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DISCOVER YOUR CITY

Campus will guide you through your first steps in France and exploring , your new home.

WELCOME TO AVIGNON - JULY 2021. - JULY Photos: DR - Cover photo: ©saiko3p, AdobeStock Photos: DR - Cover - Rubrik (91) C Production: - all students can contact the Echanges student YOUR ARRIVAL IN association which is part of the ESN network AVIGNON / (Erasmus Student Network): https://www.esn.org/ and via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gloupix.esnavignon Student Welcome services at the Université Welcome and orientation in other institutions d’Avignon If you are enrolled in another institution, please Université d’Avignon has set up various forms of consult the Campus France website for orientation. support to provide the best possible welcome for The site presents a series of Information Sheets students: covering the different higher learning institutions: - a Welcome Desk at the CROUS (help finding https://www.campusfrance.org > Students > accommodation, applications for residence Documentary resources > Practical information permits, useful information), organized in for students and researchers > Reception conjunction with the University and the Conseil arrangements in institutions régional de Alpes Côte d’Azur (PACA); - language classes and methodology training; If you cannot find your school in this list, then go - student welcome and orientation program directly to their website. in September and in January-February, before National Services classes start. Address: Maison de l’International, - students: www.etudiant.gouv.fr Campus, Service des Relations Internationales, - doctoral students, researchers: 74 rue Louis Pasteur, 84000 Avignon. http://www.euraxess.fr/fr Hours: Monday to Friday, from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. Contact: [email protected] or 04 90 29 89 / 04 90 16 25 81. HOUSING IN Learn more: AVIGNON / - see the dedicated pages for international students (bilingual French/English University There are solutions for housing in Avignon: website): www.univ-avignon.fr > International. Student-only accommodations managed by - download Guide Pratique, the international CROUS, student housing and private residences, students’ guide: www.univ-avignon.fr > International. and rooms in private homes. Welcome and orientation for doctoral students What’s most important is to take care of this as and researchers early as possible, before your arrival. At Université d’Avignon, the local Euraxess team • The Université d’Avignon’s “Guide Ppratique provides personalized welcome services for pour les Étudiants Internationaux” foreign researchers and doctoral students. provides information and advice for Address and phone: Local Euraxess Point of finding accommodation: Contact, Maison de la Recherche, Avignon http://univ-avignon.fr > University, 04 90 16 25 73. International. Website: www.univ-avignon.fr > International > • The CRIJ (Centre Régional Chercheurs étrangers. d’Information Jeunesse) for the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Buddy System (PACA) region, the regional youth You can be assisted by a local student in Avignon! information center has created Several services are available to help you: a very comprehensive housing - free-mover foreign students, not on an exchange guide “Trouver un logement”, with lots of useful program, can take advantage of the International addresses in the département. Download Buddy program. it here: Email: [email protected] https://www.infojeunesse-paca.fr/ to be put in touch with a French student in the same > Information-orientation > Logement. field of study. - international students on an exchange program A FEW TIPS can use the Copilotes program to get in touch with a student in Avignon before their arrival in France: Short-term housing [email protected] • L’Auberge de jeunesse Bagatelle youth hostel

2 (rooms and dormitories). If you want to file an application for APL funds Address: 25 allée Antoine Pinay, F-84000 Avignon. (Aide Personnalisée au Logement, or persona- Contact: 04 90 86 30 39. lized housing aid), Website: CAF (Caisse des Allocations Familiales) can check https://www.campingbagatelle.com/auberge-avignon/ your eligibility: +33 (0)8 10 29 29 29 or www.caf.fr • La Résidence Le Clos du Jardin Neuf (emergency accommodation in a network of residences for If you need housing adapted to your special young workers). needs Address: 6 avenue de Bonaventure, 84000 Avignon. Contact the CROUS Social Services which will take Contact: 04 86 19 41 00. action with your institution. Website: https://apiprovence.org/ Some establishments have specialized services for • For other types of temporary accommodation, students with disabilities (assistance for housing, please see the Student Guide compiled by the and also transportation and tuition). Université d’Avignon or use the search engine on At Université d’Avignon, a Relais Handicap was the Avignon Tourist Office website: set up to work with and support students with https://avignon-tourisme.com > Séjourner > Se disabilities: loger. http://univ-avignon.fr > Organisation > Services Centraux > Relais Handicap. Long-term housing • Aix- - Avignon CROUS student housing (Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires - Regional Center for University Services). Address: , 74 rue Louis Pasteur, 84000 Avignon. Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4.00pm. Contact: +33 (0)4 90 80 65 20. GETTING AROUND Website: http://www.crous-aix-marseille.fr/ On campus, the CROUS also manages all low-cost AVIGNON food services (university restaurants, cafeterias, food-trucks, etc.). From proper or the Paris airports, the easiest way to get to Avignon is by train • Private Housing Platforms (3 hours by TGV): https://www.oui.sncf Other offers for student lodging, managed by private To get to the University from the TGV station, organisms, are also available in Avignon. take the shuttle service to the city center. Try these sites: - https://www.adele.org For getting around the city and surrounding - https://www.immojeune.com area, use the public transportation network - https://www.location-etudiant.fr managed by Plus for transportation in - https://housinganywhere.com Greater Avignon: http://www.tcra.fr/ • There is also a site managed by the CROUS, Lokaviz, which includes a listing of student There are PACA regional trains for getting accommodation in private homes: around the region: https://www.lokaviz.fr/ https://www.ter.sncf.com/sud-provence- alpes-cote-d-azur • Shared Leases: Consult La Carte des Colocs, a are also an option for low-cost travel: national site for shared leases that’s free and simple https://fr.ouibus.com/ or to use: https://www.lacartedescolocs.fr/ https://www.flixbus.fr/ • Other solutions available on the Campus France For ride-sharing, refer to the collaborative site: www.campusfrance.org > Getting Organized > websites Accommodation. - national website: https://www.blablacar.fr/ If you need a guarantor to secure your lodging - regional website: http://www.covoiturageavignonvaucluse.fr/ Visale is a new and free guarantor system: www.visale.fr For greater independence, rent a bike with Vélopop', the Greater Avignon bike-share system: https://www.velopop.fr/

3 FIRST THINGS Take note : To renew your student residency FIRST / permit “Titre de séjour” (VLS-TS), your request must be done during the 3rd month before the expiration date of your current “Titre de séjour” ENROLLMENT IN YOUR INSTITUTION (permit) on the website: https://administration- etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr CVEC Before you can enroll in your institution, you must This tutorial will help you: download proof of payment of the Contribution Vie https://www.youtube.com/ Etudiante et de Campus (CVEC) – the student and watch?v=j_suMJ3fIiw&list=PLpm2evF1qaJe_ campus life contribution fee. oq0a-LMIKujAihwAtVEy&index=16 - Log in at: https://cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr/ - For additional information and special cases: • To find out more about rights and obligations: https://www.campusfrance.org > Getting Organized The reception services of your establishment can > CVEC. guide you in the event of difficulties. Confirm Registration www.service-public.fr > Etranger > Titre de séjour et document de circulatio (Foreigners > Resident Card Take note! Even if you have a pre-registration letter, and Travel Document) you are not officially enrolled. You must confirm your enrollment with the institution’s Service de la Scolarité (Admissions) as soon as you arrive.

RESIDENCE PERMIT (TITRE DE SÉJOUR)

GOOD TO KNOW PRACTICAL • If you have arrived in France with a VLS-TS INFORMATION / long-term student visa: you must validate it online upon your arrival and imperatively OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT within the first three months of your stay (in France) on the ANEF (Administration If you stay in France for more than 3 months, it numérique pour les étrangers en France) will be much easier day-to-day if you open a bank website: https://administration-etrangers-en- account, online or in one of the 60 bank agencies france.interieur.gouv.fr located in Avignon. In France, opening a bank account is a right: • If you are an Algerian national or a student https://www.service-public.fr > Argent > Comptes with a “Concours” (tests) visa» or a visa with bancaires (droit au compte). the indication “Carte à solliciter dans les deux mois” (Residency permit is to be requested HEALTHCARE within 2 months of entry): your residency permit application has to be made at the In France, receiving medical treatment is practically . free but you must be insured. Accordingly, signing • If you hold a “mineur scolarisé” (enrolled minor) visa and you attained the age of Login to the site: majority, you have to request for a “Titre de https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr site to register, to understand your eligibility and séjour” online on the ANEF website or at the benefits, and to take the necessary steps. prefecture where you live within 2 months following your majority. https://administration-etrangers-en-france. up for medical insurance is mandatory. interieur.gouv.fr Learn more: https://www.campusfrance.org > Getting Organized > Health.

4 As a student, you can also take advantage of LEARNING FRENCH the university medical services. In these health centers where consultations are free, you’ll be Learning French is an opportunity that’s not to be greeted by a team of doctors and nurses who can missed! Find what works best for you: give personalized advice in terms of health and - by consulting the Campus France site or the prevention. Français Langue Etrangère (FLE) - French as a foreign language - centers and universities which This is the case for Université d’Avignon which offer courses at all levels year-round has a health and prevention service: Service http://ecolesdete.campusfrance.org Universitaire de Médecine Préventive et de - by asking in your institution, at city hall, or in your Promotion de la Santé (SUMPPS): host city’s Maison des Associations - community http://univ-avignon.fr > Campus > Services de santé. centers. Address: Hannah Arendt Campus, Sainte Marthe site, Building, ground-floor, offices 0E35 and FINDING A JOB OR AN INTERNSHIP 0E36, 84000 Avignon. Hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. Useful websites: Contact: 04 90 16 25 72 or • The CRIJ (local youth information centre) in the [email protected] Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region publishes a job- guide ‘Trouver un job’, as well as classified ADDITIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE ads to help students find internships and jobs: You can also sign up for top-up Insurance which - https://www.infojeunesse-paca.fr/nos-services/ will cover all health expenses not covered by the free orientation-information/jobs-emploi/ and compulsory health insurance. - https://www.infojeunesse-paca.fr/ > Nos petites Take note: The plans and coverage levels differ annonces. from one company to another. To choose a top-up • The Jobaviz website, run by the CROUS, can help insurance policy which meets your needs and your you find a student job that’s compatible with your budget, you can compare student health insurance studies: https://www.jobaviz.fr/ plans on the Internet.

HOUSING INSURANCE THINGS TO DO In France, housing insurance is mandatory. The “garantie risques locatifs” - rental risk guarantee IN AVIGNON / - is housing insurance to which you can subscribe with your bank or a private insurance company. TAKE UP A SPORT Online subscription is also often possible. In your institution, contact the Service des Sports for free access to sports facilities. The Sport Campus Avignon service at Université SAMU: Call 15 Emergency Medical Services d’Avignon offers various sports and outdoor Police emergency: Call 17 in the event of activities: http://univ-avignon.fr > Campus > Sport. violence, theft, robbery. In Avignon, you can also choose a sport from the Fire Department: Call 18 in the event of fire, numerous options offered by the City of Avignon gas leak, water damage, natural catastrophe, or (which obtained a quality-label for the range of traffic accident. sports available locally): http://www.avignon.fr > Ma Call 112: European emergency services Ville > Sport. number that’s accessible from anywhere in the in addition to the French numbers above.

5 BE ACTIVE - some twenty bookshops, including La Mémoire du Monde, a general-interest bookshop, established in Attend cultural and sporting events, or join a social Avignon in 1974. or community group, through one of the numerous - a municipal network of 6 libraries and 1 “bibliobus” local or national student clubs and associations. (travelling library): https://bibliotheques.avignon.fr To learn more, check with your school (Service de la In Avignon, for going out or keeping abreast of vie étudiante, Student Services) or visit the following cultural events, La Provence one of the major sites: www.animafac.net or www.letudiant.fr regional daily papers for Vaucluse is a good source. Student associations ensure that campus life Available from newsagents or online: is never dull at Université d’Avignon , including https://www.laprovence.com ESN Avignon which organizes evening events, You can also check out the agenda on the Tourist excursions and language-exchange partnerships for Office Center site: the University’s international students: https://avignon-tourisme.com/lagenda/ http://univ-avignon.fr > Campus > Vie de Campus (associations étudiantes). The City of Avignon offers a number of services to assist foreign students, via the Espace Info-Jeunes TOP in particular. ATTRACTIONS / Address and phone number: 102 rue Carreterie, 84 000 Avignon, 04 90 14 04 05. Many of Avignon’s artistic and historical sites are listed as World Heritage sites by UNESCO. GAINING CULTURE AND PARTYING • , a fortress and , with In addition to the Avignon Festival, one of the Gothic constructions dating back to the Middle Ages most important international summer events for that served as the papal residence in the contemporary performing arts, the city of Avignon 14th century. offers a variety of cultural and entertainment • Pont St-, the famous “Pont d’Avignon” from options. Movie theaters, concerts, theaters, the well-known French nursery rhyme. museums, exhibitions, and festivals are on the program and most of the time, at reduced cost for • The ramparts, a 4-kilometers (2.5 miles) wall students: around the old . http://www.avignon.fr > Ma Ville > Culture et • The Petit Palais, which now houses a gallery of tourisme. Italian art from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. The Maison de la Culture et de la Vie de Campus • Musée Calvet, with its ancient and modern contributes to cultural life at Université d’Avignon by collections. offering various artistic activities and events: http:// • The Collection Lambert, contemporary art univ-avignon.fr > Campus > Culture. displayed in former private mansion houses, dating For entertainment or to pick up some culture, you back to the 18th century. can choose from: • Avignon’s main square, Place de l’Horloge, with the - 4 multiplex theaters (student rates, rewards card) Hôtel de Ville and Opéra. including an arthouse movie theater, the Utopia (with 2 screens). • Rue de la République, a busy shopping street. - 5 major museums, including a science museum, • Place Crillon, a Provençale square pleasantly the Musée Requien, one of the region’s most shaded by plane trees. important natural history museums: • The Jardin du Rocher des Doms, a large public http://www.museum-requien.org/ park with a good view of the city’s monuments and Admission to Avignon’s 5 municipal museums is the Rhône River. free to all visitors: http://www.avignon.fr > Ma ville For more information, consult the Tourist Office > Culture et tourisme. website: https://avignon-tourisme.com - around one hundred theater and concert venues (many are only open during the Festival), including the famous Palais des Papes, listed a World Heritage site by UNESCO, which offers a cultural program throughout the year: http://www.palais-des-papes.com/fr

6 IMPORTANT JULY • The Avignon Festival, international-scale ANNUAL EVENTS / performing arts event, held at the Palais des Papes and throughout the city (official festival and fringe JANUARY events). As well as the summer festival, there are theater performances throughout the year in • Cheval Passion, trade show devoted to horses and Avignon (Fest’hiver in February for example). equestrian sports with plenty of activities for young people. AUGUST FEBRUARY • Vibrations, a sound and light show in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes. • Hivernales d’Avignon, contemporary dance festival. SEPTEMBER MARCH • Official opening of Université d’Avignon ’s • Rencontres Cinematographiques du Sud, cultural season: Opus au Campus, in partnership 6-day program of original films, a treat for movie- with the Avignon-Provence regional orchestra and lovers. the “Premières Loges” student association (free APRIL admission & open to the public). • Journée des Arts et de la Culture, Arts and Culture • Les Journées Européennes du Patrimoine Day (JACES) at Université d’Avignon . (European Heritage Days), free visits of cultural venues. MAY OCTOBER • Gala de l’Orchidée, contemporary music on campus at Université d’Avignon . • World Students’ Night, festive evening of celebrations and entertainment. • Pint of Science, a European initiative for learning about research in atypical venues. • Fête de la Science in the University laboratories. • La Nuit Européenne des Musées, European • Campus Sonore, creativity in all its different forms Museum Night offers an opportunity to discover as the Opéra du Grand Avignon welcomes the museums and other cultural sites in a new light! public for an evening to celebrate talents from the university community. JUNE • Fête de la Musique, Music everywhere in town (free concerts). • Fête du Vélo, an alternative way of discovering the city’s heritage sites.

To stay informed and attuned to others and the world, to share and dialogue with students, follow social media where Campus France has an especially strong presence! Don’t forget to join the France Alumni network. Take part in SHARE discussion groups on various subjects, take advantage of PARTICIPATE cultural outings, and consult job and internship offers.

7 THINGS TO KNOW

AVIGNON, GREATER AVIGNON SEAT OF THE VAUCLUSE 200,000 residents DEPARTMENT, one of 6 departments in the AVIGNON Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) Region) 95,000 residents

1303: Boniface VIII founded a university in Avignon, just after the university of and a PACA century before that of Aix-en-Provence REGION, th 1984: Université d’Avignon re-opened 6 FRENCH REGION in terms of hosting foreign Université d’Avignon: students (20,000 foreign 7,500 students including 13% students) international students of 96 different nationalities, 16 research laboratories, 2 doctoral schools, 35% of the doctoral students of foreign nationality - JULY 2021. - JULY

AVIGNON, RANKED AMONG 44 FRENCH UNIVERSITY AS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND STUDY (awarded by L’Étudiant magazine)

Most of the information presented in the Campus France City Information Sheets concerns all international students regardless of their institution. In France, in each of the host cities, most foreign students study at universities. Accordingly, the City Information Sheets attach great importance to them without overlooking the other higher education institutions even if it is not possible to list them all here with their specific information. For more information on the institutions’ welcomes and orientations: https://www.campusfrance.org/fr/recherche/categorie/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur-466 Photos: DR - Cover photo: ©saiko3p, AdobeStock Photos: DR - Cover - CAMPUS FRANCE – PACA REGIONAL DELEGATION 6 allée Turcat Méry, 13008 Marseille (Metro line 2, Périer stop)

Monday to Friday, from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm - 04 91 29 97 00 Rubrik (91) C CAMPUS FRANCE 28 rue de la Grange aux Belles 75010 PARIS - +33 (0)1 40 40 58 58 - www.campusfrance.org Production: