France
Universite Catholique de L'Ouest, Angers, France
Exchange Program Offered Fall Term or Full Year
Located in the Loire River valley city of Angers, the Université Catholique de L'Ouest (UCO) is a private institution of higher education that offers a wide range of courses taught in French. Before enrolling in the fall term, students may elect to study intensive French in its well-known CIDEF program. Set on a hilltop overlooking the Maine River, Angers is a beautiful medieval city of 200,000 inhabitants, capital of the historic province of Anjou, and only 90 minutes by train from Paris.
NCC Eligibility Requirements:
Junior or Senior standing. GPA 3.0 preferred. Successful completion of at least two college courses in French at the 300 level or above.
NCC Academic Credit:
NCC students usually receive between 10-14 NCC credits for classes they take at UCO. Of course, it depends on the course load students choose. Please visit the following website (in FRENCH ONLY) for information on courses.
Make sure you meet with Prof. Hand or Prof. Bard to discuss your UCO class schedule. Usually, courses are not DEFINITE until you arrive and you will have to visit the various departments at UCO to confirm/register for your courses. The first few weeks of the fall semester at UCO you are given the opportunity to visit all the classes you are interested in and then choose your final course schedule. If your final schedule is different from the Pre-Study Abroad Credit Transfer Approval form then you MUST e-mail the Office of International Programs with your final course list.
Housing and Meals:
All NCC students are required to stay with host families. Most accommodation details like laundry and kitchen use, meals, internet, and distance between UCO and homestay, vary quite a bit from host family to host family. Students will get host family information over the summer.
Meals: Students usually share the kitchen with their host families and pay a fee for kitchen use. Students are often given a window of time when they can use the kitchen and cook meals for themselves, often so it doesn't interfere with family cooking times. When both the family and the students agree and are available, students can eat together with their families, sharing meal time.
Please note: The "Request for Accommodation" form is really quite brief. If you would like to include additional information or details you feel are important re: your host family placement, it is ENCOURAGED that you write an additional paragraph in the space provided on the application or attach a separate sheet. Additional information can include things like: proximity preference between homestay and UCO, preference for older children in the homestay, preference for a family with heightened interest in student/family interaction/conversation. This does NOT GUARANTEE any of your preferences but gives you an opportunity to highlight them in more detail.
UCO/France Estimated Costs:
Participants pay tuition to NCC and all room/board charges in France.
Financial aid is applicable to this program, however, all study abroad students should meet with a financial aid representative during the spring term to determine any changes/adjustments in their financial aid package.
Personal Expenses:
- Health care insurance = 192 EUR (in 07-08)
- Room/Accommodation = approximately 300-350 EUR/month
- Food/Board = approximately 6 EUR for a meal on campus or 3 EUR for a meal at the university cafeteria
- Meals out: breakfast - $7, Lunch - $8-$10, and dinner $12-$15
- Textbooks = approximately 100 EUR
- Local Transportation = local bus ticket 1.10 EUR
- Laundry = approximately $5 or $6 a load
This really depends on the student. Students need to consider all personal spending money including travel! Students who participated in this program last year estimate between $3000-$3500, including some travel. If you plan to travel A LOT, then a more reasonable estimate would be $4000-$6000.
Eiffel Tower
Erica McCauley in front of the Eiffel Tower in Fall 10