International Cooperation at the IUT

Individual Students (free movers) & Group Exchange Programmes

Each year the IUT welcomes individual students who have chosen to study in Nice (Tempus, Erasmus, Socrates, Leonardo exchanges...) as well as groups of students who have been selected by joint committees within the framework of agreements of cooperation between the IUT (University of Nice Sophia Antipolis) and foreign universities.

These students are given support either through their country's educational system or through agreements signed between their government and the French government. Specific tuition is provided for groups of students coming to the IUT in order to ensure high standards of success.

The International Relations Department (DRI)

The International Relations Department's mission is to develop and administer international relations at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. It supports and coordinates international collaboration by administering academic mobility programmes and international exchanges.

These exchanges are based on :

• International agreements signed by the IUT (University of Nice Sophia Antipolis) and foreign universities.
• International Expertise: within each department of the IUT, a member of the teaching staff is responsible for managing international students (providing assistance on administrative procedures, resident permits, housing, academic information and orientation, university registration etc).

The different types of international cooperation

• Degree courses which can be transferred from Nice Côte d'Azur to a foreign university, with or without the transfer of the curriculum of the course concerned.
• Joint degree courses with a double qualification thereby making it possible for students to continue their studies either in Nice or in their home country.
• Teaching for students who remain enrolled at their original university and who come to study at the IUT for one or more semester.
• Work placements in France for foreign students or abroad for French students from Nice.

IUT Nice Côte d'Azur appoints a member of the teaching staff to be in charge of each type of cooperation. S/he sets up a team to ensure that the exchange is successful and long lasting.

A welcome reception and day of information for foreign students is organized at the beginning of each academic year.

Courses in French

For an exchange to be successful it is very important to bear in mind that the student must be able to speak, write and understand French fluently (teaching takes place entirely in French). The Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis offers foreign students three different types of language course :

• an immersion week at the beginning of the semester.
• intensive weekly courses throughout the year.
• summer schools.

In addition, our partner organizations who are involved in setting up exchanges for groups of students (in particular, Edufrance), will look after the arrangements for preliminary courses and immersion programmes.

Some comments made by students studying at the IUT

Minh Ngoc has just begun a 3rd year degree in computer studies (LPSIL) after graduating from the DUT at the IUT Nice-Côte d'Azur.

"At the IUT, I am very lucky to be able to study in such well equipped laboratories. As students, we have access to many computer rooms and we also use the language lab to learn English and French.

Perhaps what I appreciate the most is the kindness and politeness of the students and how very supportive the teachers are.

I have made many good friends who have helped me to adapt to life in France and also improve my French !

After the "DUT", I decided to stay on to do a "Licence Professionnelle" because this sort of qualification doesn't exist at home in Vietnam. When I graduate , I plan to go back to Vietnam to do a Master's degree in a university where we are taught in French.

I am really happy to have chosen France to do my studies, I have learnt a lot and think France is a very beautiful country !"

A group of Malaysian students who have just begun their first year of the 2-year DUT course in Electrical Engineering and Industrial Computing.

"We are really pleased to have chosen to come to Nice. It is quite a challenge as we have had to learn French and we must learn to adapt to a very different life from at home in Malaysia. The food was a bit surprising at first but we enjoy the weather in Nice !

We arrived in April and spent 4 months studying French before doing a month-long course to help us adapt to the "DUT". We lived in host families where we had to speak French all the time ! It was worth it because now we can understand all our lectures. The students and teachers are friendly and very supportive. We are very proud to be here and are looking forward to having a very good year. After graduating in 2 years time, we all plan to go on to do further studies in France."

Relative links

• Choosing the right place to study
• What is a DUT ?
• What is a Licence Professionnelle ?
• What are the fields of study at the IUT ?