Undergraduate Housing
One of the most valuable experiences of your stay in France can be your living situation. This immersion in either a French home or student residence offers valuable insight into French culture, providing a richer understanding of traditions, customs, and day-to-day life.
We have several options for housing, including some private hosts and foyers, some of which have been working with Middlebury for 20+ years. Ultimately, however, your choice will be dependent upon financial resources, site location (Bordeaux, Paris or Poitiers), and availability.
Types of Housing
- Host family / homestay = Working couples with children; single individuals with or without children; elderly, retired individuals, etc. committed to welcoming students into their homes. All host families have been personally visited and picked by Host Families in Paris (HFP), the housing coordinator, and/or the director of the program;
- Foyer = Private youth residence; unaffiliated with any particular university; houses French and international students;
- Résidence CROUS = Public youth residence; unaffiliated with any particular university; houses French and international students;
- The Social Hub = Residential hotel.
|
|
Bordeaux |
Poitiers |
Paris |
|
Foyer |
No |
No |
Yes (limited) |
|
Résidence CROUS |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
The Social Hub |
No |
No |
Yes (limited) |
|
Host family |
Yes |
Yes (very limited) |
Yes |
In all cases, a commute (via metro, bus, bicycle, etc.) is to be expected.
Important:
- Undergraduates at all sites (Paris, Poitiers, Bordeaux) are not permitted to live in independent housing. Students in Paris or Bordeaux for the full year, however, may be allowed to move into independent housing with French-speaking locals for the second semester.
- Middlebury College is not contractually responsible for housing arrangements and does not have authority over any lodgings; therefore, if you do not send any mandatory fees or documents (e.g. a deposit) by the set deadline, you risk losing your place!
Housing Options
Please note that while house rules will vary by lodging, all types of lodging will have regulations regarding visitors, behavior, noise, curfew, etc. which you will be obligated to follow.
|
Type of Housing |
Private room/bathroom |
Meals included |
Household supplies |
Costs |
Availability |
|
Foyer |
Can be private room; can be private bathroom |
Usually no |
No |
2023-24: Double rooms = ~500-600€ per month NB: 2024-25 rates are not available yet. |
Limited, especially in spring |
|
Résidence Universitaire CROUS |
Private room; shared bathroom |
No |
No |
2023-24: 250-400€ per month; Electricity and water included; Wi-Fi usually provided. |
Limited, especially in spring |
|
The Social Hub |
Private room and bathroom |
No |
No |
2023-24: 1200-1400€ per month; all amenities included (typically not covered by a standard financial aid package) |
Usually available |
|
Host Family (Paris) |
Private room; shared bathroom |
A fixed number of meals are provided per week. |
Yes |
2024-25: Fall 24: Spring 25: |
Usually available |
|
Host Family (Bordeaux) |
2024-25: ~600€ per month |
||||
|
Host Family (Poitiers) |
2024-25: ~500-550€ per month |
Please be aware that not all housing arrangements will allow for individual doors to be locked.
Depending on your arrival date in France or your hosts’ vacations, you may also need to arrange for temporary housing. For more information, contact the School in France staff member who oversees housing at your site.
Housing Application
Once you have confirmed your participation in the School in France, you’ll need to complete the housing questionnaire in your student portal online. The questionnaire deadline for fall/annual students is March; the deadline for spring students is October.
Remember to weigh your housing options carefully and check out the School in France Housing webpage for student testimonials and information on each type of housing experience.
By filling out the housing questionnaire, you commit to participating in the program and to accepting your housing assignment. Furthermore, Middlebury-approved housing is mandatory; therefore, you should plan to complete the questionnaire as soon as possible in order to have the most choices at your disposal. Late housing questionnaires will result in limited housing options.
If you indicate preference for a foyer in your questionnaire…
- Your responses will be sent to School in France staff for review.
- Depending on foyer availability, you may be assigned housing in a foyer. If there is not sufficient availability, you may be redirected to a homestay (see If you indicate preference for a host family in your questionnaire… For Paris students).
- You will receive an email with a short description of the assigned housing and the foyer application instructions to follow promptly and thoroughly. This may include sending a confirmation email, a deposit, documents, paying registration fees, and/or the first month’s rent.
If you indicate preference for a host family in your questionnaire…
For Bordeaux students:
- Your responses will be sent to the Housing Coordinator for review.
- The Housing Coordinator will email you with a short description of your assigned housing and documents to review.
- The host family will send you their RIB (their bank information) so that you can pay them directly. The Housing Coordinator will give you more details on this once you commit to the placement.
For Paris students:
- The Student Life Officer will send you a document written by HFP outlining costs and other information about homestays.
- The Student Life Officer will send HFP your questionnaire.
- HFP will review your responses and send you an email with a short description of your assigned housing and documents to review.
- You will send a confirmation email to HFP and your host family and pay for your whole stay before the deadline indicated in HFP’s email. Financial aid students benefit from a different payment timeline; if this is your case, plan to notify HFP early on and send them proof of your status.
Bear in mind that there should not be any direct financial transaction whatsoever between you and the Paris host family, including the payment of your stay and deposit.
For Poitiers students:
There are very limited host families in Poitiers. Should you like to live with a family, you should express your interest to Susan Parsons and the Director of the program.
Every student is responsible for paying for their accommodations and everything relating to them by the appropriate deadlines.
Rights and Responsibilities
In homestays:
- Reach out to your host family before arrival to get to know each other and discuss arrival plans.
- Follow rules regarding meals, laundry, showers, telephone, and the use of appliances, etc. Ask about these rules at the beginning of your stay and be willing to discuss anything you have concerns about or don’t understand. In general, remember that compared to U.S. standards, French homes are small, and utilities (electricity, water, heating) are significantly more expensive.
- Limit waste of any sort and be mindful of hot water and electricity usage.
- Respect the Charte de Qualité / règlement de principe outlining homestay policies.
- Understand that you and your hosts engage in a mutual commitment of respect, and that you are bound to honor that commitment by staying in your placement unless there are serious reasons for not doing so. In case of the latter, you must first discuss the matter with School in France staff.
In youth residences and at the residential hotel:
- Follow the règlement intérieur (signed agreement with rules for behavior), including any curfew, guest, and noise policies. Understand that your room cannot be redecorated or altered, and that food and alcohol cannot be stored in your room.
- Limit waste of any sort and be mindful of hot water and electricity usage.
- Understand that you must report any issues in your room or building to the residence manager, and that management staff have the right to enter your room anytime for security and maintenance.
Important:
Regardless of your specific living situation, it is expected that you will be considerate of others and that you will honor both the conditions of any formal and informal arrangements you have with hosts, landlords, or residence managers. Failure to pay board, rent or outstanding bills, and checks written against insufficient funds, will not only harm your reputation but that of future School in France students. It can also lead to denied entry into France in the future.
You may risk losing your accommodation during your stay if you do not abide by the in-house policy of your accommodation.
Security Deposit
A security deposit equals one month’s board or rent, the amount of which will be indicated in your housing agreement or housing assignment documentation; however, the deposit may not be used as board or rent. You will receive your deposit back at the end of your stay as long as you or your guests have not damaged your lodging in any way.
Always follow the payment instructions indicated in the confirmation email of your housing placement. You will lose your deposit and may have to pay fees if you withdraw after you receive your placement. Additionally, please make sure that the recipient of the deposit receives the entirety of the sum in Euros via electronic transfer. All transfer fees are your responsibility.
Housing Insurance
The School in France requires that all students purchase une assurance habitation (housing insurance), which includes la responsabilité civile (liability insurance) with coverage in case of damage or accidents. This insurance is mandatory by law.
To ease the process of finding and contracting this insurance, the School in France has long partnered with an insurance company called Allianz. During orientation, Allianz representatives will explain to students at all sites what the assurance habitation et responsabilité civile covers and how to use it. The School in France staff will then collect insurance money from students and enroll them in Allianz’s policy.
Housing Concerns
Whether you live in a student residence or with a host family, make sure to inspect your room for issues (including bedbugs) when you arrive. If there is an issue, tell the person in charge of the building as soon as you notice. In student residences and the residential hotel, you must also complete mandatory inventories called état des lieux in which you list the state of each item at your place upon move-in and move-out.
If concerns of any nature with your housing arise, immediately inform the youth residence staff, Host Families in Paris and/or the School in France staff. The sooner, the better! We can often act as mediators to help remedy the situation, and we encourage discussion with all involved parties to resolve the issue at hand as quickly as possible.
If, after discussion, it is decided that you need to change living arrangements during your stay, you must first notify School in France staff. Your residence manager, HFP and/or your host(s) (depending on your site) must also be notified one to several months before your departure, according to the rules of your housing situation. If you decide to leave without respecting this notice, you will lose your deposit and may have to pay additional fees.
Please address all concerns to the point of contact at your site:
|
Bordeaux |
Poitiers |
Paris |
|
Valérie Berth (Housing Coordinator) |
David Paoli (Director) |
Karima Kerrouchi (Student Life Officer) |
Finally, it is very important to always keep the School in France staff informed of your current housing situation and telephone number so that you can be contacted in case of emergency.
