Housing

For many students, living in residence is what makes your time at university an extraordinary experience unlike any other. Living in residence makes it easy for students to meet new people, live in a study-oriented atmosphere, and get help for academic and personal challenges, and get to know your school and its surrounding neighbourhoods. As a Dual Degree student, you’ll have an opportunity to live in two different study-oriented and cultural environments. Read the tabs below carefully to learn more about housing at each institution.

During your first two years, student residences are independent of Sciences Po and are not located on-campus like North American universities. All student residences in France are run either by a governmental agency or private businesses and are open to all university students in the city, regardless of the institution they are attending.

  • Student residences are made up of furnished apartments (mainly studios), and offer a range of services: laundry, gym, general supervision, etc.
  • Hostels (dormitories) offer furnished individual or shared rooms. Reservations must be made very early in the year.

Information on each individual campus can be found at Sciences Po’s Housing: Regional Campuses site. Please consult the tab relevant to your campus. 

Depending on your personal situation and the type of housing you find, you may be entitled to a housing benefit from the Caisse d’Allocation familiales (CAF). You can apply for a benefit whether you live in an unfurnished or furnished flat, home-stay, or student hall of residence. The benefit is a monthly subsidy to be used towards payment of rent. Each student is evaluated on a case by case basis, and this benefit is not gauranteed. Consult Science Po’s information about Housing Benefits for more information.

Familiarize yourself with housing in France: 

While attending UBC in Years 3 and 4, Dual Degree students will be eligible to apply for student housing at UBC when making the transition from France to Vancouver in their third year. UBC Housing serves over 11,000 students and operates over 14 different residences located on the Vancouver campus.

  • On-campus housing is guaranteed for Dual Degree students in the summer before Year 3, and for Year 3 only.
  • Students will be eligible for apartment-style housing, and will not be living in dormitories. Students are not required to have a meal plan.
  • Students are eligible to apply for on-campus housing for Year 4, but housing is not guaranteed in the final year of the degree.

In the housing application, students will be able to rank preferences for their top 3 residences and will have the ability to indicate specific preferences for roommates. Different residences have different costs, and residences differ in the type of housing style that they offer. Students apply for UBC housing in the fall semester of Year 2 at Sciences Po, and the program manager will guide students through the process.

Familiarize yourself with housing at UBC: 

Unlike Sciences Po’s regional campuses, Vancouver is a major city with a rental vacancy of less than 1%. Dual Degree students moving to Vancouver for the first time are strongly encouraged to accept their guaranteed housing offer for Year 3, unless alternative arrangements have already been made. While the program is able to help facilitate the housing process on campus, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they have housing for the upcoming academic year. Students are responsible for all associated housing costs during their enrolment at UBC.