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Bordeaux as a student city
Bordeaux is a port city on the river Garonne in Southwestern France. It is located just one hour from the Atlantic Ocean, thus enjoying mild oceanic climate and rich natural surroundings.
Bordeaux is the world capital of wine: with around 10,000 castles and vineyards stand on the hillsides of the Gironde. It is also one of the centers of gastronomy and business tourism. It is a central and strategic hub for the aeronautics, military and space sector.
Bordeaux accommodates approximately 52,000 students on one of the largest campuses of Europe and welcomes approximately 6,200 international students each year (key figures in 2022). The cultural life on campus and in the city is very rich, with hundreds of cultural events, theaters, rehearsal studios, art and science workshops, auditoriums, as well as numerous museums and monuments.
Study in the University of Bordeaux
Approximately 12% of students at the University of Bordeaux are international. The university has developed a wide range of international study programs that are taught in English (or other languages such as Spanish) and that offer students the possibility of completing joint or double degrees.
Approximately 70 international study programs exist at Bachelor, Master and Doctorate levels including 18 EU-labeled programs. The University of Bordeaux is a leading university in France for participation in the Erasmus Mundus Program.
It is a dynamic campus and has welcome services which have gained the “3 star” rating of the Campus France “Choose France” label, in recognition of the high-quality welcome services for international students.
The University of Bordeaux is ranked among top French universities for the quality of its education and research. It has nearly 700 partner universities in over 80 countries and offers exchange programs with more than 60 countries worldwide.
The University of Bordeaux features in the following rankings:
- n°65 in the Times Higher Education Young University Ranking and n° 301-350 in their World University Ranking (2022)
- n° 201-300 in the Shanghai General Ranking (2022)
- n°24 in Reuters Europe’s Top 100 Innovative Universities and n°80 in its World’s Top 100 Innovative Universities (2019)
Research
11 departments bring together 90 laboratories, institutes and technical platforms, in almost 50 scientific disciplines and 2,000 doctoral students in 8 doctoral schools.
It offers 9 Clusters of Excellence, 5 laboratories of Excellence, 1 University Hospital Institute (IHU) and a Gradual Research School with Graduate Research Programs.
It involves 22 international research labs, 150 EU collaborative projects (H2020, FP7 & Interreg) and 43 European Research Council (ERC) grants for the Bordeaux campus site.
For more information, please read: https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/en/research/doctoral-education and https://college-doctoral.u-bordeaux.fr/en
International student services:
Before their arrival, students receive a welcome kit from the International Students Helpdesk containing the welcome guide with all the useful information to prepare their arrival:
1) French visa for non-European students: students should apply directly to the nearest French consulate of their home country and keep us informed of all the required supporting documents for student Visa.
2) Online student registration on dedicated platform including the payment of the Student and Campus Life Contribution (CVEC –Contribution de Vie étudiante et de Campus)
3) Orientation Week and French courses: the International Office of the University of Bordeaux offers an orientation week to all the international students. It usually takes place each year on the last week of august. During these days, students have the opportunity to register for an intensive French course. Additionally, students are given the opportunity to learn French each semester.
Please download the handy guide with facts regarding accommodation, visa validation, residence permit applications, health, budget, insurances, daily life on: https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/en/campus/campus-life-and-activities
For Housing: https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/en/campus/daily-life/finding-accommodation
135 student associations exist at the University of Bordeaux.
The Student Life Centers (BVE – “Bureau de Vie Etudiant”), located on the main campus sites, are an essential part of student life, providing information and guiding students towards different university services (financial support and grants, health, social, culture, sport, leisure…). A special welcome is provided for international students.
For more information, please look at:
Student organizations: https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/en/campus/campus-life-and-activities/associations
Culture, sports: https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/en/campus/culture & https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/en/campus/sports
Getting to Bordeaux :
Bordeaux is served by Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, located 8 km (5.0 mi) from the city center in the suburban city of Mérignac.
