University of Paris IV, Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne
The prestige of the Sorbonne is matched by few educational institutions. Founded in the Middle Ages, the University of Paris was a centralized institution until 1968 when it was divided into more than a dozen independent parts. It draws more than 100,000 students from around the world.
AIFS students attend the “new” University of the Sorbonne housed on the same site it has occupied for more than 700 years. Founded in 1253 by Robert de Sorbon as a college for 16 poor students, it has since become one of the world’s most famous universities.
AIFS students attend courses offered by the Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne designed especially for foreign students. First offered in 1919, these courses in French language and culture have attracted more than 500,000 students from more than 100 nations. Sorbonne courses are located throughout the center of Paris.
AIFS students can also study at one of many affiliated institutions.
Affiliated colleges and institutions in Paris
- Académie de Port Royal
- The University of London Institute in Paris
- Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode
- Schola Cantorum
Students may take one or two courses at these institutions. Except in special circumstances, a minimum of 10 is needed for a course. Students receive transcripts or certificates authenticating work completed. These institutions vary in accreditation status. The Académie de Port Royal is an art school not of university status in France. Students wishing to transfer credit for Port Royal courses should check with their home institutions. The University of London Institute in Paris is a joint institute of both the University of London and the Université de Paris and, therefore, enjoys university status. The Schola Cantorum is a private music school in Paris. Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode (ESMOD International) is a division of the Institut Supérieur Européen de la Mode (ISEM), which is affiliated with Université Lumière Lyon 2. Students should confirm with home institutions whether transfer credit is allowed from private educational institutions.
Institut de Langue et de Culture Françaises, Catholic University of Paris
The Catholic University of Paris is a well-known and highly respected university approved and recognised by the French Ministry of Education. It consists of faculties and higher education establishments of professional training in three areas: Literature, Languages and Social Sciences; Science and Engineering; Theology and Religious Sciences. French language and elective courses are taught by the faculty of the Catholic University, through the Institut de Langue et de Culture Françaises (ILCF).
Institut de Langue et de Culture Françaises (ILCF)
The ILCF is a department of the Catholic University of Paris – an establishment of intellectual and research excellence in the historical heart of Paris near the students’ Latin Quarter, the existentialists’ Saint-Germain-des-Pres (Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir) and the painters’ Montparnasse (Picasso, Modigliani, Chagall.)
Founded in 1948, the ILCF welcomes 2,500 students every year aged 18 upwards from all over the world, individually or in groups, who want to learn French and take courses to become acquainted with French culture and civilization in a university atmosphere.
