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Home , Poitiers

DISCOVER YOUR CITY

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

WELCOME TO POITIERS - Photos: DR - Cover photo: ©Toanet - Fotolia.com - JULY 2021. - JULY - Fotolia.com photo: ©Toanet - Photos: DR Cover Rubrik (91) C Production: For more information: YOUR ARRIVAL IN - download the Welcome Guide POITIERS / for international students (French/ English): https://www.univ-poitiers.fr The One-Stop Desk for international > s’ouvrir à l’international students > venir à l’Université de Poitiers > guide

On arrival, go to the international students - see the site: https://www.univ-poitiers.fr > s’ouvrir desk at Université de Poitiers. à l’international > venir à l’Université de Poitiers The Communauté Urbaine de Grand Poitiers, Welcome and Orientation for Researchers Université de Poitiers, CROUS and other associations and cultural services are Researchers and doctoral students may go to their available to welcome you and assist you with: One-Stop Desk at the Euraxess service center at • residence permits, Université de Poitiers. • the application for public housing funding Buddy System with the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales (CAF) • sports, culture, health, You can be assisted by a local student in Poitiers! • special activities for international students. Two possibilities: • Université de Poitiers has a buddy support system for international students that lasts a semester: http://mdl.univ-poitiers.fr > étudiants > parrainage Address: Université de Poitiers, Direction des • The ESN (Erasmus Student Network) association relations Internationales, Guichet accueil des of Poitiers also proposes a Buddy System: étudiants internationaux, Hôtel Chaboureau http://poitiers.ixesn.fr/buddy-system (Building E 11), 49 place , 86000 Poitiers. Your Higher Learning Institution Getting there: Bus number 0, 1, 3, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, Regardless of your institution in Poitiers, please 21, Notre-Dame stop. consult the Campus France website for orientation. Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 12:30pm The site presents a series of Information Sheets and from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. covering the different higher learning institutions: Contact for international students up to masters https://www.campusfrance.org > Students > level: +33 (0)5 49 45 30 87 or Documentary resources > Practical information [email protected] for students and researchers > Reception Contact for international researchers and doctoral arrangements in institutions students: 05 49 45 42 64 or If you cannot find your school in this list, then go [email protected] directly to their website. Contacts in Poitiers: - At the University, the Service des Relations Internationales personnel has local correspondants in each UFR, school or institute: https://www.univ-poitiers.fr/choisir-luniversite/ organisation/annuaire-des-services/#contacts or [email protected] . at the ISAE-ENSMA: [email protected] . at Po Poitiers: [email protected] . at the Ecole Européenne Supérieure de l’Image: [email protected] National Services - Students: www.etudiant.gouv.fr - doctoral students, researchers: http://www.euraxess.fr/fr

2 HOUSING • There is also a site managed by the CROUS, Lokaviz, which includes a listing of student IN POITIERS / accomodations in private homes: https://www.lokaviz.fr/ There are numerous solutions for housing • Shared Leases: consult La Carte des Colocs, a in Poitiers: Student-only accommodations national site for shared leases that’s free and simple managed by CROUS, student housing and private to use: https://www.lacartedescolocs.fr/ residences, and rooms in private homes. • Other solutions available on the Campus France What’s most important is to take care of this as site: www.campusfrance.org > Getting Organized > early as possible, before your arrival. Accommodation The CRIJ (Centre Régional d’Information Jeunesse) If you need a guarantor to secure your lodging - has a local site, Jeune à Poitiers: Visale is a new and free guarantor system: - a very comprehensive housing guide: www.visale.fr https://www.jeuneapoitiers.fr > me loger - classified ads: If you want to file an application for APL http://logements.pourlesjeunes.com/ > se loger à funds (Aide Personnalisée au Logement, or Poitiers personalized housing aid), CAF (Caisse des Allocations Familiales) can check A FEW TIPS your eligibility: 08.10.29.29.29 or www.caf.fr Short-term housing • The Auberge de Jeunesse de Poitiers, a youth hostel in a park. GETTING AROUND Address: 1 allée Roger Tagault, 86000 Poitiers. Contact: 05 49 30 09 70 or [email protected] POITIERS Site: http://www.fuaj.org • For inexpensive hotels close to the station and Getting to Poitiers from: city center, see the Poitiers Office web - Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, take a site (multilingual) which lists all possible housing direct TGV Atlantique high-speed train to solutions: Poitiers (2hr30mins). http://www.ot-poitiers.fr/ or send an email to - Orly airport, take the shuttle to [email protected] Montparnasse station in then a direct TGV high-speed train to Poitiers city center Long-term housing (1hr30mins). • The Poitiers CROUS (Centre Régional des Œuvres - airport, take the shuttle to the Universitaires - Regional Center for University Saint-Jean station in Bordeaux then a direct Services) for student housing. TGV high-speed train to Poitiers. Address: 13 rue Théodore Lefebvre (Building A7), - Paris take a TGV high-speed train at 86000 Poitiers. Montparnasse station: https://www.oui.sncf/ Hours: Monday to Thursday, 10am to 12:30pm and The Vitalis public bus service is available for 1:30pm to 4:30pm, and Fridays, 10am to 12:30pm. getting around the town and surrounding Contact: 05 35 37 17 05. area: https://www.vitalis-poitiers.fr/ Website: http://www.crous-poitiers.fr/ There are regional trains for getting around Website Trouver un logement: the Nouvelle- region: https://trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr/ https://www.ter.sncf.com/nouvelle-aquitaine On campus, the CROUS also manages all low-cost Don’t forget the bus for low-cost travelling: food services (university restaurants, cafeterias, https://fr.ouibus.com/ food-trucks, etc.). or https://www.flixbus.fr/ • Private Housing Platforms: For ride-sharing, refer to the collaborative Other offers for student lodging, managed by private websites, for example: https://www.blablacar.fr organisms, are also available in Poitiers: For example, visit: For greater independence, rent a bike with - https://www.adele.org Cap sur le vélo, the bicycle rental service for - https://www.immojeune.com/ Grand Poitiers: https://www.grandpoitiers.fr > - https://www.location-etudiant.fr déplacements > vélos - https://housinganywhere.com/fr/ - https://www.studapart.com 3 If you need housing adapted to your special RESIDENCE PERMIT (TITRE DE SÉJOUR) needs Contact the CROUS Social Services which will take GOOD TO KNOW action with your institution. Some establishments have specialized services for students with • If you have arrived in France with a VLS-TS disabilities (assistance for housing, and also long-term student visa: you must validate transportation and tuition). it online upon your arrival and imperatively At the Université de Poitiers, a welcome service for within the first three months of your stay disabled students will work with you to meet our (in France) on the ANEF (Administration special needs: http://www.univ-poitiers.fr > Trouver numérique pour les étrangers en France) une formation> Se faire conseiller> Etudier en website: https://administration-etrangers-en- situation de handicap france.interieur.gouv.fr Contact: [email protected] • If you are an Algerian national or a student with a “Concours” (tests) visa» or a visa with the indication “Carte à solliciter dans les deux mois” (Residency permit is to be requested FIRST THINGS within 2 months of entry): your residency permit FIRST / application has to be made at the Prefecture. • If you hold a “mineur scolarisé” (enrolled ENROLLMENT IN YOUR INSTITUTION minor) visa and you attained the age of majority, you have to request for a “Titre de CVEC séjour” online on the ANEF website or at the prefecture where you live within 2 months Before you can enroll in your institution, you must following your majority. download proof of payment of the Contribution Vie https://administration-etrangers-en-france. Etudiante et de Campus (CVEC) – the student and interieur.gouv.fr campus life contribution fee. - Connect to https://cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr/ Take note : To renew your student residency - For additional information and special cases: permit “Titre de séjour” (VLS-TS), your request https://www.campusfrance.org > s’organiser > must be done during the 3rd month before the CVEC expiration date of your current “Titre de séjour” (permit) on the website: https://administration- Confirm Registration etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr Take note! Even if you have a pre-registration letter, This tutorial will help you: you are not officially enrolled.You must confirm https://www.youtube.com/ your enrollment with the institution’s Service de la watch?v=j_suMJ3fIiw&list=PLpm2evF1qaJe_ Scolarité (Admissions) as soon as you arrive. oq0a-LMIKujAihwAtVEy&index=16

• To find out more about rights and obligations: The reception services of your establishment can guide you in the event of difficulties. www.service-public.fr > Etranger > Titre de séjour et document de circulation (Foreigners > Resident Card and Travel Document)

PRACTICAL INFORMATION /

OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT If you stay in France for more than 3 months, it will be much easier day-to-day if you open a bank account, online or in one of the 80 bank agencies located in Poitiers.

4 In France, opening a bank account is a right: www.service-public.fr > Argent > Comptes bancaires> Droit au compte (> Finances > Bank SAMU: Call 15 Emergency Medical Services Accounts > Right to Open an Account) Police emergency: Call 17 in the event of violence, theft, robbery. HEALTHCARE Fire Department: Call 18 in the event of fire, gas leak, water damage, natural catastrophe, or In France, receiving medical treatment is practically traffic accident. free but you must be insured. Accordingly, signing Call 112: European emergency services up for medical insurance is mandatory. number that’s accessible from anywhere in the European Union in addition to the French Login to the numbers above. https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr site to register, to understand your eligibility and benefits, and to take the necessary steps. LEARNING FRENCH

Learn more: Learning French is an opportunity that’s not to be https://www.campusfrance.org > Getting Organized missed! Find what works best for you: > Health - by consulting the Campus France site or the Français Langue Etrangère (FLE) - French as a As a student, you can also take advantage of the foreign language - centers and universities which university medical services. In these health centers offer courses at all levels year-round: where consultations are free, you will be greeted http://ecolesdete.campusfrance.org by a team of doctors and nurses who can give - by asking in your institution, at city hall, or in your personalized advice about health and prevention. host city’s Maison des Associations - community This is the case at Université de Poitiers which has centers. a health center, the Service de Santé Universitaire (SSU). FINDING A JOB OR AN INTERNSHIP Address: 4 allée Jean Monnet (Building C4), 86000 Poitiers. 2 addresses: Hours: Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 5:30pm • the Nouvelle Aquitaine CRIJ (Centre Régional and Fridays, 8:30am to 4:30pm. d’Information Jeunesse, regional youth information Contact: 05 49 45 33 54. center) has a platform for finding jobs and See the site for important multilingual medical internships: advice: http://ssu.univ-poitiers.fr/ http://jobs.pourlesjeunes.com/index.php?nosso=1 • the Jobaviz website, run by the CROUS, can help SIGN UP FOR ADDITIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE you find a student job compatible with your studies: You can also sign up for top-up insurance which will http://www.jobaviz.fr cover all health expenses not covered by the free and compulsory health insurance. Take note: The plans and coverage levels differ from one company to another. To choose a top-up THINGS TO DO insurance policy which meets your needs and your budget, you can compare student health insurance IN POITIERS / plans on the Internet.

HOUSING INSURANCE TAKE UP A SPORT In France, housing insurance is mandatory. • In your school or university, contact the Service des You can sign up for housing insurance called Sports for free access to sports facilities. “garantie risques locatifs” - rental risk guarantee - at At Université de Poitiers, the Service universitaire your bank or a private insurance company. Online des activités physiques et sportives offers many subscription is often possible. free sports and fitness activities: http://suaps.univ-poitiers.fr/ • At Poitiers, the municipal services of the Communauté Urbaine provide a range of facilities: https://www.grandpoitiers.fr/ > sports

> le guide pratique du sport 5 BE ACTIVE by the major François Mitterrand media library: http://www.bm-poitiers.fr/ Attend cultural and sporting events, or join a social - Espace Mendès France, a scientific exchange or community group, through one of the numerous venue for debating about scientific subjects: local or national student clubs and associations. https://emf.fr/ In September in Poitiers, a month-long service, For going out and staying abreast of current events the Mois d’Accueil (MA) is organized for meeting in Poitiers, read the leading regional daily paper, la representatives of local institutions, associations Nouvelle République, available in newsstands or and residents. A whole month for helping you to online: discover the city and campuses! https://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/poitiers For more information: You can also check out the agenda on the Poitiers - contact your school (Service de la vie étudiante) Visitor Center site: for information. See the list of all the associations http://www.ot-poitiers.fr/ > sortir > agenda at Université de Poitiers: https://www.univ-poitiers.fr/ > Vivre les campus > Vie associative et initiatives étudiantes - go to the Maison des Étudiants at Université de TOP Poitiers a gathering place open to services for all ATTRACTIONS / students: http://mde.univ-poitiers.fr/ > présentation > maison Poitiers, Roman capital has been labelled for its art des étudiants and , Ville d’art et d’histoire, since 1985. - visit the national sites: www.animafac.net or www.letudiant.fr • The panorama des Dunes, accessible by bus or - At Université de Poitiers, the Service des Relations on foot for the amazing view over the historical city internationales, organizes a regular International center. Café to facilitate exchanges between French and • The Salle des Pas-Perdus in the former palace of international students. the Counts of Poitiers and Dukes of Aquitaine, one Contact: [email protected] of the most remarkable architectural works. • Notre-Dame-la-Grande church: a beautiful example GAINING CULTURE AND PARTYING of Roman art. Poitiers offers many ways to cultivate yourself • Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand church listed by UNESCO or party. Theaters, museums, movie theaters, world heritage on the Way of Saint James. exhibitions, and festivals are on the program and • The Grand’Rue, a historical street lined with half- most of the time, at reduced cost for students: timbered houses and mansions. http://www.ot-poitiers.fr/ > sites culturels • Musée Sainte-Croix, a vast concrete and glass In Poitiers, the free Carte Culture pass provides building with one of the largest collection of special discounts for students aged 16 to 26 ans: sculptures by Camille Claudel (free admission for http://www.carteculture.org/ students). Also see the guide of free activities provided by the • Blossac park, a green lung in the city center and cultural service of Université de Poitiers: one of France's most beautiful parks. https://www.univ-poitiers.fr > vivre les campus > culture • The , a fun technological and scientific theme park just 10 km from Poitiers. Take the For entertainment or to pick up some culture, you no.1 Vitalis bus line. can choose from: - 5 large move theaters in the city and surroundings For more information, consult the Tourism Office including 2 arthouse theaters, the CAP Castille and website: http://www.ot-poitiers.fr/ > découvrir the Dietrich (student rates and loyalty cards). > histoire de Poitiers - 5 museums in the Poitiers area, including the Miroir, a cultural venue open to all types of visual expression (student discounts). - about a dozen venues including the TAP (Théâtre auditorium de Poitiers), a national stage: https://www.tap-poitiers.com/ - about 15 bookshops including Belle Aventure and Gibert for buying and selling second-hand books. - a network of 5 public multimedia libraries headed 6 IMPORTANT JULY - AUGUST • Poitiers during the summer: A vast program ANNUAL EVENTS / of cultural entertainment and activities for all in different venues throughout the city. FEBRUARY SEPTEMBER • Poitiers Geek Festival: All the geek communities • The Mois d’Accueil des étudiants in Poitiers, a get together in Poitiers for a 2-day event of whole month for exploring the city with activities celebrations and exchange. and entertainment, parties, forums, exhibitions and MARCH concerts. • Printemps de la Recherche (Spring Research • European Researchers Night. Festival), to discover the research laboratories of • Journées du Patrimoine (heritage days), free visits the University and to have conversations with the of cultural venues. researchers. OCTOBER • Printemps de l’Europe: a springtime debate about • Students of the World Night, a big welcome night Europe with the CRIJ. for international students in Poitiers. •Bruits de langues, literary meetings organized by • Fête de la in the University laboratories. the cultural association of the faculty of Arts. NOVEMBER APRIL • An evening for meeting international researchers • Festival A Corps contemporary artistic and professor-researchers organized in representations around visions of the human body. partnership with the city of Poitiers. • Gamers assembly, video game and electronic For more information, see the City of Poitiers sports conferences, performances, competitions website:https://www.poitiers.fr/index.php and tournaments. • Arts and Culture Days in Higher Education. DECEMBER - Rencontre Poit’étrangers Noël, a friendly gathering MAY for international students who are in Poitiers at this • European Night of Museums - free activities time of year and families with a shared meal. and entertainment at the Sainte-Croix de Poitiers museum. • Poitiers-Futuroscope Marathon for running enthusiasts. JUNE • Fête de la Musique: Music everywhere in town (free concerts).

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 cultural outings, and consult job and internship offers. PARTICIPATE

7 THINGS TO KNOW

Greater Poitiers: POITIERS, CAPITAL OF THE DEPARTMENT, residents 191,000 one of the 12 departments in the City of Poitiers: Nouvelle Aquitaine region 90,000 residents 1431: Université de Poitiers was created. The university belongs to CITY FOR Cheapest the Groupe de Coïmbra, a network of STUDENTS in France according to a 40 of the oldest universities in student association. Europe

NOUVELLE- Université de Poitiers: AQUITAINE REGION, 28,000 students th 7 FRENCH including 4,000international REGION students from 136 different countries in terms of hosting foreign students 1,100 doctoral students (21,000 international 400 international doctoral students. students) It is one of the highest international student populations in France!

POITIERS RANKED 14TH OUT OF 44 FRENCH CITIES WHERE’S IT GOOD 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/nouvelle-aquitaine-554 - Photos: DR - Cover photo: ©Toanet - Fotolia.com - JULY 2021. - JULY - Fotolia.com photo: ©Toanet - Photos: DR Cover

CAMPUS FRANCE Rubrik (91) C 28 rue de la Grange aux Belles, 75010 PARIS - 01 40 40 58 58 - www.campusfrance.org Production: