CDGParis · FRExchange destination
Paris packs world-class universities, endless culture and a cafe on every corner into a city you can cross on foot or by metro in minutes.
France avg / mo
€850–1,400
Languages
French
Dear future me,
Say yes to the first invitation. Learn ten words. Start the housing hunt early.
— 247 students who did this already
To
You, exchange student
c/o Paris group chat · Fall 2026
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A local checks the room for you, films it and confirms it’s real, before you pay a deposit.
City Guide
Paris concentrates more top universities per square kilometre than almost anywhere - the Sorbonne, Sciences Po and PSL all sit within a short metro ride. Beyond the lecture halls you get free national museums on the first Sunday of the month, a river to picnic beside, and day trips to chateaux and Champagne country. The trade-off is cost and crowds, but the payoff is a semester with genuinely no dull weekends.
Student life clusters around the Latin Quarter and the 5th, where cheap bistros and the Sorbonne crowd spill onto rue Mouffetard. Nights out drift between Canal Saint-Martin, the bars of Bastille and Oberkampf, and cheap pints in the Marais. Erasmus events run all semester through ESN Paris, and the apero scene - drinks on the grass at Buttes-Chaumont or on the Seine steps - is where most friendships actually form.
Paris is the most expensive city in France, so nudge the national band upward: budget roughly 1,100 to 1,700 euros a month once rent is in. A room in a shared flat runs 650 to 900 euros, a studio easily 900 plus, but the CAF housing subsidy (APL) can claw back 100 to 200 euros. Student canteens serve a full meal for around 3.30 euros, which is what keeps the whole thing affordable.
Housing is the hardest part of Paris - start hunting weeks before you arrive and expect to move fast. The Cite Internationale Universitaire (CIUP) in the 14th is the dream: leafy, cheapish and packed with international students, but heavily oversubscribed. Otherwise chase CROUS rooms via Lokaviz, shared flats (colocation) on leboncoin and La Carte des Colocs, and use the free Visale state guarantee if you have no French guarantor.
The metro is the backbone - 16 lines, a stop rarely more than 400 metres away, running until roughly 00:40 and later at weekends. Under-26 students should get the Imagine R pass, far cheaper than monthly Navigo tickets and free across all zones at weekends. For short hops, Velib bikes and simply walking beat waiting underground.
Paris hosts France academic heavyweights: Sorbonne Universite and Universite Paris Cite for sciences and humanities, Sciences Po for politics, PSL (with Dauphine and the ENS) for research, and Pantheon-Sorbonne for law and economics. Teaching leans on formal lectures (CM) plus smaller tutorials (TD), and exams are demanding, so keep on top of the reading. International offices are well-drilled - lean on them for course registration and the paperwork maze.
What you need depends entirely on your nationality. EU/EEA/Swiss students need no visa and can just enrol. Non-EU students on an exchange over 90 days apply for a VLS-TS student long-stay visa before arriving, then validate it online within three months and pay a small OFII tax; under 90 days you may only need a short-stay Schengen visa or none at all.
Budget time for the admin marathon: you will want a French bank account, proof of accommodation, health cover (EHIC for Europeans, or enrolment in French social security), and civil-liability insurance. Book prefecture and OFII steps the moment you can, because slots vanish.
Everyday eating revolves around the boulangerie - a fresh baguette or pain au chocolat costs about 1.20 euros - and the covered markets. Sunday morning at Marche d Aligre or the Marche des Enfants Rouges is a ritual; the Marais does the city best falafel at L As du Fallafel. Beyond French classics, Belleville and the 13th serve superb Chinese, Vietnamese and North African food for student prices.
Where you land shapes your whole semester. The Latin Quarter and 5th are studenty and central but pricey; the Marais (3rd and 4th) is lively and gay-friendly; Belleville and the 20th are cheaper, diverse and creative. Canal Saint-Martin and the 10th to 11th are the nightlife heartland, while the 13th and 14th near the Cite U are quieter, greener and better value.
Paris is Europe easiest launchpad. Versailles is a 40-minute RER C ride, Fontainebleau forest and chateau an hour by Transilien, and Giverny (Monet garden) a morning trip. Push further and the TGV puts Reims and its Champagne houses 45 minutes away, Lyon two hours, and the Eurostar reaches London in 2h20. Book TGV and Eurostar early through SNCF Connect or Trainline for the cheap fares.
The unglamorous admin - bank account, APL, phone plan - is what trips people up, so tackle it in the first fortnight. Always greet with Bonjour before asking anything; skipping it reads as rude and gets you worse service. And never buy a metro ticket from someone on the platform or pay a deposit for a flat you have not seen - both are classic scams targeting new arrivals.
Student Reviews
“I wouldn’t chose the university again. The administration were very slow in organising everything sometimes not responding to emails at all (if you can call them) - my EU learning agreement didn’t get signed until two months into my exchange. I didn’t get my Semester two timetable until classes had already started meaning I missed the whole orientation week. Classes can start at 8am and finish at 8pm very often. Typically have at least one class a week on zoom. Attendance is tracked and you have a set amount of absences each semester.”
“It’s a private university small but new and modern campus has very nice teachers, as an Erasmus student you don’t have to study a lot throughout the semester but you have some classes with final semester exams that you have to study for (for me the exams were finance and ethics and also marketing and new business models) if you are an Erasmus student and can choose your classes don’t choose these ones because then you won’t have any exams I guess!”
“don't miss the museums as they are free for >26 years Rooftop of Galleries Lafayette (free) go shopping to lidl to spend less on food try the wine and the cheeses - a good french restaurant is paris follie's in AV. Kleber go to the quartier Mairie for small paris shops and cafes and good asian food buy a month navigo or the navigo imagine étudiant for the whole year, you'll need the public transport”
“Navigo travel card very expensive but well worth it - covers you for everything for the month. Don't travel on metros/trams late at night. Bring umbrella everywhere! Powerbank for your phone also essential if money or metro card is on it. Share your location with those you know in the city or those at home in case of emergencies. Have Uber set up.”
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