MHC Montpellier, France

With beautifully preserved architecture dating back to the Middle Ages and ultra-modern cultural and sporting facilities, Montpellier is an exciting blend of the old and the new. This dynamic city is home to one of France's premier art museums, the Musée Fabre, and boasts national dance, music, theater, and cinema festivals that attract visitors from across Europe.

Montpellier is located just seven miles from the Mediterranean coast; the beach towns of Palavas, Carnon and La Grande Motte are just a short bus ride from the center of town (15-20 minutes). Les Cevennes, the mountainous region just north of Montpellier, offers excellent day hiking around medieval villages such as Saint Guilhem le Désert. Montpellier is a hub for both train and air travel around Europe. Spain is only 3 hours by train and the Italian border is only 4 hours away. The TGV from Montpellier to Paris takes just 3 hours, making it an easy (and inexpensive, with discounted train tickets for students) weekend getaway. There are regular flights from Montpellier to London, Dublin, and many other European cities.

• Students live in individual studio apartments at a residence for French and international students.  All studios are furnished and are located in the historic downtown district of Montpellier or by short commute via public transportation. This option offers students the opportunity to prepare their own meals and to experience the typical French student lifestyle. The studios include a kitchenette and private bathroom.

Program fee for 2023-2024:

The program fee for the year is $42,600.

The fee for fall or spring semester is $21,600.

The fee includes tuition, orientation, round‐trip airfare from the US point of departure, program excursions and activities and housing.

Not included in the program fee are meals, books, personal and miscellaneous expenses, additional travel, etc.  Mount Holyoke students are also responsible for Mount Holyoke's administrative fee ($900 per semester).

Eligible Mount Holyoke students accepted to the program are guaranteed Laurel Fellowships (need-based financial aid).  For students who are approved for Laurel Fellowships, the budget for financial aid purposes will include the program fee, Mount Holyoke’s administrative fee, and allowances toward meals, books, and personal expenses.

The program is open to qualified women and men from the Five College Consortium (Amherst, Hampshire, Smith) and Williams College. Students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.7 overall, and of 3.0 in French, and they must meet the Mount Holyoke French Department’s requirements for study in a Francophone country: students need to have taken at least two courses in French (not counting Independent Study) and completed at least French 201 or French 203.

Arrangement for students who began with French 101 (Introductory French)
Students who began their study of French with French 101 in their first semester and who wish to study in Montpellier for the full year may apply on the basis of four semesters of French (completing French 201 and 203 in the sophomore year), under a special arrangement.  Approval in this case is typically limited to students who have done strong work in French 101-102 and are doing well in French 201 at the time of application (typically, A or A- level work), have solid support from the instructors of those courses, and who wish to spend the entire year in Montpellier.  Coursework in the fall semester in Montpellier will consist of support courses for international students offered by RI ("Service des Relations Internationales").  These support courses, all taught in French, include grammar, phonetics, and theme-based options (such as theatre, art history, gender studies, etc.).  In the second semester, students would take a combination of "cours RI" and integrated courses, as our students in Montpellier have always done.

Students who began in French 101 and who wish to study in France for one semester should plan to follow the normal rules of eligibility for study abroad and go to France in the spring semester of the junior year, or fall semester of senior year, having first completed French 215, 219, 225, or 230.

Students who have particular health or medical concerns or requirements are encouraged to discuss them with us in advance so that we can determine whether appropriate resources are available in Montpellier.

Mount Holyoke Students:

Mount Holyoke students apply for admission to the program and for Laurel Fellowships (need-based scholarship) by submitting the Request to Study Abroad in MyMountHolyoke. Applications are generally due in late November for the following fall or academic year, and mid-April for the following spring; see Deadlines for details.

Students from Other Colleges: Five College & Williams College students should complete the MHC Montpellier Study Abroad Application for 5C & Williams students and Home School Approval Form by March 1 for fall or academic year, and September 30 for spring. They should also consult with their home campus study abroad advisor about credit transfer and financial aid.