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Areas of Study:��Art, Art History, Commerce, Communications, Economics, French (Language & Literature), Geography, Health Sciences, History, Humanities, Languages, Law, Life Sciences, Literature, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology and Social Sciences.

Course information can be found online����for each Faculty and then clicking on the specific degree link and then the "Contenu" tab. A list of courses popular with exchange students is also��.

Course requirements:
In Europe, full-time course load is typically 30 ECTS (European credits), and at Tours students are typically expected to take 18-30 credits per semester.��6 ECTS =��3 UCalgary units��(1 half-course).��
The amount of credits each course is worth corresponds to the workload/contact hours, and can vary from 1-30 ECTS per course, so please be mindful of this in your selection.

Please contact your����to discuss courses.

Student Tips:��"The one great piece of advice I have regarding school supplies is to bring your own paper. The paper that is avidly bought and used by French students is not easy to get used to and looks a little “busy,” compared to North American lined paper."

The is divided into two semesters. Semester 1 runs from early September to mid-January and Semester 2 runs from mid January to mid June. Terms may vary, according to the program of study, but it is possible to finish Semester 1 in December.��

Please Note: French visa applications for Canadians may require travel to the Vancouver consulate to submit the documentation and take biometrics as needed within 3 months before departure to France, so students may not have access to their passports during that time.��

Student housing in university residences is available through the Centre Local des Oeuvres Universitaires (C.L.O.U.S.) ().

When the accommodation application opens once you have been nominated to Tours, you will rank your top 3 options for residences. Popular options with previous students have been����(good location to classes) or����(the newest residence building), both within 10 min (by bike) to the Faculty of Literature and Languages campus. For other areas of study, please speak with the exchange advisor for recommended residences close to your relevant campus.

Should you wish to look into private accommodation options, you will have to find them on your own.

Exchange students in France may be eligible to apply for the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales (CAF), a French social assistance program for housing, and generally student housing costs in France are already far below the average Calgary costs (see costs & funding for details)

Student Tips:��"My residence was called “Les Tanneurs.” I had the smallest room available, 9m2, but I found it perfectly fine and is typical of university residences in general. There are two options at Tanneurs – rooms with a private kitchen and rooms without. The bathrooms are all private, though small.��There was also a desk/chair, a single bed, a mini fridge, and ample storage space in the form of many shelves, but��no bedding included. Bedding and kitchen supplies could be rented from the residences for an extra charge (they will also charge you cleaning fee at the end of the stay for these items). I brought my own bedding and got some kitchen supplies from the donated items from previous students. Everything else that I needed, I got from IKEA. I found that in the end, this worked out to be more economical.
There was wireless internet for the residence and university building, included in the rent.��The building itself was the newest offered by the University and there was not much noise as there isn't a study space or common room, but there is a communal kitchen (though it lacked an oven). The microwave and hotplates were sufficient, but baking or any frozen food were not an option. There was no gym and no laundry room on site either (but there is a laundromat across the street).
At almost every single university site there are student cafeterias, including one right in Tanneurs. A meal would cost 3.25 Euros and one would get a piece of bread, cheese, appetizer, fruit or desert and a main entrée. The food was very delicious and very cheaply priced relative to standard costs in France.��Tanneurs is also close to the city centre full of bakeries, restaurants and pubs.��
Also, the campus for "Lettres et Langues" (like most exchange students that are studying French)��was right across the street, so it could not have been more convenient, and I could go ‘home’ in between classes to eat, do homework, etc. The other buildings could be found across the city all over the place, but my building was at the center.��I felt completely safe in my living arrangements. It came equipped with a security tag that would open the entrance to the building. We also had a full time secretary and a night guard.
I would recommend [the Tanneurs] residence to any student going to Tours -��it was highly desirable and the subject of envy [for my peers]. Though it is more expensive compared to living off-campus, I would recommend it because it was highly practical and everything is prepared for you.��I would also recommend the student residence, Helene Boucher. It was more expensive and not as centrally located as mine, but was still a new building that had an excellent interior. Additionally, it is the closest one to the international relations office.��I did also have to buy contents insurance for my residence room, but it was only 40€."

"There were recreational facilities available on campus, but one had to purchase the “paque sport,” in order to access them. Rather than one building with everything inside of it, students have to sign up for sports in advance and the time and location of the activity comes later. There is a large library next to “Les Tanneurs,” which is connected to the main university building, free for students. The climate of Tours is far more humid than Calgary. Snow is very rare and the French love it for that reason. The transit, called “Filbleu,” is amazing. Always on time, clean, and brand new. However, be aware of transit strikes because getting around becomes more difficult. For 50€ a month one can purchase a student pass, otherwise it is 1.50€ per ride. I recommend buying the student pass if one’s student residence is far away from the center or if ones classes are very far apart and spread across the city.��"

"Tours is much warmer and much more humid than Calgary, so no big winter coats or boots are needed. It doesn’t snow in the winter but can sometimes be rainy.��Transit is pretty good in the city, but it does stop around midnight. There are two trams and buses that can take you pretty much anywhere. Bikes are also widely used. I know a few students who were able to buy used ones for about 50 euros. Tours is a pretty small city so it is also possible to just walk everywhere you need to on a day to day basis but this may depend on how far your campus and your accommodation are from each other. Tours is generally a safe city and there aren’t many areas that should be avoided but it is always a good idea to travel with at least one other person, especially at night."

This exchange is open to regular, full-time students in any faculty at UCalgary, who have completed at least 1 full year (10 courses) at the post-secondary level, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B).

Courses at Tours are taught in French. As such, applicants must have a command of French at the����according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) at a minimum, or have completed at least two 300-level or above courses in French.��Certification of language proficiency may be required.

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What supports or services are available at Tours?��

��provides support for students with permanent or temporary accessibility needs. For more information on accessibility of the campus, please review their��.��For information on accessibility of campuses across Europe, ESN has created "" which allows you to check the accessibility of universities and cities across Europe. For city-specific services and places in Europe, the����(website and/or smartphone app - both Android and iOS) also provides a searchable user-built database to identify important accessibility information of public places and locations.

Also, the Bureau des Relations Internationales offers an orientation program, which provides information about French culture, the French academic system and what will be expected of exchange students in their French courses. We strongly recommend registering for this orientation, which is offered at the beginning of September.

All year long, various cultural events and excursions will be organized by the international relations office - for a preview of what to expect, please explore the current ��and their����program, which both include a variety of activities and events, including bike tours, a cultural passport program, evenings at the cinema, cooking workshops, and trips outside of Tours to Paris, Mont St. Michel, and other surrounding castles and attractions.��

Student Tips: "I found that the easiest way to make friends with local students was to sign up for the “Service Learning” program. These are one hour sessions where you get paired up with a French student. For half an hour, you speak to them in French and for the other half, you speak in English. If you sign up to do these 4 times a week, you also get course credits for it!"

"There were many social activities organized. There were very frequent trips to see the many castles and wine caves around Tours in the Loire Valley, and ski trips, as well as various excursions. All of the exchange students could buy a ticket so long as there was space for the excursion. The host institution would also host social gatherings like dinners or parties so that we could connect both with each other and local students. For example, a paella dinner. In order to connect with locals one should keep an open mind and take advantage of the programs offered by the institution that helps connect internationals with locals, for instance the “parronage” program".

What options are there at Tours for improving my French fluency?��

Tours' CUEFEE (Centre Universitaire d'Enseignement du Français pour Etudiants Etrangers) provides French courses for exchange students at very low cost (roughly 50 euros per semester) in order to improve their written and spoken French skills. More information can be found on the����- see "Program 1 - Linguistic Assistance".��

Student Tips:��"I highly recommend the Tandem sessions which count for credits. For 4 hours a week, you speak half an hour in French, half an hour in English with a French student. The students that signed up were usually more eager to learn and have a conversation than the students in classes. I met the most local people from my tandem sessions."��

What's so special about Tours?��

The largest city in the Loire valley,����is called the "Le Jardin de la France" and is��located southwest of Paris just an hour by train away. Straddling two rivers, the Loire and the Cher, the city is known for its delightful gardens, le Vieux Tours (the medieval district), and a number of historically interesting sites and features alongside various festivals and competitions (don't miss the stuffed elephant and Napoleon's cedar tree). The region is also known for its linguistical "perfection" or "purity" of the locally spoken French. The city is a wonderful base for exploration of the Loire Valley as well as the Royal Chateaux, as well as other areas of France. Due to its location on one of the main TGV train networks, it's possible to reach the coast of Bordeaux in 2.5hrs and also take trains down to the Mediterranean coast, the northwest of France to Lille, or to Barcelona in the north of Spain. For information on living in the city visit their����page, or for getting around Tours or for travelling outside the city, visit their�����貹����.��

Student Tips:��"There are two very popular spots for people to meet and gather, “Place Plumereau,” and the street by the Tours cathedral. There one can find many restaurants and cafes. Also definitely go��to a French opera or live theatre – they are amazing."