We invite you to the Columbia Summer in Paris: French Immersion Track to explore both contemporary and historical issues in French and Francophone culture and go outside of the typical tourist experience to gain an insider’s view of the city.
Program Overview
On this program, students will learn about the layered history, culture, and society of France and the Francophone world. The academic curriculum will provide students with opportunities to deepen their appreciation of Parisian culture and improve their French language skills. Students will take two classes for a total of six points.
This five-week program will take place from Saturday, May 30th, 2026, to Saturday, July 4th, 2026. Classes are typically held Monday through Thursday, while on Fridays, activities are planned in conjunction with the courses to provide more cultural exposure to the city.
Eligibility and Application
ELIGIBILITY
- Currently enrolled undergraduate students in good academic and disciplinary standing
- Graduate students and post-graduates are all eligible to apply
- Students must have recently taken at least 4 semesters of French (or the equivalent) to qualify, including at least one course at the university-level; if you do not meet this requirement, please consider the Columbia Summer in Paris: English Track
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA during the semester before going abroad
- Minimum 3.0 average language GPA
How to apply
Want to apply? Click the “Start Your Application" button at the top of this page. If the button doesn't appear, the program is not yet accepting applications. You will be asked to set up a short profile, which will allow us to send you relevant information about your application. Once you’ve created a profile, you will see a checklist of items that you will need to submit. These generally include:
- Application Items
- Official Transcript(s)
- Statement of Interest
- One (1) Letter of Recommendation
- This recommendation should attest to your language ability in French and be completed by your current or most recent French language instructor.
- Home School Approval/Clearance: If applying from another university, please check with your home university's study abroad office about applying for permission to attend the program and transferring the credit.
- Application Fee (if applying from another university)
Academics
Please note that the course offerings and schedule are still subject to change. Attendance at all class meetings, concerts, and excursions, unless otherwise indicated, is mandatory. Note that you cannot "mix-and-match" courses across programs taking place in Paris at the same time.
Note: The University reserves the right to withdraw or modify the courses of instruction or to change the instructors as may become necessary.
SUMMER 2026 COURSES | FRENCH IMMERSION TRACK
The French and Francophone culture courses are all designed to deepen your engagement with the paradoxes, pleasures, and contradictions of Paris, France, and France's relationship with its former colonies. These courses will challenge you to look at the history and culture of France from various perspectives while using the city as an essential resource throughout the program.
FREN XXX: Auteur.es, Cinéastes: The Women of French and Francophone Cinema, 3 credits
Instructor Aubrey Gabel, Assistant Professor in French, Columbia University
Taught in French. Pending Committee on Instruction and Committee on the Global Core Review.
This course will consider the incredible contributions of women to the French-language cinema. From cinema’s earliest moments, women played a central role in the medium’s creation and production. They were not only actresses or models, but camera assistants and cinéastes, who wrote and directed their own features and shorts. In fact, it is more than possible to tell the history of major French cinematic movements—such as expressionism, New Wave, experimentalism, the cinéma du look, and so on—through the gaze of major “auteures,” or the women directors who shaped film history as we know it.
FREN XXX: Modern Paris in Francophone Literature and Film, 3 credits
Instructor Thomas Dodman, Associate Professor of French, Columbia University
Taught in French. Pending Committee on Instruction Review.
This intensive, five-week class explores representations of Paris in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, in both literature and film. Behind the hackneyed motif of the city of love, like many other urban imaginaries to discover in books, on the screen, and in the streets. Paris has a rich revolutionary heritage and is home to innumerable upstarts and immigrants who came to the capital to “make it” (or not). It is a city filled with sites of memory (and forgetting), where one can observe the mundane aspects of everyday life alongside fanciful dreams of utopian urban renewal. Each week we will explore these different facets to the city, its people and built environment through historical lectures, novels ranging from Victor Hugo to Virgine Despentes, films from Jean-Luc Godard to Ladj Ly, and visits to museums, landmarks, and a café table or subway seat from which to observe the life of a city with Georges Perec and Annie Ernaux.
ACADEMIC SCHEDULE
The Summer 2026 Weekly Class Schedule will be published as soon as possible. Please note that the weekly class schedule may be subject to modification.
As shared above, classes are typically held Monday through Thursday, while on Fridays, activities are planned in conjunction with the courses to provide more cultural exposure to the city.
GRADING POLICY
Click here for the Columbia summer program grading policies.
TRANSCRIPTS
Upon successful completion of the program, grades are entered into Columbia's online grading system.
Credit is not granted to students who do not complete the full program.
All courses taken on the program are converted to an American grading scale and transmitted to students as follows:
Columbia Students: Grades appear on SSOL and your transcript as semester grades from courses taken at Columbia. For more information, please see the section on Academic Credit in Steps to Study Abroad.
Barnard Students: Grades appear on eBear and your transcript as any semester grades from courses taken at Barnard. For more information, please see the section on Credit and Transcripts for Barnard Students on our Barnard student pages.
Non-Columbia Students: Can request electronic transcripts online through the Columbia University Registrar.
Life in Paris
HOUSING
You will live in a homestay with a francophone family and live like a true Parisian, off the beaten tourist path. Homestays are located throughout Paris and the nearby suburbs and are never more than a short train ride from Reid Hall.
You will have your own room and share common spaces with your host family and will share meals with them. Sharing meals in France is not only an excellent opportunity to practice your language skills but also the chance to partake in an essential part of French culture. Living with a host family is a great way to experience firsthand the daily rhythm of French life, learn about Paris from an insider's perspective, and be immersed in a French-speaking environment. Program housing is not available outside of the program dates.
If you would like to request Independent Housing or accommodations related to housing, please indicate this at the time of your application in the UGE Portal. You can also speak with the UGE Adviser listed below for more information.
DAILY LIVING AND SCHEDULE
Your commute to Reid Hall will also be between 35-50 minutes, on average. Weekends are free, and students are encouraged to enjoy Paris on the weekends.
The program has many course-related activities, as well as a few social events, that will help students engage with the cultural life of Paris. Past activities have included theater workshops, pottery, crépe-making, wine tasting, and excursions around Paris. You will have adequate time to explore Paris on your own and to soak up the ambiance of the city Paris in the summer. In addition, the Columbia Global Center | Paris has many activities throughout the summer that are open to students on the program at no charge.
LOCATION
The home base of Columbia University in Paris is the Columbia Global Centers | Paris at Reid Hall, where all of your classes will take place. Reid Hall is a small group of buildings owned and administered by Columbia. It also serves as an educational center for other American universities and for scholars from around the world. For more than a century, its long and distinguished past of intellectual, artistic, and cultural exchange has made it significant for the relationship between France and the United States.
Reid Hall, constructed in the early 18th century before the French Revolution, is located in the lively Montparnasse (6th arrondissement) district of Paris, near the Luxembourg Gardens and within walking distance of the Latin Quarter and several branches of the University of Paris. Modern additions have enlarged the facility, creating an interior courtyard and private garden. Reid Hall primarily houses administrative offices and classrooms and also has a small reference library, a reading room, lounges, a multimedia lab, and two large conference rooms. Students have access to WiFi in all common areas of Reid Hall.
People
Staff
The faculty and program are supported by the staff of the Columbia Undergraduate Programs in Paris and the Columbia Global Centers | Paris. You will be introduced to the Columbia Undergraduate Program staff during the orientation.
FACULTY
Please see individual courses for faculty links.
Financial Considerations
Summer 2025 Tuition and Fees*
Please see our cost breakdown for detailed information. The Summer 2026 Tuition and Fees will be published soon.
*Tuition and fees are subject to the Board of Trustees' approval and may change.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
If you receive financial aid during the academic year, you may remain eligible for financial aid when you attend a summer Columbia-Led Program as long as you take a minimum of 6 points.
CC/SEAS: Contact the CC/SEAS Financial Aid & Educational Planning to understand if any of your federal financial aid may cover enrollment costs for a summer program. Please note the Columbia Grant is not available for summer studies.
General Studies: Contact the GS Office of Educational Financing to understand if any of your financial aid may cover participation in a summer program.
GLOBAL LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP
The Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE) offers the Global Learning Scholarship (GLS) to support Columbia students so they may enhance their undergraduate education by participating in a summer global learning opportunity.
Eligibility:
You are eligible for the Global Learning Scholarships (GLS) if you are:
A Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, or General Studies student who demonstrates financial need
All other students are not eligible for the GLS
Application and Timeline:
Students apply for the Global Learning Scholarship (GLS) and the Columbia-Led summer program with two separate applications.
Scholarship applications are due: Friday, February 13th, 2026 (closes at 11:59 PM EST)
GLS applicants must also submit a completed program application by the program application deadline OR no later than the following: Friday, February 13th, 2026 (closes at 11:59 PM EST)
To apply to the Global Learning Scholarship, please click here.
OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS
For a list of other scholarships specific to study abroad, please visit our Financial Considerations page > Fellowships and Scholarships for Studying Abroad section for more information. Of note are the:
Withdrawal Policy
To learn about the financial consequences of withdrawing from the program, please review the Summer Withdrawal and Refund Policy here.
Find Out More
After being accepted to the program, we will share information and email communications regarding the next steps. We understand that there will be a lot of steps to complete, so please utilize the resources below to help you get started:
Speak to an Adviser: Want to learn more? Make an appointment to chat with the adviser for this program! You can also email them with any questions, or to arrange a meeting if you are unable to make the listed times.
Applying: Make sure to review the dates and deadlines section at the bottom of the page.
Resources: View our Steps to Study Abroad page to see advice on Where to Begin, how to Prepare to Go, and what you need to know when Returning from Abroad. We will share many resources with you throughout the application and pre-departure process for preparing to study abroad.
We recommend reviewing the following before you apply:
Having a valid passport is one of the key components of going abroad. See more on our Passports and Visas page.
Need help deciding which semester, program, and experience are right for you? Check out our Choosing a Study Abroad Program page.
Learn about finances and study abroad on our Financial Considerations page.
If considering summer study abroad, review guidance on our Summer Study Abroad page.
Plan ahead and prepare for your health, well-being, and accessibility abroad by reviewing our Well-Being Abroad resources and Identity and Diversity Abroad page.
Once accepted, make sure to review the Prepare to Go page for more resources and information about preparing for your experience abroad.
