CUPA Study Abroad Online Application

CUPA homestay placement is based on students' interests and personalities. Students who choose housing with a French family must be ready to take this commitment seriously and accept that conditions will be different from what they are accustomed to in the US. By choosing to live with a host family, students agree to respect the rules set by CUPA between them and the French family.

Please remember that the choice of housing is final and cannot be changed during the semester

Please upload your essays addressing the following statements:

1 - State your goals and expectations for a semester or a year with CUPA. Make sure you include your personal and academic interests, and how you think you will adapt to a new lifestyle and new culture, both academically and personally (500 to 750 words, written in English)

2 - Décrivez votre rapport à la langue française (premier contact, expériences marquantes, rencontres décisives, frustrations éventuelles...) et l'évolution de votre attitude envers la langue. Quelle place le français pourrait-il occuper dans votre vie future ? (500-600 mots, écrit en français)

An important part of your study abroad experience will be choosing your courses. Although the final course selection takes place in Paris, this initial study proposal will let us know which requirements you will need to fulfill. For these reasons, please read the following instructions carefully before completing this portion of the application.

To complete this section, students may use the Course Descriptions (PDF). NB: Course Descriptions are non-exhaustive. They represent courses taken in previous years by CUPA students. Course offerings are modified from semester to semester. For this reason, and because scheduling conflicts may arise, students must consider alternate course selections.

Final course selection takes place in Paris. Students may list specific course titles from the Course Descriptions or specify the name or type of course they need or wish to take.

It is each student's responsibility to take care of credit approval at his/her home institution.

CUPA students may choose or combine the following options :

• 1-Take undergraduate courses at partner Parisian universities;
• 2-Take in-house CUPA courses;
• 3-Pursue special interests.

For certain areas of study (ex. another foreign language, independent studies, arts, dance and music, etc.), you will be required to provide additional information.

Science and mathematics in France follow a very different curriculum and methodology compared to the US. This means that if you plan to take classes in these areas, your level of French will need to be exceptionally strong.

For scheduling reasons, students cannot plan on taking more than 2 science courses per semester.

CUPA offers a limited number of awards each semester to exceptionally motivated students participating in the CUPA program. These awards are to help the recipients finance special projects related to their year or semester in France, and are awarded in the following categories:

Academic Project: an academic project directly related to research or work pursued in the student’s area of study and which demonstrates a significant potential for increased cultural immersion.

Personal Project: a project that may not be directly related to the student’s area of study but that demonstrates a significant potential for increased cultural immersion.

Travel Grant: awarded to students who demonstrate a compelling motive to explore an aspect of French culture which would not normally be covered in the CUPA program fee.

In order to be considered for a merit award :

Following the guidelines above, write an essay in French (minimum 750 words) describing a specific academic or cultural project you would like to pursue during your semester in Paris, and explain why funding is important to this project. Provide as much information as possible about your project.

Ask a professor or other person knowledgeable of your qualifications to complete the Merit Award Letter of Recommendation, stating why they believe you should be considered for a CUPA merit award.

At the end of the semester, students are required to write an overview, in French, of how they used their award money and how it enhanced their immersion experience.