MHC Montpellier, France

Montpellier is an ideal location for students who wish to study in a vibrant, historic city, where speaking French is a must and opportunities to meet French people and experience French culture abound. Students may take courses alongside French students at the Université Paul Valéry (UPV), and they have ample opportunities to participate in a variety of cultural activities. Hand

The City of Montpellier

The city of Montpellier, population 250,000, is the capital of the Occitanie region of southern France. Home to a renowned university system and nearly 70,000 students, Montpellier serves as an important intellectual and technological center. Its people and the charming historic city center epitomize the warm and friendly culture of southern France.

More About Montpellier

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.

Stairwell in the Chateau de Flaugergues

Academic Program

Students may  enroll in special French language and subject courses in the humanities for students from US programs at Université Paul Valéry, the liberal arts campus of the University of Montpellier. Students may also enroll in regular courses alongside French students at Université Paul Valéry. This unique opportunity allows MHC students to experience French university life firsthand, to sample a wide variety of courses, and to make friends with French students. UPV is located in a 25-acre park within walking distance of downtown Montpellier. More than 15,000 students are enrolled each year in a wide range of courses in the humanities and social sciences.

Students with a strong background in French who are majoring in the sciences or mathematics may qualify to take one or two courses per semester at the Faculté des Sciences et Mathématiques, located across the street from UPV.  Dance majors or minors may qualify to take a contemporary dance class at the Conservatoire de Montpellier.  Religion majors or minors may qualify to take one course per semester at the Faculté de Théologie in Montpellier.  If you are interested in political science, you may qualify to take one or two courses per semester at the Faculté de Droit et Science politique in downtown Montpellier." 

The academic year typically runs from early September to late May. You may apply for the full academic year, for fall semester only (early September to the third week in December), or for spring semester (mid-January to late May).




Program Director

The on-site program director, Amy Gosselin Loth (MHC '94), organizes orientation and housing, and is available throughout the year to respond to students' academic and practical concerns. Amy spent her own junior year at UPV, and has been directing the MHC program since its inception in 1998. She is now a permanent resident of France.  She holds a Master's degree in Comparative Politics and Public Policy from Université Montpellier I, Faculté de Droit et Sciences politique.

Students are welcome to contact Amy at any time with questions about the program.

Housing

Fees and Financial Aid

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.

Eligibility and Admission

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.

Application

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.  


MHC Picnic at the Montpellier Peyrou Gardens 

Visiting Montpellier Botanical Garden

MHC Orientation at UPV Montpellier