Get your VLS-TS student visa
The VLS-TS is the visa most international students come to France on. Who qualifies, how to apply, and how to validate it within your first 3 months.
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Our guides for international students in France
Everything we know about arriving, settling and living in France — written by and for international students.
All our guides
Try another word, or clear the search to see everything. If the topic is genuinely missing, tell us through the contact form — it goes straight onto the editorial roadmap.
Visa & residence Health & wellbeing Understanding French healthcare
Registering with French health insurance, picking a mutuelle, finding a GP: how the French health system actually works, and where to start.
ReadHousing Find your student housing
CROUS, private halls, flatshares or private landlords: where to look for student housing, what budget to plan for, and how to build your rental file.
ReadHousing Claim your housing benefits (APL)
APL housing benefit knocks more than 100 euros a month off most students' rent. Who qualifies, how much to expect, and the documents CAF will ask for.
ReadTravel & exploration Choose the right travel insurance
Do you need travel insurance while studying in France? What it covers on top of French health insurance, what it costs, and the options worth having.
ReadHousing Choose your home insurance
You cannot sign a French lease without home insurance, and you will be asked for it before you get the keys. What it covers, what it costs, where to get it.
ReadMoney & aid Open a French bank account
Why you will be asked for a French RIB everywhere, what an IBAN and a RIB actually are, and which banks work best for international students.
ReadDaily life Set up your mobile plan
How mobile plans work in France, the options you'll find (prepaid, eSIM, no-contract) and how to get set up as soon as you arrive as an international student.
ReadHousing Find a guarantor to rent
Almost every French landlord requires a guarantor. Here are the 4 serious solutions for international students, compared without spin, and what we recommend at Study in France.
ReadHousing How to build your rental application
Required documents, rent guarantees, documents to translate: everything you need to know about putting together a student rental application in France.
ReadDaily life Compare mobile plans
Which mobile plan should you pick when you land in France? We've compared the best French plans and travel eSIMs for international students.
ReadHousing Compare energy providers
EDF, Engie, Octopus, TotalEnergies, Ilek, Mint: we compare 6 energy suppliers in France to help you choose the right contract.
ReadVisa & residence Get your Working Holiday visa
Work and travel in France for a year on a Working Holiday Visa: which nationalities qualify, the annual quotas, and the documents to get ready.
ReadVisa & residence The Turing Scheme in France
The Turing Scheme replaced Erasmus+ for UK students after Brexit, up to the 2026 to 2027 academic year. What it funded, and what comes next.
ReadVisa & residence Your Erasmus year in France
Erasmus in France in 6 steps: paperwork, housing, budget, banking, health cover and settling in. We walk you through them in the right order.
ReadTravel & exploration Travel across Europe
Studying in France puts you in the middle of Europe. Interrail, low-cost flights, night buses: how to make the most of it without wrecking your budget.
ReadTravel & exploration Travel and explore France
Trains, carpooling, discount cards: how to get around France on a student budget, and the places well worth the detour once you leave Paris.
ReadStudent life & community Make the most of your student card
A French student card gets you cheaper transport, museums, campus canteens and discounts across Europe. How to get yours as soon as you arrive.
ReadHousing Manage your utilities and bills
Electricity, gas, internet, water: what is included in your rent, what is not, and how to set up your contracts as soon as you land in France.
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About our guides
Who writes them, how we keep them up to date, and what else we would tell you to do.
Who writes these guides?
The Study in France editorial team. Every article is signed: you will find the author’s name at the top of the page.
How often are they updated?
As often as we can. As soon as a key piece of information changes, we update the guide. You will also find the date it was last updated at the top of the page.
Are these guides sponsored?
No, because we want to keep our editorial independence. We write our guides and share our opinions as if we were talking to a friend or to someone in our own family.
Every comparison follows an internal scoring grid: quality of the service, reputation of the brand, ability to handle an international audience, student feedback. A partner gets no special treatment.
What else can I do to prepare for my stay?
Three things, in the order we would do them.
Create an account on the Student Hub. It is the app that lets you prepare your stay in France with peace of mind, following a checklist tailored to your profile and to the city where you will be studying ✌️
Apply for a buddy. The Buddy System is a free mentoring program that connects you with a French student.
Then join a student association. Once you are there, it is the best thing you can do: these associations welcome international students and organize plenty of events to help you discover the city and meet other students.
I would like to suggest a guide topic, is that possible?
Of course! Tell us through the contact form and the topic goes straight onto our editorial roadmap ✍️
