It is generally best to begin preparing for your stay a year in advance to allow enough time to obtain your passport, visa and social coverage.

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If you are a citizen of the European Union, a valid identity card or passport is sufficient.

To check whether you need a visa, please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
If it you find that you need a visa, please contact French Consulate nearest you.

For more details, you can download the visa brochure made available by the Office of Student Affairs.

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The greate Cergy-Pontoise community also offers 17 residences or around 3,500 student housing units.

Other solutions: you can rent an apartment, stay at a hotel or residential hotel, rent a room in a private home or find an apartment to share.

Note: ESSEC’s student life site ESSEClive regularly publishes housing offers in its “Pratique” forum. You may also post your own ad in the forum!

Keep in mind that in France, a lodging must be insured. The owner may refuse to give you the keys without proof of a “multirisque habitation” insurance policy.

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You may not reside with your family in an ALEGESSEC student residence.

For couples without children, we recommend the student residence Les Estudines located in Cergy St-Christophe.
For families with children, we recommend renting a Citéa apartment for a maximum of nine months. The monthly rent is around €700.

Address and contact:
Citéa, Cergy-Le Hazay
87 avenue du Hazay
95800 Cergy-le-Haut
Tel. +33 (0)1 34 46 68 00

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You must have a residence card (for non-French students who are not nationals of a EU member state) and provide a birth certificate translated into French by a certified translator in your country of origin.
ALEGESSEC (ESSEC’s student housing association) will automatically deduct the APL subsidy from your monthly rent.

Note: you must complete your APL application in the ALEGESSEC office in the first two months of your residence.
At the end of this period, your monthly contribution will automatically default to the full rate after notification is sent to your parents by registered mail.

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The preferred payment method is an automatic debit (only for bank accounts in France) made between the 5th and 10th of every month.
You may also pay by bank card.

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ALEGESSEC (ESSEC’s student housing association) offers furnished units near campus.

More information about the ALEGESSEC student residences (reservations, rental rates, office hours, etc.) 

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First, check whether your spouse and/or children need visas. This will depend on their nationality, place of residence, and the duration of and reason for their stay.
If it is determined that you need a visa, please contact the French Consulate nearest you.

It is possible that your family will need to submit an "attestation d’accueil" (proof of accommodation) to obtain a visa.

Note: you will need a “justificatif de domiciliation” (proof of residence in France) to obtain their visa.
If this applies to you, it is important to secure housing without delay.

Next, check whether they will need a temporary residence permit upon their arrival in France.

This list details the administrative documents to provide for a stay in France. It will be very useful to you as you prepare for your stay, whether you will be on your own or accompanied by family.

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France has a temperate climate with average temperatures of between 0°C  and 8°C (32°F and 46°F) in winter and between 16°C and 24°C (60°F and 75°F) in summer.

For the weather forecast the day of your arrival, visit Météo France.

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Housing, food, transportation, healthcare, entertainment...
Here is an overview of the monthly expenses of a student living in France on a limited budget.

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Learn about the financing methods available to you.
Note: this content is available only in French.

The ESSEC Master of Science in Management also offers a program of Excellence Scholarships.

For more information, contact us directly by e-mail.

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In case you are not a French citizen, you must have a guarantor in France whose credit check is sufficient to cover your loan.
You are highly recommended to submit your loan application with one of the banks near ESSEC as these are familiar with ESSEC students’ cases.

For American citizens or residents wishing to apply for US Direct Loan, ESSEC is a member of the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program.
When registering, use ESSEC's identification number: 03095900.

More details about US Direct Loans for students admitted to ESSEC

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An apprenticeship program is open to students under the age of 26 from EU countries that became member states before May 1, 2004.
By choosing this program, you will be dividing your time between classes and the company that pays you a salary to cover your tuition and other expenses.

Apprenticeships are available in six programs:
• Master of Science in Management
• Advanced Master in International Business Law and Management
• Advanced Master in International Supply Management
• Advanced Master in Information Systems and Telecommunication Networks
• MBA in Hotel Management
• EPSCI Bachelor in Business Administration

As a full-time international student, you do not have the right to take a full-time job. It is therefore not possible to work during your studies in France to finance your stay.
Moreover, the course load would not leave you enough time for anything but your studies.

ESSEC also offers a certain number of research positions, remunerated with research grants that are deducted from your tuition.
Only students with tuition to pay are eligible for a research position.

Note: to work off the ESSEC campus (20 hours/week maximum), non-EU students will need a temporary work permit in addition to the residence permit before they may begin working.

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The procedure to follow is detailed in this brochure made available by the Office of Student Affairs.

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From Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport.
• The RER B train line will take you into central Paris. At the Châtelet-Les Halles station, transfer to the RER A and continue to Cergy-Préfecture.
• By bus, Line 95-18 provides the fastest commute to Cergy, linking Roissypôle to Cergy-Pontoise in just one hour.

From Paris.
The most practical solution is RER A: your commuting time to Cergy-Préfecture will vary from only 25 minutes from La Défense to one hour from the east of Paris. The entrance to the school is only a three-minute walk from the RER once you have arrived.
Consult the interactive map of Paris and the train and metro schedules provided by the RATP, the Paris mass transit network.

If you are coming by car, plan on a 40 minutes drive in low traffic conditions from Porte de Clichy or Porte de Clignancourt and one hour from Place de l’Etoile. Visit Mappy to plan your itinerary in more detail.

ESSEC is located on Avenue Bernard Hirsch BP 50105
95021 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex France
Tel. +33 (0)1 34 43 30 00
Fax +33 (0)1 34 43 30 01
Email

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The STIVO bus network (16 lines) serves the greater Cergy-Pontoise community seven days a week, from 5:30 a.m. until midnight.

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If you have a long-stay visa bearing the words “carte de séjour à solliciter” or “voir carte de séjour”, you must request a temporary student residence permit as soon as you arrive in France.

If you live in département 95 (see the first two digits of your postal code in France), please read the following document carefully to learn which documents are needed for a renewal of your card and where to submit your application.

If you live in département 75 or 92 (see the first two digits of your postal code in France), please read the following document.

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Remember to renew your residence permit and to provide notification of any change in address. A summary of these procedures and a list of essential documents for your stay in France are available at www.egide.asso.fr

Note: your rights and procedures as an international student in France are outlined in a guide available at www.service-public.fr.

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If you are under the age of 28.
You must register for French social security for students.
Please note that special cases may apply. For more information, please visit www.egide.asso.fr.

Registration is free of charge for students under the age of 20 on October 1st.
For students aged 20 and over, with the exception of special provisions, the registration fee (as of 2006) is €189.

Students generally register for the social security at the same time that they register at ESSEC.
You may register at either of two centers: LMDE (601) or SMEREP (617). These centers also offer optional additional coverage (the “mutuelle”).

Students aged 28 and over on October 1st, and therefore cannot benefit from the student social security scheme, may in certain cases receive free universal healthcare coverage (the “couverture maladie universelle” or CMU, visit www.egide.asso.fr) or take out a private expat insurance policy from ESSEC’s Office of Student Affairs.

If you are in an internship and have employee status, you will need to register for the general social security scheme.
You must however register for the student social security again when your internship contract terminates and maintain this status until you obtain your degree.

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In France, you must take out various types of insurance, including in private housing insurance, travel insurance, automobile insurance and bank card insurance.
You must also have health insurance to cover you in the event of illness.

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General practitioners and specialists are available.
Pharmacists are also able to advise you on the appropriate medication to take depending on your illness.

To learn more about access to healthcare in France, visit www.egide.asso.fr.

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Your social security coverage will cover 70% of your healthcare expenses.
For more information about healthcare costs and rembursement procedures, visit Egide website.

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For more information on the city of Cergy, please visit the following site: www.ville-cergy.fr (available in French only).

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