Page last updated: 4 September 2024 (see areas highlighted in grey)
Université Paris-Saclay is ready to welcome its international student community with a wide range of support and integration schemes to ensure that their arrival in France and at the university goes as smoothly as possible. If you are an international student and you will be joining Université Paris-Saclay this September, find out more about the help and initiatives on offer below.
Before arrival
> Get admin help with the Online Welcome Desk
To help its international students, PhD candidates and researchers prepare for their arrival in France, Université Paris-Saclay provides them with theOnline Welcome Desk an online platform which gives users a personalised roadmap of the steps they need to take before and upon arrival in France. . Taking into account their personal situation and country of origin, the platform gives users tailored information on visa applications, health insurance, bank accounts, accommodation, and integration schemes to help them prepare for their arrival in the best possible conditions.
Access the Online Welcome Desk and generate your roadmap
> Make friends and discover France with the Buddy Programme
The Buddy Programme is an international mentoring programme at Université Paris-Saclay which encourages the integration of students and PhD candidates who have just arrived in France. Newly-arrived international students are paired with local students, who have lived in France for at least a year, and can take part in cultural activities and outings throughout the year.
To find out more: contact the international relations department
International students can get information and ask questions via a dedicated WhatsApp group created solely for international students enrolled at Université Paris-Saclay and who will be coming to France for the first time: : https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZct3wkcS4v7LhiA1o5T5C.
If you need help with administrative procedures upon your arrival in France (visas, residence permits, bank accounts, health insurance…) and would like more information about integration schemes (arrival days, buddy programme, welcome day…), you can email internationalwelcomedesk.upsaclay@centralesupelec.fr
Upon arrival at Université Paris-Saclay
> Attend the Arrival Days
The university’s staff will be organising several Arrival Days at the start of September for international students on five of the university’s campuses* to provide important information on the very first administrative procedures to be completed upon arrival in France.
- Monday 2 September – Orsay-Bures campus
- Tuesday 3 September – Sceaux campus
- Thursday 5 September – Plateau de Saclay campus
- Tuesday 10 September – UVSQ – Guyancourt campus
- Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 September – Évry campus
*Université Paris-Saclay students can attend the Arrival Day which suits them best, regardless of where they are enrolled. For example, a student enrolled at the Jean Monnet Faculty in Sceaux can register for the Arrival Day on the Orsay-Bures campus if they wish.
To register, contact the international relations department
> Find out more about the university’s associations and support initiatives at the Welcome Day
On Thursday 26 September, the university will hold its annual Welcome Day at the Building 333 car park,rue du Doyen André Guinier on the Orsay – Vallée campus, starting at 11.30am, to give its students from its constituent faculties, university technical institutes (IUT) and schools information about:
- Associations, sports, culture and student and local life at the university
- Accommodation, catering, transport, facilities
- Welfare support
The Welcome Day will be followed by a party for international students, starting at 7pm at the Crous Les Cèdres university restaurant.Registration is required.
• The GATE reopened on 29 August. It provides international students, researchers and staff who live, study, or work in the Paris-Saclay area with the opportunity to complete the main administrative and practical procedures related to their move and stay in France, all in one single place.
Book an appointment: https://www.smartagenda.fr/pro/gate-paris-saclay/rendez-vous/.
Location: University library, building 407, rue du Doyen Georges Poitou, 91400 Orsay.
Opening hours: 9 am – 1 pm from Monday to Friday (29 August – 20 December).
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