With multiple universities, like the University of Toulouse, the Toulouse School of Business, and the Toulouse School of Economics, there are study abroad programs in Toulouse for any major available in both English and French. Literature, history, fashion design, and business are all popular areas of study in Toulouse; although, French is by far the most popular of all.

The French university experience varies from the university experience in the U.S. You may be used to taking anywhere from 12 to 15 credit hours a semester, with three credit hours per course, meaning you have classes two or three times a week for one hour at a time. At French universities, your classes will be set up similarly to a graduate school seminar, so you’ll meet once a week for a full two to three hours instead.

At the beginning of the semester, your prof (what you, and French students, will call your professor) will give you a syllabus, or calendrier, outlining the whole semester and providing you with due dates for assignments. Most of assignments will be in-class essays, but each course will require some sort of oral presentation or final paper called a redaction as well.

You do not necessarily need to be fluent, or have any level of proficiency, in French to study abroad in Toulouse, since many courses are offered in both English and French. However, most study abroad programs in Toulouse will include at least one language course, if you are not participating in an intensive language study. Even if your program doesn’t usually include a French language course, it is highly recommended that you take some sort of French language course, no matter your skill level, while studying abroad in Toulouse. Speaking French will help you make friends with other French students, and fully immerse yourself in the culture of Toulouse.