Program Overview
Program Overview
With CIEE High School Abroad in France, you’ll experience what daily life is really like for your peers in the largest—and most diverse—country in Europe.
Lose your voice cheering for the local rugby team during a close match. Try eating escargot at dinner out with your host family (and surprise yourself to find it’s not as strange as you imagined). Get a feel for regional slang and build your vocabulary by chatting with local shop owners, neighbors, and friends of your host family.
Whether you’re placed in idyllic Brittany or the bustling Ile de France region, you’ll discover the country’s rich culture and history, both in class and through your own personal explorations. You’ll advance your French language skills through intensive study and casual conversation, and build practical, real-world skills that will serve you in college and beyond.
The CIEE Difference
The CIEE Difference
Academic Program
Whether you’re headed to a public or private lycée you’ll spend days—often until 5:00pm or 6:00pm—in classes with your French peers. Students placed in Classe de Seconde (15-16 years old) typically take courses in French literature, foreign language, history, math, economics, and science. Students placed in Classe de Premiere (16-17 years old) enroll in one of the following academic tracks: Literature, Economics, or Sciences. All classes are taught in French.
Upon arriving in France, you’ll spend one week in a French language Preparation Course taught at the prestigious L’Ecole des Roches. This international high school specializes in teaching French as a foreign language and will have you ready to jump into classes with your French peers. For the duration of the course you will live with fellow CIEE students and staff in a house we’ve rented on the campus grounds.
This Preparation Course is mandatory for all students and is provided by CIEE at no additional expense.
Cultural Immersion
There’s no better way to immerse yourself in another culture than by living with a local family. Not only will your French host family provide you with daily meals and a place to stay, they’ll introduce you to local customs, and offer support and guidance in an unfamiliar environment.
Our host families are as diverse as our high school students. Whomever you’re placed with, all host families are carefully screened and matched with you based on personality profiles and common interests. Through your host family, you’ll build a home away from home and develop relationships that endure long after you’ve finished your high school study abroad program.
Dates, Deadlines & Fees
Dates, Deadlines & Fees
We want to make sure you get the most out of your experience when you study abroad with CIEE, which is why we offer the most inclusions in our fees.
- International airfare between U.S. departure city and France
- Transportation to and from a local French airport
- Placement in a French high school
- Careful selection and screening of a compatible French family
- Room and board with selected host family
- Supervision and support of a Local Coordinator
- Periodic progress reports
- Orientation prior to leaving the U.S. and upon arrival in France
- International medical insurance through iNext and 24-hour worldwide travel assistance and support
Application Due
Start Date
End Date
Cost
Semester (Jan. - June)
September 1, 2013*
January
June
$11,500
Semester (Aug. - Jan.)
April 1, 2014***
August
January
$11,500
Academic Year (Aug. - June)
April 1, 2014**
August
June
$12,995
*Early applications are due August 15, 2013. Apply early and save $250 off your program fees!
** Early applications are due February 14, 2014. Apply early and save $250 off your program fees!
Prices are subject to change and will be locked in for the participant on the day CIEE receives the completed application and program deposit.
Eligibility
Eligibility
At the time of departure, students must:
- Be between the ages of 14.5 and 18.5 years old
- Have a minimum GPA of 2.5
- Have enough French language proficiency to attend a French high school; two years required or students must take the four-week intensive language course; two years required
- Demonstrate, through the application process, their flexibility, maturity, adaptability, and readiness to face the challenges of living in a new culture
CIEE Support
CIEE Support
Our receiving organization in France is responsible for your placement and support during your time in country.
This organization is responsible for recruiting, screening, and placing you with your host family and in your local high school. Upon arrival, you’ll be assigned a local coordinator who will provide support and complete supervision throughout your stay in France.
CIEE Orientation
CIEE Orientation
All high school students take part in an online pre-departure orientation that introduces them to aspects of living abroad in their host country and to other high school students studying on the program. The orientation helps students and parents set realistic expectations and goals and understand the support system. CIEE staff will offer advice on adjusting to a new culture and will facilitate a Q&A forum.
When possible, CIEE will make every effort to allow students to travel to their host country on the same flight as each other. For larger groups, a CIEE staff member will most likely travel with the group.
Within two to three weeks of your arrival in France—after you’ve settled in with your host family—your local coordinator will set up an in-country orientation, right in your community. You’ll receive an introduction to local customs and culture, set expectations for your time in the country, and get answers to lingering questions about your stay.
Program Blog
Program Blog
Read More 
Travel Resources
Photos
Top