CUAbroad

Nantes, France
The French Studies Program with IES Abroad

Dates Introduction The City Facilities Academics & Curriculum Accommodation & Meals Program Costs Eligibility How to Apply Deadlines Contact

Dates

Fall semester: September 2 - December 19, 2009

Spring semester: January 13 - May 15, 2010

Introduction

The IES Abroad Nantes Program offers the opportunity to integrate fully into French society and function completely in French due to the program's focus on full immersion and the fact that there are few anglophones in Nantes. With wonderful opportunities to share the daily life of a French family and to take advantage of the large choice of high-level University courses, you will return home enriched and transformed by your stay.

The City

The sixth largest city of France, Nantes is small enough to allow you to feel at home but large enough to be a bustling cultural and economic center. IES is the only permanent American study abroad program in Nantes, offering you ample opportunity to practice your French.

Facilities

The IES Abroad Center occupies two floors of a 19th century residential building located just a few steps from the historic center of Nantes. The IES Abroad Nantes program enjoys a close relationship with the Université de Nantes. Students will have many opportunities for enrolling in university courses, interacting with local students, and participating in student activities.

The IES Abroad Nantes Center has a printer, several computers with free Internet access, and is also completely equipped with wireless Internet (WiFi).

IES Abroad Nantes has a library with texts that can be checked-out for limited periods of time as well as periodicals that can be consulted on-site. Books may also be checked out from the public library, the Université de Nantes library and the Musée des Beaux Arts library.

Academics and Curriculum

IES Abroad Nantes offers full immersion in French language and culture. All students are automatically registered at the Université de Nantes and are encouraged to enroll in at least one course at an outside institution.

Students enroll full time in 15 credits in the following French-taught areas

-French Language
-History
-Economics
-International Relations
-Politics
-Theology

Students with advanced proficiency may take a course at one of Nante's area universities. For more information on enrollment options, visit IES Abroad Nantes website.

Accommodation and Meals
Students will be housed in private rooms with local families who live close to downtown Nantes and the IES Abroad Center, and will be able to travel easily on public transportation or by foot. IES Abroad host families take pride in furthering students' discovery of French culture. In fact, many host families have been welcoming IES Abroad students into their homes for decades! In order to facilitate immersion, only one IES Abroad student is housed with each family in a private room. The host family provides breakfast daily and five evening meals per week. Some families allow students to cook in their kitchens with limited access. Students must rely on your own resources for other meals; many students eat at university cafeterias or inexpensive local restaurants. The IES Abroad Nantes Center has two kitchens, which can be use to prepare light meals.

Program Costs

CUA tuition and a $5,000 program fee to cover most overseas expenses. Round-trip airfare, some meals, passport, visa and optional excursions, required cell phone, and personal expenses are not included. Contact CUAbroad for an estimated cost breakdown sheet, and be sure to visit Financing Education Abroad.

What's included

• Tuition, housing, 10 meals per week if in homestay, two field trips, and in-town excursions
• IES Abroad on-site staff support
• On-site orientation and all pre-departure advising and services in the US.
• Medical insurance
• An official CUA transcript for non-CUA participants

Note on IES Abroad and cell phones: Since IES Abroad is first and foremost committed to student safety and security, we require you to have a cellular phone while enrolled in our programs. Throughout the program's entirety, you will be required to have your cell phone turned on, charged, and with you at all times to enable IES Abroad staff and/or family to reach you in the event of an emergency. IES Abroad staff members use students' cell phone numbers to broadcast text messages with instructions during emergency situations.

IES Abroad gives you the option of obtaining a cell phone while still in the U.S. or once you arrive at your program location. You choose your own cell phone provider and negotiate the best terms and conditions for the cellular service you choose. Once admitted to an IES abroad program, you will receive further information about acquiring your cell phone.

Eligibility

Applicants must have completed three semesters of college-level study by the time the program begins, enrolled full-time at the time of application and in good academic standing, and not on disciplinary probation. A minimum cumulative G.P.A. requirement is 2.8. For the French Studies Program, 4 semesters of college level French must be completed.

How to Apply

All applicants must follow the CUAbroad application guidelines and submit the CUAbroad online application with all required supplementary documentation. For details, please click on the How to Apply guidelines link.

Additional application materials to submit to CUAbroad:
• IES Online application
• IES Authorization and Evaluation Form
• IES Foreign Language Assessment form
• For Students with GPAs lower than 3.0 only, the IES Professor Recommendation form, and a personal essay addressing your GPA, any particular academic challenges faced, and goals for studying abroad.

Application Deadlines

Spring semester: October 1
Fall semester: March 1

Questions? Contact Madison Bolls, CUAbroad Program Manager