Integrating into a new culture

There are over 140 student associations on campus to help you make contacts. Some of them are dedicated to students of different origins, and can sometimes help you with your studies.

Erasmus Student Network (ESN) InsiDijon

The ESN InsiDijon international student association helps you find a buddy. A buddy is a student from Université Bourgogne Europe who will accompany you as you discover French and Burgundian culture, help you when you need it, and act as a good partner to help you make the most of your stay in Dijon.

• Sign up to be put in touch with your buddy!

When you arrive in Dijon, you can also become a member of the ESN InsiDijon association and take part in its various activities and projects:

• active involvement in the activities of the association: organization of events for students, administrative management, relations with local, regional and international partners
• or simply taking part in events and projects organized by the association for French and international students, such as language cafés, trips, cultural outings, international evenings, cosmo apéros…

You can also join the WhatsApp group of international students who are studying at the Université Bourgogne Europe in 2024/2025.

Other international associations

• Association of school and university students from Burkina Faso in Burgundy-Franche-Comté (ASUBB)
• ARAM (association of refugee students)
• Burgundy Brazil Association (ABB)
• Association of Students and Friends of Congo (AEAC)
• Association of Guinean youth and students in Dijon (AJEGUID)
• Association of Senegalese students and trainees in Dijon)
• Association of Franco-German students in Law from Dijon (AJFAD)
• Federation of African Students of Burgundy (FEAB)
• InterCultural Association (ICA)

Follow the news and activities of the Université Bourgogne Europe alumni networks that may be of interest to you.

• University Linkedin.
• France Alumni: network of international students in France.
• Your university component may also have alumni associations in your field of study that can help you (career advice, events, sponsorship, etc.). Examples of alumni networks: master’s degrees ICM, IAE Dijon and Elles bougent association at ISAT. Check your department’s website to find out if there are any alumni associations in your field.

Throughout the year, you’ll find a wide range of cultural, sporting and scientific events organized at the university, in Dijon and throughout Burgundy. Many events, especially at the university, are free and open to all. It’s a great way to meet other people and learn more about the environment around you.

Check out the different agendas for upcoming events:

• Université Bourgogne Europe agenda;
• Dijon city calendar;
• Côte-d’Or department agenda;
• regional agenda.

These workshops, organized mainly in English by students in the Intercultural management master’s program, give you the chance to learn more about other cultures and meet new people.

Topics covered

• Sensitivity to cultural differences.
• Cultural differences in the workplace.
• Overcoming culture shock during stays abroad.
• Different concepts in different cultures: values, humor, stereotypes, table manners, food, etc.
• Exchange of cultural experiences.

Workshop organization

• Workshops can be taken in the first or second semester of the academic year.
• The weekly one-hour meetings are usually held during the lunch break, on the Dijon campus or online via TEAMS or Zoom.
• Participation is free and open to all UBE students.
• You can register via an online form which will be e-mailed to your University e-mail address.
• Participants will receive a certificate from UFR Langues et Communication confirming their participation.

More information

• See the video presentation of the workshops.
• Contact: csmws@ube.

This is an additional course that you can take for one semester, giving you the opportunity to learn or perfect a foreign language (including French) and gain professional experience by working, at your convenience, as a tutor at the University’s Language Center.

It’s also a great opportunity to meet other international and French students.

This UET will provide you with an additional 5 ECTS and is, in most cases, compatible with your basic university obligations.

For further information, please consult:

• the Language Center website;
• the general presentation page on transversal teaching units.

Check out the Ensemble en France platform, which offers interactive online tools to help you discover France, its language, understand its values and live your daily life there.

This is a resource on French society for first-time arrivals – a simple, fun way of deciphering our values and social codes.

The CIEF offers intensive French courses throughout the year. You can choose the formula that suits you best: annual, biannual, monthly or summer courses.

The CIEF offer is particularly suited to people who wish to improve their level of French before enrolling at the Université Bourgogne Europe and/or need to pass a French language test that is compulsory for entry to the university.

Good to know : CIEF also offers DELF and DALF certification.

The Alliance française offers French courses at all levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and you can enroll at any time of the year.

Accommodation can be booked with a French family.

The Cesam association can help you determine your level in the French language and guide you towards French courses tailored to your needs.

Our Language Center offers evening classes.

This formula of 90 minutes a week is suitable for people who are already at Université Bourgogne Europe. Remember: you can also apply for the Interculturality transversal teaching unit, which gives you free access to one of the semester-long French courses.

Are you a refugee, asylum seeker or a person under subsidiary protection?

Before enrolling in a degree course, the Université Bourgogne Europe offers you the opportunity to take the Passerelle – Étudiants en exil (DU) university diploma for migrant students, to improve your command of French.

Use free online resources to work independently.

Examples: on the France Éducation International website (under Services – Diplômes et tests de langues – DELF, DALF, TCF) you’ll find examples of French tests to help you practice.

Take part in conversation groups organized by associations.

Examples of associations:

• ESN InsiDijon Café des langues,
• Café Polyglotte Dijon.

Before you arrive in France, find out if similar conversation groups exist in your home town.

Find your language tandem: someone to help you learn or improve your command of a foreign language, while you help them learn your mother tongue.

Exchanges can take place over the Internet or in person, and can also be an opportunity to share your cultures.

Where can I find my tandem?

• Specialized websites: Tandem linguistique, My Language Exchange, The Mixxer, Polyglot club, PenPal World, Inter Pals.
• Tandems TEAMS group, managed by the International Office at the Université Bourgogne Europe.

Read, listen, watch… in French.

• Don’t hesitate to read in French, even if you don’t understand everything. The aim is to be able to understand the text as a whole, and to progress little by little. There are publishers which offer simplified books with limited vocabulary and simple sentences to get you started.
• Download radio apps to your phone and listen to French programs and songs.
• When you watch TV and Internet content, try to do so in French.

Multiply and vary your methods, and above all, don’t get discouraged !

Reading about the experiences and reactions of other international students in France and French students abroad can help you better understand cultural differences and get to know the country you’re going to study in.

Don’t hesitate to consult a number of testimonial sites:

• E-ambassador blogs written by international students in France, who share their experiences and cover a wide range of topics, all based on their own experiences: studies, housing, the French language, travel, leisure activities, money, etc.;
• testimonials from international students who have come to study or do an internship at the Université Bourgogne Europe;
• testimonials from UBE students (French and international) who have gone abroad on exchange or for an internship: interviews and photo galleries with commentaries;
• the experiences of young people who have gone abroad or come to Burgundy on the regional international mobility platform Agitateurs de mobilité.