Paris, France

University Residence Living in Paris, immersing yourself in a new culture, becoming part of a Parisian neighbourhood, interacting daily with your neighbours, landlord, the shopkeepers, etc. may be an exciting cultural experience for international students. However, you may prefer to look for university residence accommodation. In such a case, every effort is made by the PSME program and support services of the University to provide you with solutions. The two main possibilities are: • The Cité internationale des Universités de Paris, where the PSME program pre-books each year 20 rooms for its students. • Student accommodation offered by the - CROUS of Paris. In both type of accommodations, students may be offered one-room apartment with kitchen, bathroom, WC, TV/phone socket. Most of the apartments are furnished and contain a writing desk, desk lamp, office chair, bed, built-in wardrobe, etc. Rents vary between 282 and 500 Euros per month. There are also some possibilities of accommodation for couples. As for the rooms in the Cité Universitaire which are pre-booked for PSME students, they are given out on a first come - first served basis. Once you are admitted in the PSME program, you are directed to the international office of Paris 1, who will provide you as much help and guidance as possible to find the solution that suits you best. Other Housing Options Independant Rooms: An Independent Room is typically a chambre de bonne, a small, furnished, converted maid's room, located at the top of a classical French apartment Hausmannian building, usually without an elevator. An average room is between 10 and 15 square meters in size. These rooms are equipped with basic cooking facilities such as a refrigerator and a hot plate, a shower in the room, as well as a shared toilet located in the hall. On the same floor there are often several chambres de bonne occupied by other young people studying in Paris. Rent: € 450 - 650 per month; utilities and phone are extra. Another possibility to look for rooms is over french realtors. The usual fee for an apartment is one month of rent. This investment has proven to be worthwile for past students as the quality of service and of the housing facilities is usually superior to the ones offered in newspapers and similar offers. Also, students can contact the PSME secretariat in order to get into contact with PSME students giving up their rooms towards the end of the academic year. A Room With a French Host: A room with a French family in an apartment is a private room rented out to students by a family or landlord. The size of the rooms varies, but is usually between 12 and 20 square meters. Varying degrees of privacy exist; you may have a private bathroom and a personal phone. Some families allow use of the family kitchen (perhaps with some rules to be followed) and most will allow access to the washing machine. Utilities, except the phone, are included. Students can choose an option with or without meals. Meals shared with the French family offer the student the opportunity for language and cultural exchange (vegetarians are discouraged from choosing this option). • Rent without meals: 550 - 700 euros per month • Rent with meals (daily breakfast and 2-3 dinners per week): 650 - 800 euros per month. Housing Subsidies Nearly all students under the age of 26 can apply for the CAF once they have signed their rental contract. Accomodation Financial Aid (“APL”) may be given by the French government through CAF, the Caisse d'allocations familiales (CAF) on specific criteria (resources, surface, valid resident permit) up to 1/3 of the value of the rent. Information is available here.