Student Insight
- Expenses
- Banking
- Housing
- Academics
- Course Recommendations
- Student Life
- Restaurants, Shopping, Must-See Sites
- Travel Tips
- Advice/Culture Shock
Expenses
- Food: €100/week
- Housing: €300 - €500/month - Depending on the location
- Books: €50/semester
- Entertainment: €100/month
- Local Transportation: €60/month
- Visa: $100 for Campus France application
Banking
- "I created a French bank account and withdrew money from that as well as my American accounts. I had 3 debit cards (1 French, 2 American) and a credit card."
Housing
- "I had a room in a student residence which came with furniture but did not have sheets or cooking utensils or anything for the bathroom. There is no meal plan. The only concern is the process to get your housing. I found my housing through the university and lived in Paris student housing."
- "I lived on campus. Housing is paid by the month, but it's very cheap (< €300 per month, decent condition dorm). Just like NYU, the dorms and the school are all part of the city. So don't be surprised if your dorm is far away from the actual school building. Subways take you everywhere though, so just like NYC distance isn't really that big of a deal. The subways run much more smoothly than NYC subways, and besides that, I've just walked. It's Paris, come on!"
Academics
- "Dauphine offers a mix of courses. As an exchange student, you can certainly expect that the coursework will be much easier compared to Stern standards."
- Class Format: a combination of lecture and group projects
- Grading: 0 to 20 - less than 10 is failing
- "The course registration took place over a registrar portal that was released about two months before the exchange program started. The process was overwhelming because the school was not as updated with the registrar so some classes ended up being canceled or added later – it was easy to communicate any course changes once on campus though. When the registrar portal was open, it was only open for a week. After the portal closed, I was unable to change any of my courses until I got to campus. A lot of the classwork when I got there was attending lectures with mandatory attendance and having group presentations throughout the semester. None of my classes had daily assignments or even weekly assignments, it was more group projects for the entire semester." - Isabella Ji, Spring 2025
Course Recommendations
- "My favorite class was Cross-Cultural Barriers because the class was very interesting and eye-opening. I was able to learn about a lot of different countries and their cultures and hear from guest speakers. My favorite professor was in my French A2 class because she was very relaxed and understanding. She made the atmosphere comfortable and inviting where we were not afraid to speak up."
- "I'd definitely take International Business Ethics since it can substitute for your PRL requirement back home. And the professor speaks very fluent English."
- "Company culture by Richard Oren, which I substituted for PRL back on the home campus, it was interesting because we interacted with local businesses." - Isabella Ji, Spring 2025
Student Life
- "The International Exchange Committee makes great efforts to take the international students out. That was one of the greatest parts of their program. I met my amazing friends through being a part of this group and was able to meet some very cool French students as well."
- "The school offered a mentor program, which pairs you up with a French student who will show you around for your first couple of weeks and help you with adjusting. Apart from that, Dauphine also offers a French Conversations program where a group of foreign students are put together with a French tutor who will help you with the language. Between both of these, you'll get chances to meet new people, both French and international, go out with them, learn some French culture and language, etc. Apart from that, you and your friends will get more than enough chances to get out and have fun."
- "On campus, there was the ERASMAS Program for exchange students and it was a great way to get to know others in the program and others who are English speaking. This program also had French-speaking initiatives so they gave exchange students the opportunity to pair up with a peer to practice French or just learn more about the city from a local." - Isabella Ji, Spring 2025
Restaurants, Shopping, Must-See Sites
- "Arc de Triomphe - use student ID card (it's free also bring visa) / Eiffel Tower / Musee D'Orsay / Musee D'Orangerie / Montparnasse Tower- one of the best views of the entire city / Sacre Coeur and Love Wall- highest point in Paris where you can see the entire city / Neuilly-sur-Seine (neighborhood) great for nice restaurants / La Defense (mall)- great for grocery shopping and shopping in general, all kinds of stores / Champs Elysees - you must walk this all the way from Charles de Gaulle to Concorde (especially during Christmas time and also visit the Christmas markets) / Le Refuge de Fondues - great fondu place where you can get either meat or cheese fondu and wine is served in a baby bottle / Montmartre neighborhood very cute and nice to walk around / Latin Quarter- great for cheap and international food, also there is a crepe shop where you get 2 crepes and a drink for 5 euros / the Louvre - free with student ID / Rue Honoré- all the designer shops / Saint Germain neighborhood- also a lot of designer shops / For great macaroons- La Durée and Pain du Sucre / Go to both Opera houses / Luxembourg Gardens / Chateau de Versailles - student ID free on Sundays / Sit/walk along the Seine / Louis Vuitton Foundation House and Jardin d'Acclimatation"
- "You'll find plenty of nice restaurants everywhere. Restaurants in France always have a fixed price menu where they offer 3 courses for a fixed price. In addition, the streets are full of kebab and crêpe shops, which make for a very quick lunch. When you don't plan to eat out, grocery shopping is just as easy as in NYC, with Marché Franprix being their equivalent of Acme."
- "Le Marais was my favorite shopping area, Musée Rodin was my favorite museum, and my favorite cafe area was around the Opera!" - Isabella, Spring 2025
Travel Tips
- "I was traveling almost every weekend if not every other weekend. It is very easy to get from Paris to another city. The key is planning ahead. I would say don't book last-minute trips unless absolutely necessary and find the off-peak times to visit high-traffic cities because your expenses will be a lot cheaper. Book your trips at least 3 weeks in advance and also there are sites like Voyage SNCF, Trainline Europe, Vueling, Transavia, and Ryanair that will give you the cheapest prices for traveling. Also always travel with your Paris student card because some sites let you in for free with a European student ID"
- "Paris itself has a seemingly inexhaustible number of attractions. Let alone the rest of France and other European countries. There are plenty of travel options. Many people love cheap airlines. But there is also the Eurail pass, which basically lets you go anywhere in the EU by train. It can be a cheaper and more convenient alternative to flying depending on your vacation schedule. Students will already know about the famous places around Europe, so I don't even need to mention Venice or the Louvre. But I'll highlight some amazing places that aren't as famous:
- "Everyone knows about Versailles, but don't forget the nearby Château de Fontainebleau, the gardens of Giverny, Luxembourg City and Château Vianden, Hallstatt, Austria (Beautiful lakeside town. With delicious fish.) and Oktoberfest, Munich."
- "Le Marais was my favorite shopping area, Musée Rodin was my favorite museum, and my favorite cafe area was around the Opera!" - Isabella, Spring 2025
Advice/Culture Shock
- "Knowing a bit of French certainly helps, but isn't 100% necessary. If you don't know any French then I recommend taking one of the French Language courses at Dauphine. Certainly learn how to say hello, thank you, and ask for directions before you arrive. People are generally very helpful, so don't be afraid to ask."
- "The last piece of advice I got was probably to stay in the home city (where you are studying) for more time and soak it up! Coming out of the experience I’m happy to say that I studied in Paris and can provide many recommendations for Paris aside from the places that I traveled to on the weekends." - Isabella, Spring 2025