Besançon

Recently ranked the 2nd best student city in France (2025 ranking – L’Étudiant), Besançon has implemented several welcome initiatives for students.

Organized through local partnerships, these services aim to make your arrival easier and guide you through administrative procedures.

Welcome Structures

• Welcome Desk

Reception service of Marie and Louis Pasteur University: help with administrative procedures, housing, health, etc.
Address: Maison des Étudiants – 36 A Avenue de l’Observatoire
Contact: +33 3 81 66 66 99

• DREIF (Office for European, International and Francophone Relations)

University office dedicated to international students.
Address: Place Saint-Jacques, MSHE Building
Contact: +33 3 81 66 55 96

• Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Besançon

This student association offers international students the chance to join outings, meet other foreign students, and connect with locals.
Instagram: esn_besancon
Contact: +33 7 62 48 67 18

• « Accueil étudiant » ("Student Welcome" Platform)

A digital space for students in Besançon, designed to answer all questions related to student life (food, housing, transport, financial aid, culture, sports, etc.). A chatbot is also available to interact in the student’s native language.

Welcome Events

• Thursday, September 5 – International Student Welcome Day

09:30 to 12:30 – Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, 1 rue Charles Nodier
Presentation of the university and its services, information fair, followed by a free lunch offered by the DREIF at the Mégevand university restaurant.

• Wednesday, September 11 – Bienvenue Aux Etudiants 

9:00 to 23:00 – Bouloie Campus
A major festive and free event open to all: color run, zip line, blind test, dance battles, entertainment, DJ sets and information stands.

• Friday, October 11 – Nuit des Étudiants du Monde

From 19:00 – La Rodia
A festive and musical evening organized by ESN Besançon to celebrate the start of the academic year with over 400 international students.
Instagram: @esn_besancon 

• Student Welcome Calendar

From September to October: Local student associations offer more than 50 events to share their passions: dance classes, touch rugby, self-defense, bike repair, and more.

Reception structure

Concerned public

Students in supervised mobility and students in individual mobility

Services offered

• Help with enrolling at university
• Assistance with administrative formalities
• Reception at stations
• Visits to campuses and BUs
• Partnerships for transport
• Partnerships or support for accommodation
• Health partnerships
• Partnerships and cultural offers
• Sponsorship

Partners (non-exhaustive list)

• Crous BFC
• Caisse primaire d’assurance maladie - CPAM
• Caisses d’Allocations Familiales - CAF
• Mutuelles
• Service de santé étudiante (SSE)
• SNCF
• Opérateurs locaux de transports
• Collectivités
• Associations étudiantes
• Banques
• Infos Jeunes

Dates and times

At the beginning of each year, the university organises a multi-site event called "Bienvenue aux étudiants" (Welcome to students), offering a wide range of information, solidarity, sports, cultural and awareness-raising activities. As part of this event, a student village and a partner village are set up to meet student associations and uFC partners, to help with the administrative formalities involved in enrolling and settling in, and to discover the cities where students study.

Besançon :

Wednesday 04 September 2024 - Campus de la BouloieFriday 06 September 2024 - Campus Haut du ChazalThursday 12 September 2024 - Campus Mégevand

North Franche-Comté :

Thursday 19 September from 11am - Montbéliard CampusThursday 26 September from 11am - Belfort Campus

Address

Besançon

Maison des étudiants
36 A avenue de l’Observatoire
25000 Besançon
Tél. : + 33 (0)3 81 66 66 99

Belfort

Résidence Duvillard
Rue Ernest Duvillard
90016 Belfort
Tél. : + 33 (0)3 84 21 06 01

Montbéliard

Résidence Portes du Jura
23 rue Maurice Ravel
25200 Montbéliard
Tél. : + 33 (0)3 81 94 45 92

Contact

• La Direction des Relations européennes, internationales et de la Francophonie

Tel : +33 3 81 66 55 96

dreif@univ-fcomte.fr

• Le Bureau de la Vie Etudiante 

Tel : +33 3 81 66 66 99

bve@univ-fcomte.fr

Back-to-school events

The University of Franche-Comté is organising a number of back-to-school events to give international students the best possible support when they arrive at our different sites and to welcome them.
- Welcome day for international exchange students: Friday 06 September 2024 from 09:00 - Besançon Campus

- Welcome meetings for all international students at the Belfort and Montbéliard campuses:
- Thursday 19 September 2024 from 09:30 to 11:30 - Montbéliard Campus
- Thursday 26 September 2024 from 9.30am to 11.30am - Belfort Campus

- Welcome to students" multi-site event for all new students enrolled at the University of Franche-Comté.
- 04 September on the Bouloie campus (Besançon) and 06 September on the Haut du Chazal campus (Besançon): partner and student villages.
- 12 September 2024: Welcome Day for students in Besançon city centre for all campuses combined. There will be partner and student villages and a festive welcome.
- Thursday 19 September from 11am - Montbéliard campus
- Thursday 26 September from 11am - Belfort campus
- Nuit des Etudiants du Monde (NEM): the ESN association will be welcoming all international students to the Nuit des Etudiants du Monde in Besançon on Saturday 12 October.

Buddy System

In Besançon, the ESN Besançon association offers a Buddy System for international students. For more information, visit:  https://besancon.esnfrance.org/

Further information

Back-to-school meetings dedicated to supporting international students are organised in each part of the university.

Researchers are supported and welcomed by the Euraxess service centre. 
For more information: https://www.univ-fcomte.fr/venir-luniversite-en-tant-que-chercheur-etranger#.YOhXf-c69PY