The university’s main campus is located in Poitiers with 22,000 students studying either in the city center or on campus. The city thus has the highest proportion of students (in relation to the total population) of all university cities, making it one of the most “studenty” cities in France!

Studying in Poitiers

Every year, the French magazine l’Etudiant publishes its annual list of the cities’ hotspots for students. Poitiers ranks 2nd in its category (large cities). It is one of the few cities of this size to compete with the main cities. In the overall ranking, Poitiers is in 12th place. Among the criteria selected by L’Étudiant Magazine, training, student life and the living environment are the main assets of Poitiers. Based on these criteria alone, it moved up to 5th place in the ranking for all cities combined, ahead of Toulouse, Lyon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux.

Among the strengths of Poitiers, should be noted:

• The most affordable city for students — with an average cost of student accommodation which is among the lowest in France (320 € per month).
• Poitiers enjoys an attractive location and easy access — Due to its geographical location and its TGV train station, Poitiers is 55 minutes from Bordeaux, 1h15 from Paris, 3h15 from Lille, and 1h20 from the Atlantic coast! And thanks to its international airport, the city is connected several times a week to European cities such as London, Edinburgh and Barcelona.
• A bustling Campus — with a Student Union that federates initiatives and projects, support for community involvement, cultural and festive events, a campus radio station, sports activities, services dedicated to health and social assistance: everything is done to welcome students in the best conditions, support their projects and develop their civic spirit. Many cultural events are proposed to students throughout the academic year. From the beginning of the academic year, a rich and varied welcome month is organized for new students (on the program: concerts, plays, community forum, etc.)

More information on Poitiers, here.

About the Department of Anthropology

The Anthropology Department was founded in 2020, as part of the Faculty of Human Sciences and Arts (UFR SHA) at Poitiers University, as a response to the growing popularity of the anthropology courses among the student population. It brings together a team of professors, researchers and specialists in a variety of fields and cultural areas.

The department’s office and teaching rooms are located in the heart of the medieval town of Poitiers, in Hôtel Fumé, a 15th to 16th century flamboyant style Gothic edifice. The diaporama below shows the faculty and its surroundings.

The Faculty of Human Sciences and Arts (UFR SHA) and its surroundings — a sightseeing tour

Photographies : Alexis Avdeeff / Université de Poitiers

Students from our partner universities, ERASMUS and other exchange programs, are eligible for a student exchange within our department. In order to come for a semester or a full academic year, students must have been selected by their home university beforehand. The student’s home university must tell our International Relations Office which students they will be sending to Poitiers for the next academic year and for how long.

Applications must be sent to us by email by June 30th for students arriving for the Autumn term (first semester) and by November 30th for students arriving for the Spring term (second semester).

Once the home faculty has confirmed their selection to our International Relations Office, students will receive information by email concerning the enrollment procedure and all other useful information related to their stay in Poitiers (accommodation, health insurance, etc.)

The University of Poitiers’ International Relations and Foreign Students Office (SURIEE) has set up the “Welcome Guide” accessible in digital format by clicking here.

Language recommendations

French is used in all lectures and classes (except for the English language classes.) Thus, we recommend exchange students should have at least an intermediate knowledge of French (i.e. Threshold level B2 or Higher of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.) However, some teachers being fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian, occasional help in these languages could be provided if necessary.

French language courses

Any students who need extra French language classes can contact the Centre de Français Langue Étrangère (CFLE). Additional language classes are the responsibility of the student and will not be funded by the Department of Anthropology or the University of Poitiers. However, we strongly encourage students to pursue these studies, as they greatly enrich their academic development. The CFLE delivers part-time courses to those exchange students who chose to have them for one semester or one academic  year. 

Regular attendance at one of these evening classes, along with a minimum score of 10 out of 20 in the exams, entitles students to 3 ECTS.

More information on the CFLE’s website.

Learning Agreement and Transcript of Records

Your mobility at the University of Poitiers will be taken into account for the validation of your diploma. The Learning Agreement defines the subjects you choose to follow. It has to be signed and validated by your home institution before your arrival. It is possible to change some courses on your arrival: in this case it has to be validated again. At the end of your stay, the University of Poitiers will send a Transcript of Records to you and to the person responsible in your home institution. This document will make the transfer of credits possible. The validation of your results is the responsibility of your home institution. 

French grading system

In the French education system (schools and universities), assessments are expressed in grades calculated on a scale of 0-20. Marks above 16 are very rare for a subject area, and they are exceptional for a semester or year average. To pass a course unit, a student must receive 10 as a minimum.

1st Semester / Autumn Term

• From the beginning of September to mid-December.
• Examination period: one week in December / one week in January.

2nd Semester / Spring Term

• From mid-January to the beginning of May.
• Examination period: the first two weeks of May.

Holiday periods

• Toussaint : one week at the end of October.
• Noël/Christmas : two weeks between the end of December and the beginning of January.
• Hiver/Winter : one week at the end of February or at the beginning of March.
• Pâques/Easter : two weeks at the end of April.

For accurate and up-to-date information, check the University official academic calendar and the academic timetable of our Faculty (calendrier pédagogique) on the SHA administration’s page.

Undergraduate Anthropology courses

The Department of Anthropology offers anthropology courses open to students studying any subject at the faculty. Designed to be progressive, these teaching units are spread out over the four semesters of the 2nd and 3rd years of the Bachelor’s degree.

Graduate Anthropology courses & seminars

The graduate courses and seminars enable students to deepen their knowledge and acquire specialised knowledge in anthropology, from its classical fields to contemporary orientations, along with thorough training in ethnography through a long field survey as well as an apprenticeship in movie-making: filming, editing, directing, etc. By highlighting the use of moving images as a scientific practice and form of writing, our Master’s degree programme provides students involved in field research with tools enabling them to use the audiovisual medium for investigation, communication (filmmaking), and documentation (building up a corpus of sounds and images).

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