Studying abroad

Student mobility, a guarantee of open-mindedness and adaptability, has become one of the key recruitment criteria. It has many advantages: personal development, cultural enrichment through exposure to other cultures and teaching methods, and mastery of a foreign language.

Mobility programs

1. Erasmus+ Program
   The School holds an Erasmus+ European charter granted by the European Commission which has been renewed for the period (currently being renewed for 2021-2027). This document is supplemented by
   agreements that the School has signed with partner institutions in the program. This charter, which commits the School to a quality approach, enables it to obtain financial aid for student mobility in the countries concerned. It also allows you to be exempted from tuition fees in the partner schools and ensures full recognition of the credits acquired during your stay.
2. Exchange agreements with other countries outside the Erasmus+ framework
   For other countries, exchanges take place within the framework of agreements between higher education institutions. These agreements allow you to be exempted from tuition fees in the partner schools and ensure full recognition of the credits you have acquired in the partner school. For some universities an equivalence system has been set up. For other universities that do not have an equivalence with the ECTS system, we refer to the number of hours of courses supervised, followed and validated by the partner university.

When to go?
You can go abroad for a year or a semester from the third year of your degree. Master's degree candidates can go abroad during the first semester, but they must enclose an agreement from the head of the program agreeing to their return to the second semester.

How and when to submit an application?

Composition of the mobility application:

1. Submission of applications in February in electronic format at the following address: international@marnelavallee.archi.fr or in paper format in the mailbox of the studies and schooling department.
   Here is the list of documents to provide:
   • A transcript of grades obtained in previous years.
   • 2 letters of motivation: - a letter in French for the selection file, specifying in order of preference three desired destinations. This is an essential part of your application. This letter must describe your motivation to go to a foreign country and, more specifically, the reasons why you chose the universities you did. It is addressed to the members of the international committee that selects the candidates. You must be aware of the educational content of the programs of the schools in which you wish to study. A second letter of motivation addressed to each of the three institutions in the language of the host school (for Greece and Israel, the translation will be made into English). The cover letters should be no longer than 2500 characters including spaces.
   • Curriculum Vitae
   Your curriculum vitae should be written on plain paper and should describe your background, your language skills and your knowledge of computer tools.
   • A photocopy of your national identity card or passport.
   • A copy of the last 2018 tax notice on the 2017 income of the tax household you depend on (most of the time your parents' unless you are filing in your own name).
   • A copy of the notification of your social grants that was sent to you by the Crous
   • A bank statement with your name and address legible.
2. the meeting of the international commission for the selection of the candidates takes place towards the end of February.
3. Announcement of short-listed candidates is made in mid-March. Candidates will be notified by email after the meeting.
4. Language Assessment
   The School will proceed to an evaluation of your foreign language level, the date will be communicated to you later (Italian, German, Spanish, English, Portuguese).

Selection of Applications
Only complete applications will be considered.

1. Application Review Procedure
   Your application will be examined by the members of the School's International Committee. Decisions made by this committee are final and irrevocable.
2. Selection Criteria
   The application must be complete, otherwise it will not be examined. Study of the application: Regularity of the academic record and taking into account the grades of the curriculum (average project + average theoretical subjects)
3. Motivation of the candidate
   The candidate must write a letter of motivation for the attention of the committee.
4. Language level of the host country
   It is advisable to provide any element that can prove the language level (certificate, baccalaureate transcript, etc.)

Mastery of a foreign language
For Erasmus+ program destinations, once your destination is known, and before your departure, you must take a language test on the Online Linguistic Support (OLS) platform. Depending on your results, you may be granted a course license (possibility to follow courses in the language of the country). At the end of your stay, you will have to take a final test, which will condition the payment of the balance of the scholarship. Those who wish to do so will be able to use this platform throughout their stay. The tests allow you to evaluate your knowledge and enable Erasmus to measure the impact of a stay abroad on the level of language acquired and the feeling of the students.

Role and composition of the international commission
This committee defines the referent teachers either for geographical areas or for establishments located abroad in order to encourage mobility and exchanges. It is made up of teachers, students, the director or his representative.

Your registration in the partner school

Once your application has been accepted by the international committee, you are personally responsible for your registration in your host school. You must inform yourself of the registration procedures on the school's website and fill out the registration forms if necessary.
They must be sent to the studies and schooling department which must validate them and send them to the host university. If you register online, do not forget to inform the studies and schooling department. As soon as you receive the acceptance letter from the school, you must send a copy.

Your registration at the School

Whatever your destination, you must be up to date with your tuition fees (registration fees and social security) at the School, which remains your home school. In return, you will not have to pay the tuition fees of the partner school.

Financial aids

You will continue to benefit from social grants during your mobility. You must request it, as every year, from the Crous before April and register the school as the desired establishment.

1. . European Union scholarships
   For your mobility, the school will take care of obtaining the grants and subsidies that you can benefit from.
   If you are going on an Erasmus+ program, you will receive a grant from the European Union through the Erasmus+ Agency paid by the School. The amount varies depending on the destination.
   As an indication:
   Group 1: The scholarship will be between 270 and 370 euros (Ireland). Group 2: The scholarship will be between 220 and 320 euros (Germany, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal).
   The scholarship is paid in two instalments. The first payment of 80% is made in November for a departure in the first semester.
   The balance is paid at the end of your mobility period, provided that you have returned your mobility file and after having completed and submitted the online participant report and having taken your second final language test. People with disabilities can benefit from a specific Erasmus+ grant, in addition to their mobility grant, to cover their additional expenses incurred during their stay in Europe (up to 100% of the actual costs incurred).

2. Ministry of Culture grant
   The Ministry of Culture provides a mobility grant of 400 euros per month for up to 6 months to students. The application and payments of the grant are managed by the School. Payments are made in November and March.

3. Aid from the Ile-de-France Regional Council
   The distribution of grants awarded by the Regional Council is based on the student's financial situation, the number of students involved and the available budget.
   Only students whose parents declare their income in France and whose family quota (reference tax income/number of units) is less than 19,190 euros will be able to benefit (reference year 2018-2019), it is therefore necessary to provide the last tax notice at the time of application. The scholarship is paid in one instalment. If you are fiscally attached to a region other than Île-de-France, you can apply for a grant from another regional council. The grant may or may not be cumulative with the Île-de-France grant.
   Each region has its own aid policy, so you are advised to consult the websites of the various Regional Councils.

Project of study contract or Learning agreement

This is the study program of your first choice of host university, to be validated by the administration before the start of classes for each semester.
It can be modified according to the final destination and/or your pedagogical enrollment in the host university. For the 4th year, it must include at least 30 ECTS per semester, 60 per year. For the 3rd year, it must include at least 57 ECTS per year, 3 ECTS remaining assigned to the study report done at a distance. Beyond these ECTS, it is possible to register for as many courses as you wish, but the additional credits will be allocated to the diploma supplement and cannot compensate for another course. A maximum of 4 ECTS per year is allowed for language teaching. Each semester must contain project teaching. The courses must be related to architecture.

Mobility validation

At the end of their mobility, the students will:

• have submitted their 2nd year internship report for the validation of the 2nd year project teaching unit
• have completed the "participant's report" on Mobility Tool (Erasmus exchanges)
• have defended their study report in front of a jury (at the beginning of the following September)
  Students must also provide:
• the originals of the arrival and departure certificates issued by the host institution:
• the originals of the Learning Agreement for the semester(s) followed in exchange:
• the complete transcript of grades covering the exchange period.
  For 3rd year students, only the production of all these documents, the validation of the internship report and the defense of the study report will allow the Licence jury to validate the year in order to obtain the degree.

In a country outside the European Union
The procedures are the same as for an internship in France, via the Taïga internship module. However, there is no Erasmus financial aid.
Help can be granted by the region of residence of the student, as for example the Ile de France.

Frequently asked questions

What is the procedure for validating the study report during mobility?
The students leaving in the 3rd year will have to do their study report remotely with a designated teacher and a defense on their return. The first-year internship is also validated remotely by sending the study report to the School at the beginning of September 2020.

How can I register for the 2nd cycle when I return from my mobility?
Students leaving for the 3rd year who wish to register for a Master's degree at the École must apply during their mobility. It is important that the university chosen corresponds to the Master's study project.

Which courses should be selected?
Students are free to choose their courses as long as they contain one project per semester in their year of study and only one language course.

What are the commitments during my mobility?
Many documents have to be sent during the mobility, as you remain registered at the School. You will be bound to the school by a mobility contract that you will have to honor.

How can I communicate?
The international Facebook group Éav&t allows you to meet students from Marne who have left, but also the incoming students from the institutions that interest you. You can communicate with the school as a group or individually during your mobility and exchange tips or apartments between those who are coming and those who are leaving. You can also contact the International Relations Department at international@paris-est.archi.fr

What happens if I stop my mobility during the year?
In case of force majeure (family problems, death, illness...), the student can interrupt his or her mobility and return to the school at the beginning of the semester. If the internship could not be completed, the student will have to find another one. However, if the reason is personal, the student will have to reimburse the totality of the scholarships received during his mobility.

I have an average level in foreign languages. Can I consider studying abroad under these conditions? What is the required level?
Don't forget that courses will not be given in French! You must therefore have a minimum knowledge of the local language for your comfort and success. Knowing that a language test is required. It is better to have a good academic level attested if possible by certifications to meet the criteria of the partner establishments, which sometimes require a certified level of
certified language level. However, this is not the only criterion: the entire application is taken into account (motivation, coherence of the educational project).

How long will my study-stay last?
Between 6 and 12 months.

If I participate in an exchange program, will I get a foreign diploma?
No, the School is responsible for validating the diploma, which is therefore French.

I am a student but I do not have French nationality, can I still participate in an exchange program?
1) Erasmus program
Yes, if you are a national of a country eligible for the ERASMUS program. The answer is also positive if you have refugee status or if you have a valid residence permit at the time of the exchange.
2) Other exchange programs
The answer is also positive under the same conditions.

For a stay abroad, what social protection do I need?
Mobility in Europe: http://www.ameli.fr/assures/droits-et-demarches/a-l-etran- ger/
Before your departure, get the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It will allow you to prove your health insurance rights and to benefit from coverage of your medical care on site, according to the legislation and formalities in force in the country of your stay.
Mobility outside of Europe: You must take out specific health, hospitalization, repatriation and civil liability insurance. You should find out about the possibility of taking out such insurance with your insurance company, mutual insurance company or any other organization offering this type of contract.
In addition, it is strongly recommended that you contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This way, in case of emergency, you will be located.
Ariane: https://pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fildariane/dyn/public/login