Discover another culture, multiply experiences, improve your language skills and enrich your future CV….

There are plenty of reasons to study abroad.

But beware, if you were planning to fly off on a whim, reality requires you to do it much earlier.

Go ahead

The key word to remember if you want to get a place in a foreign university is anticipation.

Because far from being easy to set up, the file must be prepared many months in advance.

As a general rule, students should do this in the fall, knowing that the closing of applications occurs between December and February depending on the country.

But you won't get the verdict until spring.

And all that to get a place at the start of the school year in September of the following year.

The supporting documents supporting your request may also be numerous.

In addition to a letter of motivation which you must not rush, you will have to provide your transcripts for several years but also language tests and, why not, recommendations from teachers, even bank certificates to ensure that you can financially cover your stay.

Get help

Has your application been accepted?

Before leaving, you still need to know how you are going to pay the bill.

From the month of June, you can apply for several types of scholarships which can be combined.

At the top of the list, the Erasmus + program allows students to obtain between 150 and 300 euros per month for three to twelve months, if they continue their studies in another European country, and up to 450 euros for an internship.

Aid for international mobility, granted only to scholarship students or recipients of specific aid, amounts to 400 euros per month for a stay of two to nine months.

To put the odds on your side, you can also seek support at the local level.

Some universities and schools provide additional aid, subject to conditions.

Similarly, the municipalities and departments offer helping hands, as do the regions, which have each put in place specific measures that may or may not be combined with state aid.

Finally, it should be noted that scholarships are also offered by organizations and exchange programs with specific countries.

Ensure your comfort

To enjoy this stay abroad as it should be, you must settle a whole host of practical details.

First imperative: find accommodation.

Start by checking whether the host faculty does not offer university accommodation.

Otherwise, you will have to hunt for classified ads.

In order not to spend fortunes on bank commissions, it is also important to examine the possible solutions with your banker by subscribing for example to an international option or by opening another account on the spot.

Safety requires, also remember to check and optimize your coverage in terms of health insurance, civil liability and repatriation.

If you are studying in a Member State of the Union, you must also request the European health insurance card from your mutual insurance company.

And because being far away can quickly give you the blues, don't forget to provide an adequate telephone and internet package.

Acquire help

The office responsible for international exchanges at your establishment is your first source of information to prepare for your departure.

Consult it as soon as possible for advice and assistance in completing the administrative formalities.

The official Etudiant.gouv.fr website references several financial aids that you can benefit from by going to study abroad and directs you to platforms listing other scholarships.

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Key figures: student mobility

According to a report published in March 2019 by Campus France, the public body responsible for promoting French higher education abroad, French students are more and more often continuing their studies abroad, with + 50% of outgoing mobility between 2011 and 2016. That year, more than 90,000 young people chose to go abroad for their studies.

In detail, more than half opt for Belgium, Canada and Switzerland and favor “training considered to be more easily accessible than in France or offering more opportunities (medicine and paramedical, art…)”.

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