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Welcome to our international students!

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The University of Bordeaux welcomes approximately 7,600 international students each year. Find out about the many welcome tools and events that ensure a fun-filled integration period for these students.

Photo : Welcome reception for international students © Gautier Dufau
Welcome reception for international students © Gautier Dufau

Right from the start, at the beginning of the academic year, the University of Bordeaux organises a variety of activities to help international students get settled in to campus life. Following on from this, welcome services and events are ongoing throughout the year.

Accommodation

  • The International Office guides students within exchange programmes when dealing with the CROUS and finding out about university accommodation.
  • The Student Life Centres (Bureaux de la Vie Etudiante - BVE) collect private accommodation announcements for the Bordeaux region. These announcements may be found on the “Accommodation” noticeboard of each centre. If a student requires additional guidance, they may request help from a member of the Student Life Centre team. This help includes carrying out certain tasks such as phoning owners, organising appointments, etc.
  • Don’t hesitate to connect to the University of Bordeaux housing service for more information on available accommodation.

Orientation week

Our welcome activities will take place as of August 28th. At the beginning of the academic year, this is a great opportunity for international students in an exchange programme to discover the university and city, meet their fellow international counterparts, and even start improving their French!

  • Classes for French as a foreign language (FLE)

To help international students fully embrace their French experience here at the University of Bordeaux, intensive French classes are organised. These French classes are scheduled from August 28th until September 6th.

  • Campus life activities

International students will also be able to partake in a number of practical activities that help them settle in to Bordeaux student life and their main campus site. These activities include "Back to university" meetings, discovering the Student Life Centre hotlines, campus and university library visits and information meetings with the student association network.

 


MooFLE: Moodle for "French as a foreign language" courses

Thanks to our MooFLE platform, improve your French and receive advice and information about getting settled, before even arriving in Bordeaux! All you have to do is:

1. Connect to the online platform

2. Login by clicking on the "Connection" button at the top righthand corner of the screen

3. Complete your auto-registration (student)

4. In order to access different modules, click on the icon "Access to different modules"

With the first connection, registration for all the courses (modules 1 to 9) is necessary. Afterwards, the MooFLE modules appear on the dashboard in the ENT system within Training section > Teaching platforms.

Back to University!

The Student Life Centres (Bureaux de la Vie Etudiante - BVE) will propose social/cultural activities as well as discovery of student associations during the month of September. Contact your campus BVE for more information. 

Student mentors

The University of Bordeaux has implemented a Student Mentor system which consists of a French student who mentors an international student to help with their integration in Bordeaux. Mentors and mentees may participate in a variety of activities throughout the year (tour of the city, games, traditional dishes, etc.). Get started by connecting to the Student Mentor website and find yourself a mentor!

Welcome to Bordeaux

Find out all you need to know to live and learn in Bordeaux!

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Student Welcome Guide

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Throughout the year

For any questions related to their stay, international students are invited to contact the Student Life Centres (Bureaux de la Vie Etudiante - BVE) and Mobility Services (International Office - for those within an exchange programme), located on the main campus sites. Information is available on topics such as registration processes, student integration, French classes, student file management and follow-up, scholarship and accommodation requests, Erasmus programme agreements, etc. Different university services may also be indicated should students have questions about financial support and grants, health, social, culture, sport, leisure, etc.

Outings

Affordable outings are programmed all year long (in general once a month) so that international students may discover the surrounding region. Some examples of previous visits include: harvesting grapes, visiting various different castles in the region, the town of Saint Emilion, the ornithological park in Teich, the Dune of Pilat, discovering the Futuroscope park, the Basque Country, the region of Sarlat, etc. Contact the BVE on your campus to find out more.

Cultural activities

The university's cultural service offers a rich and eclectic programme as well as a large choice of artistic, cultural and scientific activities.
For more information on the many events organised free of charge by the culture service, don’t hesitate to contact them at culture-bordeaux%40u-bordeaux.fr, or subscribe to their newsletter.

At Christmas, students may practice their ice-skating skills at the ice rink in the Bordeaux town centre, followed by a typical French “goûter”. The different Student Life Centres propose a range of activities via the Erasmus Mundus Club. In order to encourage inter-generational exchanges, retired professors and students meet up regularly to share a meal, participate at conferences, cycle in the surrounding countryside, go to the cinema, partake in wine-tasting sessions, visit a castle or follow a French cooking class. All of these activities are free of charge for the students.

Everyday life

Feeling good on a day-to-day basis is crucial for doing well in your studies!

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Contacts

International Mobility Offices

  • Mobility Office: health, human sciences, education, sports

    Téa de Rougemont - Mobility Manager

    +33 (0)5 57 57 13 01 / +33 (0)5 57 57 46 77

    incoming-carreire%40u-bordeaux.fr

  • Mobility Office: law and political science, economics and management, Institute of Technology

    Marine Moncaut - Mobility Manager

    +33 (0)5 56 84 86 39 / +33 (0)5 56 84 29 67

    incoming-pessac%40u-bordeaux.fr

  • Mobility Office: science and technology, biology, Institute of Vine & Wine Science, Institute of Technology

    Anna Gerykova - Mobility Manager

    +33 (0)5 40 00 83 33

    incoming-talence%40u-bordeaux.fr

Student Life Centres (BVE)

  • BVE - Peixotto-Bordes campus (Talence) / Point of contact

    Stéphanie Danaux
    351 cours de la Libération, Bldg. A22
    33405 Talence Cedex

    +33 (0)5 40 00 64 02 / Point of contact: +33 (0)5 40 00 84 84

    bve.talence%40u-bordeaux.fr

  • BVE - Montesquieu campus (Pessac) / Helpdesk

    Nicolas Rigoulet
    Avenue Léon Duguit
    33608 Pessac

    +33 (0)5 56 84 62 61

    bve.pessac%40u-bordeaux.fr

  • BVE - Carreire and Victoire campus (Bordeaux) / Helpdesk

    Cécile Gilardin
    146 rue Léo-Saignat
    33076 Bordeaux Cedex

    +33 (0)5 57 57 17 79

    bve.bordeaux%40u-bordeaux.fr