France: Paris

In cooperation with the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES), Lewis & Clark offers a program of French study in Paris. With its grand boulevards, world-famous monuments, unparalleled literary and artistic history, and its simple joie de vivre, Paris is a city that will change you forever.

The IES Abroad Paris French Studies Center is located on a bustling market street near the Cimetière de Montparnasse. A thriving business district, the area is filled with restaurants, food shops, boutiques, and cafés. The Center provides resources such as high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi, as well as access to printers, classrooms, a student lounge, and a library.

Please note that the Paris program is limited to 10 students each semester. If the number of applicants exceeds 10, the French Studies faculty will work with students to choose another French program in France: Strasbourg, or Cameroon: Yaounde. Applicants to the Paris program must have a high level of French proficiency and demonstrate an interest in the Paris curriculum (Arts).

Onsite Staff: The IES Paris Center Director is Scott Lyngaas. Scott comes to IES Abroad from Beloit College, where he was Associate Dean and Associate Professor of French. He received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he wrote his dissertation on Francophone historical fiction. Scott previously served as a Resident Director in both Brussels and Paris.

Requirements Fulfilled:

General Education - This program fulfills the Global Perspectives general education requirement for students who successfully complete 8 or more semester credits.

Major/Minor Requirements - This program fulfills the overseas study requirement for the French Studies major, the World Languages overseas study requirement with French as the primary language, and applies up to 12 credits toward the French Studies minor.

Credits: Credit earned varies based on courses completed. Students may earn up to 19 credits. Overloads are not permitted.

Curriculum: This program combines rigorous study of the French language at an advanced level with a broad range of classes taught in French by accomplished faculty. Students are required to take four credits of French language, and can choose from IES courses in a variety of fields to fill the rest of their schedules. Students can also experience what life is like for French students by taking one or more courses at a local university. IES has established partnerships with five local institutions, including the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and the Paris Marais Dance School. Students also have the option to participate in an internship for academic credit during their semester in Paris.

Courses offered by IES may include: French Language in Context, Art & Architecture in France, The French Artistic Milieu in the 19th and 20th Centuries, French Cinema and Society, The Poetics and Politics of Gender in France, France and Francophone Africa (PoliSci), French Foreign and European Policy, Understanding Social Politics and Social Action in Contemporary Liberal Societies.

Internship Seminar: Students can gain valuable international work experience while earning credit by participating in an internship placement. In the accompanying academic seminar, students learn about the professional working world in France with a focus on intercultural communication. By participating in the internship seminar, students will gain the ability to communicate in French within a professional context and manage cultural differences in a professional context. Internship placements are available in the following fields: The Arts & Museums, Business & Marketing, Education, and Non-Governmental Organizations.

Language Pledge: The Paris faculty take great pride in the quality of their language training. In order to create a French language environment, you are required to observe a rigorous language pledge while at the IES Abroad Paris French Studies Center.

Excursions: The program includes several day-long excursions to unique locations outside of Paris. These excursions give students the chance to learn more about French culture and traditions beyond the bustling city life of Paris. Possible excursions include:

• A trip to Giverny to visit Monet’s home and the gardens that inspired his famous water lily paintings

• A guided tour of the Cathédrale Notre Dame and a visit to a Champagne producer for a tour and Champagne tasting in Reims

• A visit to two of France’s largest and most beautiful palaces in Fontainebleau & Vaux-le-Vicomte

• A trip to Chantilly to tour the extraordinary estate, featuring the ornate château, the colorful gardens, and the Great Stables—the largest stables in Europe

Housing: Each student will stay in a French home in Paris or its surrounding banlieues (suburbs). Students eat breakfast daily and three evening meals per week with their host families; other meals are available at university cafeterias and inexpensive restaurants. IES staff do their best to locate housing that is reflective of how the local students are living.

Cultural Events: The IES center offers a variety of cultural events, such as:

• Guest speakers, including local filmmakers and journalists

• Weekly Conversation club

• Plays at the comédie française and other Parisian theaters

• Visits to museums like the Louvre, the Picasso museum, the Georges Pompidou center, and the Musée d’Orsay

• The Question du Jour, a favorite activity where students compete for prizes by responding to questions about Paris and France

“I really recommend, above all, trying to go in without expectations as much as possible. Not good, not bad, just few expectations, because that allows the most flexibility and the least dramatic swings of emotions.”

“Paris was great there’s always something to do there. The IES center was also nice and is in a pretty good location.”

2026-2027 Fee Breakdown*

Total Fee (includes Tuition, Program Fee, and Health & Wellness Fee): $44,791

Tuition: $35,329

Program Fee: $9,425

Health & Wellness Fee: $37**

Included in the program fee are room/housing, board/meals, and administrative fees. Not included are airfare, passport and visa expenses, primary insurance coverage, photographs, books, immunizations, and incidentals. 

*Fees are updated every February for the following academic year.

**The Health & Wellness Fee supports the operations of Wellness Services staff in delivering pre-program orientation services, as well as in providing health-related consultation regarding participant health needs. All students in the College of Arts and Sciences pay a mandatory fee of $37 per semester.

Stipend: Students will receive a stipend to cover the cost of meals and transportation costs not covered by the program fee.

Estimated Airfare (Round Trip PDX to CDG): $800 - $1,500

Estimated Travel Document Fees: $400-500*

Estimated Health Insurance Fee: $1,906

*This cost is for visa application fees and processing only. Many students need to travel from Portland or their hometown to a visa processing center in another city, so there may be additional expenses. 

All students participating in overseas programs are automatically enrolled in iNext, a supplemental travel insurance program. The fee for iNext is covered in the program cost. However, students are also required to have comprehensive health insurance during their time abroad. All students participating in overseas programs, both abroad and domestic, are automatically enrolled in the College’s student health insurance program. Similar to a regular semester on-campus, students participating in overseas programs may waive enrollment in the student health insurance program if they have other comprehensive health insurance (e.g., through a parent, guardian or employer) that 1) provides coverage for them in the geographic region in which they will be studying and 2) includes mental health benefits. Find more information regarding health insurance & overseas programs.

Physical Requirements:

Before applying to this program, you should assess and determine if you are physically and/or emotionally able to participate in the following physical demands required by some of this program’s activities:

• Walking or hiking up to 5 miles in a day, sometimes for two or more days in a row, sometimes on hilly, uneven, or cobbled terrain
• Climbing and descending stairs
• Using public transportation, including sometimes crowded buses or trains
• Standing for long periods during tours and site visits
• Entering into older buildings with narrow and sometimes steep staircases, at times with limited or no access to elevators
• The possibility of warm/hot temperatures while residing in locations without air conditioning, and/or cold temperatures while residing in locations with a comfort for lower indoor temperatures
• The possibility of long, busy days with little downtime and infrequent days off from program activities

If you have questions or are concerned about these or any other program activities, please contact the Lewis & Clark College Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office (overseas@lclark.edu).

Application Process: This program has a dual application process. Student must first submit a Lewis & Clark Application one year before the start of the program. Once admitted by Lewis & Clark, the students will receive instructions for submitting their secondary application to IES and will receive a separate notification letter of admission.  Please keep a digital copy of your essays and other application materials as you will need to submit these similar materials to IES. Please note that this secondary application process can be as late as the semester preceding your scheduled participation.

Learn more about our application process.

Travel: Students usually fly into the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG), and from there they travel directly to their homestays. Several weeks before their departure, students will receive the contact information for their host family. Students will be responsible for contacting their host families directly to arrange for their arrival, receive directions, and acquire any building entrance codes.

Visa: Students will be required to apply for a visa in order to participate in this program. All students are required to present their visa documents in person at a TLS visa center. The closest TLS centers are Seattle and San Francisco. Visa applicants living in the United States can set up their appointment at one of the nine TLS centers regardless of their location. More information will be provided upon admission to the program. Please do not start the long-stay visa process until you have been notified to do so.

Country-Specific Health Information: View specific health information for people traveling to France.

State Department Country Information: Visit the State Department’s France page.