Located in the famous Loire Valley, Angers is a town situated among an abundance of vineyards and famous French chateaus. Students who attend the Université d’Angers have the option of taking a wide variety of courses including French literature through the department of Arts and Letters and French culture through the history and geography departments.
Students studying in France must be independent, self-reliant, organized, and able to handle ambiguity in order to successfully immerse into the highly structured and often times bureaucratic French university system.
This program would be suitable for students that are ready to be abroad, but would still like some of the academic services that a U.S. college provides. The ISEP coordinator at Angers is especially helpful. It is a good choice for someone that is a world traveler OR has never left their hometown, provided that student is academically prepared and emotionally mature.
Learn more about the Université d’Angers here! Read the ISEP Country Handbook to learn more about visa requirements, educational system, and culture.
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To be eligible to participate in this program, students must meet the following requirements:
Students applying to ISEP must apply for an Exchange option (in any country) as a first choice but may apply to a Direct option as a back-up. Direct options may have an additional cost (see a financial section for more information). |
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The university has a large modern campus southwest of Paris, between Nantes and Tours. Angers is one of the largest cities in the Loire Valley, about 90 minutes by rapid train from Paris. To learn more about the visa process for this country, please visit the ISEP Country Handbook for France. |
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| Academics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Located in the famous Loire Valley, Angers is a town situated among an abundance of vineyards and famous French chateaus. Students who attend the Université d’Angers have the option of taking a wide variety of courses including French literature through the Department of Arts and Letters and French culture through the history and geography departments. The university now offers an exciting new opportunity for students to study English-taught courses in France! Angers offers a wide variety of courses taught in English. Students can choose to take a set module of courses or pick and choose courses from different departments. Students with a B1+ French level can also incorporate courses taught in French. This offers students a great opportunity to create a program to fit their language needs. French language courses are also offered to students at all French levels.
France operates on the ECTS credit System. ECTS credits take into account the total student workload per class or degree program. 30 ECTS credits is equivalent to a full semester for French students. ISEP students may not be expected to take as many credits. In programs that utilize only ECTS credits: Students must take 27 ECTS credits to earn 4 Lake Forest credits, or 20.5 ECTS credits to earn 3 Lake Forest credits. Some programs in France use contact hours instead of (or in addition to) ECTS credits. In these cases, it is recommended to use the system that most benefits the students. One formula to determine number of Lake Forest credits is: (Weekly Hours in Class X Weeks in Term)/42 To earn 4 Lake Forest credits, students must take 168 total contact hours.
To Earn 3 Lake Forest credits, students must take 126 total contact hours. Course Description To locate a list of courses taught in English, use the following link and download the booklet: English-Taught Courses Students at the junior level and above may take master’s level coursework as long as they’ve taken the pre-requisites. Website for Course Availability Academic Environment and Teaching Style French professors are not as accessible as their American counterparts. Increasingly, however, professors do have office hours or may be available if you make an appointment. They will also be willing to answer questions and discuss problems before or immediately after class. It would be a good idea to introduce yourself to the professor at the beginning of the year, explaining that you are an international student. Do ask other students in class for advice or assistance if you do not understand something. French universities operate in ways that are quite different from the system with which you are familiar. Understanding the differences will help you plan your program of study in France, use your time effectively while you are there and return with transferable credits. French students follow a highly structured curriculum specific to the degree they are pursuing from day one at the university. They do not take “liberal arts” or general education requirements for 2 years before focusing on a major or area of study as most U.S. students do. At the end of each year, they must pass a set of required exams before they can move on to the next year’s program. Coursework As an exchange student, you have greater flexibility in choosing courses than French students do. You do not need to take a complete package of courses at one level. However, if you focus on courses in one or two departments, you will find it easier to put together a schedule, your program of studies will be more cohesive, and you will have a better chance of getting to know French students because you will be seeing the same group on a regular basis. Classes are usually lecture-based, instead of discussion or group work. Classes are often much larger than those found at Lake Forest College. Grades are based heavily, at times almost entirely, on one end-of-term exam, though some courses will also offer a midterm. Professors are often more formal than those in the United States. Sciences, business, and languages are strong. Also recommended are translation studies, mathematics and social sciences, physiology and vegetable production, business administration and quality control, rural law, technology and scientific innovation, and tourism. French language, literature, and culture courses for foreign students are offered from early October until May in addition to regular classes. Students typically enroll in 6-10 classes per term which average to 12 hours in class per week. A term runs for 12 weeks. Students must take 30 ECTS credits to earn the equivalent of 4 Lake Forest credits. Grading and Assessment Student performance is assessed in two ways:
The atmosphere at a French university may seem low-pressure, but be on your guard. Even if a class does not require regular assignments, you must keep up with the reading and attend classes. Final examinations are given at the end of each course. ISEP students should check with professors to determine when the exam will be given as most professors do not provide a syllabus at the beginning of a course. As a foreign student, you may not be required to take the final exam. You may be able to substitute written assignments for the exam. Check with the professor to find out whether you are expected to take the exam in order to get a grade (in many instances, the exam might be the only evidence that you have taken the class) or whether you can substitute other assignments. Taking a final does not automatically entitle you to a grade since you must pass your exams to receive a grade. Also, make sure to register for the exam in addition to taking it. If you make any special arrangements with a professor, obtain the agreement in writing signed by both you and the professor. Provide a copy of the agreement to both your home and host ISEP coordinators and keep a copy for yourself. Without an agreement in writing, it is expected that you will take all final exams. Credit transfer is not guaranteed if you fail to take exams or provide written proof of other arrangements. At the end of the exchange, the faculté will award you a final average. The grades you receive from the faculté are not contestable. The only way to modify a bad grade is to do supplementary work, the grade for which will be averaged with the bad one. Please review the ISEP country handbook for more information on the education system, grades, class hours, and classroom etiquette. |
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| Student Life | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Universite d’Angers was created in 1971 following the expansion of university centers throughout France. Total enrollment: 16,000. The University of Angers has greatly expanded its physical training, sports, and artistic activities. A climbing wall, two gymnasiums and three specialized rooms for dance, physical training, and martial arts are available to students who wish to practice these activities as part of their study program (optional instructional units). They can also participate in tournaments and competitions sponsored by the university sports federation. The university Cultural Service was created in 2005 and offers a varied program of quality events and services. The “Espace Culturel” houses a 350 seat theatre for professional and student productions which have been particularly favored by the association for the promotion of jazz in the Pays-de-la-Loire region. Students can take advantage of technical help and counseling in their individual or group projects and can also earn optional instructional credits in culture. ORIENTATION
Orientation will take place the week before classes start. The ISEP coordinator will explain the French university system and the University of Angers. He will assist students in their choice of courses. A tentative schedule will be established and students will be able to attend as many classes as they want, and possibly can, during the first two weeks. The definitive choice will be made at the end of the trial period. |
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Students are housed in single-occupancy rooms in residence halls on campus or downtown. Meals are provided through a combination of weekday cafeteria service and other arrangements. Married student housing is possible if the ISEP coordinator has sufficient advance notice. |
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| Financial Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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For all approved programs for guaranteed financial aid transferability, students pay their Lake Forest College tuition plus a program fee. The program fee for a semester with the ISEP Exchange to Université d`Angers includes orientation, on-site director, college fees, housing, and the equivalent of 19/meals per week. Here is an estimated budget for the Fall 2019/Spring 2020 programs:
Tuition rates and program fees are subject to change each year, but this information was up-to-date as of March 2019. We will notify applicants, and update this page if the program fee or other estimates change. You can discuss with Financial Aid your specific aid package and your expected family contribution. Deposits to other programs, if required, are paid by the student to the host program, and will appear as a credit on your study abroad term bill from the College. Keep in mind that you may spend more or less in certain areas like personal expenses, travel, meals, or airfare, depending on exchange rates and your own spending habits. Classroom or lab fees are not included in this estimate and will depend on your course registration choices. Don’t forget to apply for scholarships! A great listing can be found here.
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