validate your year of studies even if you didn’t get a mark above 10 in all your subjects. This is made possible by the compensation system, which allows you to “make up” for a poor mark in one subject or teaching unit with a good mark in another. Compensation rules may differ from one university component to another.

For more information on this subject, please contact your exchange coordinator at the Université Bourgogne Europe.

Contact your exchange coordinator to find out if French as a foreign language courses are available for exchange students at your host faculty/institute/school. The name of your exchange coordinator can be found on the admission letter you received from the International Office.

For example, the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy offers its exchange students preparatory methodological teaching for writing exercises in the field of literary, human and social sciences.

Before and during your stay at Université Bourgogne Europe, there are many other ways for you to learn or improve your proficiency in French: take inspiration from the examples given in the Integrating into a new culture section.

You need to make sure that your grants and/or personal sources of funding are sufficient to live in France. To get an idea of living expenses in France, consult the Preparing your budget section of the Campus France website.

To find out more about the difference between the cost of living in your home country and in France, you can consult comparison sites such as Numbeo or Expatistan.

Students who need to obtain a visa to study in France must justify their resources to the French consulate or embassy responsible for issuing visas.

You need to find accommodation before you arrive in France.

On-campus residences

Exchange students can apply for a room in on-campus residences managed by the Centre régional des œuvres universitaires et scolaires (Crous). If you would like to apply for a Crous student room, please indicate this in the appropriate section of your application form to the International Office, along with the dates on which you expect to arrive and depart. The International Office will inform you if your room request has been processed.

Studapart Platform

Are you unable to find a room in one of the student residences on campus and/or are you looking for another reliable accommodation solution?

You can use the Studapart platform, with which Université Bourgogne Europe has a partnership. They offer exclusive accommodation to students from our university, with verified ads and secure payment. You will find rentals from 1 to 24 months in studio flats, shared flats, rooms in private homes… If you don’t have a guarantor living in France, Studapart will act as your guarantor for the duration of the rental. If you have any questions, please contact Studapart’s multilingual team at contact@studapart.com and booking@studapart.com. See also the Studapart flyer and Accommodation Guide.

Other accommodation options

• List of accommodations provided by Campus France.
• Real estate rentals: Leboncoin, Pap, Fnaim, Se loger, Top annonces, Paru Vendu.
• Roommates: La carte des colocs, Appartager.
• Furnished rooms in private homes: Roomlala, Airbnb home rentals, Cohousing.
• Furnished student residences: International Students Residence, Nexity studéa, Immo jeune, Résidence étudiante, Fac Habitat, Les Estudines, Lokaviz.
• International House: hotel residence on the Dijon campus.
• Practical guide to accommodation in Burgundy, summarizing all accommodation options and giving practical advice.

Good to know

• You may be eligible for financial assistance from the French government to help finance part of your housing costs. Once you’ve settled into your new home in France, visit the Caisse d’allocations familiales (CAF) website for more information.
• Do you need a guarantor to rent your home? Visit the Visale website for information on obtaining a free deposit and guarantee to facilitate access to student housing. See also this video from Campus France.

Identity document, visa, residence permit

Students with EU, EEA or Swiss nationality must have a identity card or passport which is valid for the duration of their stay in France.

Students from countries OUTSIDE the EU, EEA and Switzerland

You must have a passport which is valid for the duration of your stay in France.

You must also obtain a visa. This is a time-consuming process – start as soon as you receive notification of admission from our university.

• If you live in a country that applies the Studyng in France procedure, you must contact Campus France in your country of residence to obtain a student visa.
• All other students should contact the cultural service of the French embassy in their country of residence to find out how to obtain a student visa. If you do not live in the country of your nationality, we also advise you to contact the French embassy in your home country.

To obtain your student visa, you’ll need to present, among other things:

• your notice of admission from Université Bourgogne Europe. We do not issue pre-registration certificates, so for your visa application you must use the notice of admission you received from us;
• proof of accommodation, so make sure you have found it before applying for your visa;
• proof of financial resources.
• For more information on your visa application, visit the official French visa website.

After your arrival in France

• If you need to obtain or extend your residence permit, consult the information on the Foreign nationals in France website and submit your application according to the details provided by the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas France.
• See also this Campus France video explaining how to apply for or renew your residence permit online.

Health insurance

Make sure you have health coverage before you arrive in France.

• If you have health coverage in an EU or EEA country or in Switzerland: in most cases, you simply need to apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your insurer.
• If you have health coverage in another country, you’ll need to take out private insurance to cover your first few weeks in France, while you obtain French health insurance.

Once you have registered with the International Office, you must apply for French health insurance if necessary.

This is compulsory for all students who do not have health insurance from an EU or EEA country or from Switzerland, and in a few special cases for students covered by the European Community.

The International Office, in cooperation with Dijon town hall and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) InsiDijon association for international students, organizes welcome days for international students at the beginning of each semester, with a wide range of events: campus tours, informational meetings, welcome ceremonies, festive evenings, intercultural workshops and more.

This is an opportunity for you to discover the university, find out useful information about student life and meet other students. These events are free and open to all international students at the university.

The detailed program of the welcome days is published on this page generally at the end of August (for first semester events) and at the end of December (for second semester events).

Student card

• Once you’ve completed your administrative registration, you’ll receive your student card, which entitles you to a wide range of services: preferential rates at university restaurants, book loans at university libraries, discounts at cinemas, theaters, museums, sports facilities, and so on.
• You can also use it as a means of payment in university restaurants.
• Follow these instructions to activate your student card.

Electronic student account

48 hours after your administrative registration, you must activate your electronic student account, which will enable you to use a number of features:

• student messaging, secure sharing of large files, event planning, etc.;
• administrative services: downloading your registration certificate, exam calendar, grades and results, pedagogical registration, etc.;
• online courses;
• documentary resources;
• access to the University’s Wi-Fi network at many locations on campus (you can also use computers in self-service rooms);
• access to free Microsoft Office software, which will also enable you to use TEAMS, the platform on which you may take some online courses. On TEAMS, you’ll also be able to join the International Office and international student conversation group, so you’ll be better supported in case of need.

You can activate and access your account on the University website, under Environnement numérique de travail (ENT) – Mon compte – Étudiant – Activer mon compte.

For more information, see My digital services.

In addition to the courses you’ll be taking at your faculty, school or institute, the university also supports you in other aspects of your life as a student.

Successful study and professional integration

• Student libraries
• Language Center
• Support from career guidance and placement officers
• Student entrepreneurship

Special services

• Meal service
• Medical Center
• Help for students with disabilities
• Free sports
• Childcare

Culture

• Atheneum, the university cultural center
• Radio Dijon Campus, the university’s student radio station
• Crous Mansart Theater
• The city of Dijon’s Carte Culture gives you access to a wide range of cultural events at reduced cost.

See also

• The Getting around page with useful information for getting around Dijon and the region.
• The Dijon city fact sheet, with practical information to help you settle in.
• The Campus France website where you’ll find lots of useful information for your stay in France.

To help you feel at home in your new environment, you can take part in various events, join student associations, join alumni networks, discover French culture…

This will help you learn more about the society in which you live and meet new people, so you won’t feel alone.

You can find advice on the Integrating into a new culture page.

If you’re experiencing difficulties of any kind, don’t remain alone with your problems. There are services and people who can help you or redirect you to the organizations that can solve your problem.

• If you’re having trouble with your coursework, talk to your teachers and exchange coordinator to find a solution before it’s too late.
• If you’re having financial difficulties or need help with administrative formalities, you can contact the University’s Solidarity Center. You can potentially benefit from free food aid and basic necessities thanks to various student associations (Épi’Campus, Febia, Campus comestible).
• If you have a health problem, you can make an appointment with the Student Health Service (SSE).
• You can also make an appointment with social workers from the Crous social services department.
• You may be able to obtain financial aid from the French government through the CAF to finance part of your housing costs.
• If you don’t know who to contact to get the help you need, you can contact the Mobility department of the International Office (exchange.incoming.students@ube.fr), who will be able to help you or direct you to the right people.

You can take advantage of free services to help you find a job.

• Databases of internship and job offers.
• Participation in recruitment fairs: Forum Initiativ’ Emplois-Stages, Semaine de l’emploi et de l’apprentissage, Forum métiers etc.
• Workshops to help you succeed in your job search (CV and cover letter writing, job interview preparation, etc.). There’s even a special workshop for international students: How to write a CV to apply for a job in France when you’re an international student.
• If you’d like to set up your own business, the PEPITE scheme can help you make your project a reality.

Depending on your needs, you’ll need to contact the right people.

General contacts at the UBE

• The International Office’s Mobility Unit: exchange.incoming.students@ube.fr. Our staff are multilingual – we can provide information in French and English, and potentially in other languages (German, Spanish, Romanian, Croatian…).
• The Academics and University Life Cluster (Pôle Formation et Vie Universitaire, PFVU): orientation, professional insertion, internship and job search workshops, help with disabilities, etc.: pole.formation@ube.fr.

Contacts within your university component

• Your exchange coordinator. His/her name and contact details appear on the admission notice you received by e-mail from the International Office before your arrival at the Université Bourgogne Europe. If you don’t know who your coordinator is, you can contact the International Office or the international relations officer in your department.
• Your teachers.
• Your school office/secretariat. Some departments have a special office for exchange students. To find out who to contact, consult the website of your component.

Good to know

• You can also consult the Contacts page and use the directory on the ENT to find the contact details of people you wish to reach at the University.
• All agents are also available on the TEAMS platform.

Emergencies

You must contact the appropriate national services.

• Emergency medical service (SAMU): dial 15.
• Police intervention in the event of violence, theft or burglary: dial 17.
• Fire department for fires, gas leaks, water damage, natural disasters, road accidents: 18.
• 112: European emergency number, accessible free of charge throughout the European Union, in addition to national emergency numbers.
• 114: single emergency number that centralizes emergency requests by SMS and fax, for all types of situations (police, gendarmerie, fire department, SAMU). It’s ideal for people who have difficulty hearing or speaking, or if you find yourself in a situation where it’s impossible to speak (e.g., a terrorist attack when you have to remain hidden and silent).

I want to stay in France: I apply to study on my own (outside exchange programs) or I look for a job. I find a new accommodation solution and apply for an extension of my residence permit, if I’m eligible. Of course, I complete all the administrative formalities linked to the end of my mobility (I have my attendance certificate signed, I inform my home university of my decision to stay in France, etc.).

I want to return to my home country: I complete the administrative formalities linked to my departure (inventory in my accommodation, signature of the certification of presence, closing of my French bank account if I had one…).