Student objectivesFor the American students, the objectives are to discover, first hand, the French people, their language, and their culture, as well as French business and economy, through the following means:
- Intensive courses in French as a Foreign Language;
- Daily interaction with French and other international students, both in class and in traditional student housing;
- Business and economics classes taught in English by French professors or visiting faculty from our American partner institutions;
On-site Support
The program manager, a designated member of the Institute is dedicated to advising and supporting American students studying at UON., including, amongst other things, registration at the university, arranging insurance, registering for sports and any eventual medical visits. Students have a 24-hour telephone number for the program manager. In conjunction with the Associate Dean of the Institute, he also conducts orientation and program-related excursions, assists in registration for classes, and assists students with any academic or personal issues or concerns.
Autour du Monde organizes a buddy pairing program for incoming international students. Students can sign up on their website ahead of departure to request a buddy.
Room and Board
Students have two options for housing in Nantes.
Option 1: Host Families
Students have the opportunity to live with a French family during their semester in Nantes. All families are selected and screened by a local contact person. Students living in host families will experience French culture first hand, and have regular exposure to the French language in order to perfect their communication skills. Depending on the family, some meals may be included.
Option 2: Residence Halls
Students can live in residence halls with other UON, international, and American students. These résidences or cités universitaires are located near the Nantes Campus and students can walk, bike, or take the tram to classes. Students generally live in small, private, dorm-style rooms with a private bathroom. Common kitchen areas are available to residents to prepare and eat meals with other students. The residences provide students with a small refrigerator in their rooms. Students can also eat in the university restaurants where full-course meals are available at very reasonable prices.
A set of meal tickets can be provided to students in both housing options as part of the program. The tickets can be used to eat meals at the restaurants or in other campus dining facilities.
Excursions
As part of their business courses, students will visit local businesses with their instructors and program directors. Other cultural and social outing will be arranged by the Program Manager. Students can also participate in excursions and activities offered through
Autour du Monde, the international student association, and through the French language program.
Access to the course
The Exchange program is open to sophomore students who have completed an adequate amount of freshman courses in Management and Economics. At least a basic level of French is an advantage.
Students accepted to this program may be required to apply for a student visa. Visa requirements and application procedures may be different depending on your country of citizenship.
Evaluation and Grades
For each subject, the evaluation includes
- A system of continuous assessment which gives grades for participation and the work done individually and in groups.
- A number of tests, which check the students' understanding of the material.
We have a conversion scheme in place to translate French grades into American ones. All students with an overall grade point average of 10 will be awarded with a diploma from the University of Nantes.
Université de Nantes is a founding member of
