Register now for the virtual Columbia Summer in Paris Opportunities | Info Session on Friday, December 11th, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM via Zoom! Even if you cannot attend, please sign up, and we will send you a recording of the information session!
This 6-week summer course, which will fulfill the Columbia College or Barnard College Language Core requirement, is designed for non-native speakers who have taken 2 semesters of French or have placed out of Elementary French II (or equivalent). The objective of this class is to continue your study of the French language while taking full advantage of the immersive experience in Paris.
Program Overview
On this rigorous and fast-paced program, students will prepare for advanced French language and culture with an emphasis on developing highly accurate speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students will be asked to read a variety of French and Francophone primary texts – be they written, cinematic, theatrical, or plastic – however, the most important primary text with which students will be engaging on a daily basis is Paris and its diverse inhabitants.
This intensive six-week program will take place from Saturday, June 12th, 2027, to Friday, July 23rd, 2027. You will meet 14 hours per week. Classes are typically Monday to Thursday, while on Fridays, activities are planned in conjunction with the courses to offer more cultural exposure to the city.
We encourage you to watch the Columbia Summer in Paris Opportunities | Info Session with the Director of Columbia Undergraduate Programs, Séverine Martin, for an overview of the structure of the program and the application components:
Eligibility and Application
Eligibility
- Currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students in good academic and disciplinary standing
- Students must have taken 2 semesters of French or have placed out of Elementary French II (or equivalent)
- 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 (if applicable)
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, preferably, by your current 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
Participants will take one 6-point course, Accelerated Intermediate French with Karen Santos Da Silva, to fulfill the Columbia College or Barnard College Language Core requirement.
Accelerated Intermediate French, 6 credits
Instructor Karen Santos Da Silva, Senior Lecturer of French at Barnard College
On this rigorous and fast-paced program, students will prepare for advanced French language and culture with an emphasis on developing highly accurate speaking, reading, and writing skills. While we will read a variety of French and Francophone primary texts, the most important primary text with which students will be engaging on a daily basis is Paris and its diverse inhabitants.
At the conclusion of this course, students will
be able to communicate with French native speakers and navigate living in Paris with ease
be able to confidently express simple concepts in written and spoken French, and begin to express abstract ideas in written and spoken French
be able to describe, narrate, and analyze their cultural experiences orally
have a better mastery of French pronunciation and colloquial French
have a solid base of knowledge about French and Francophone culture
Note: The University reserves the right to withdraw or modify the courses of instruction or to change the instructors as may become necessary.
PROGRAM DATES
This program has a very full schedule, and students should expect to devote most of their time in Paris to the program. Given the accelerated nature of completing Intermediate French I & II, this program has a rigorous, highly structured schedule. Academic obligations, such as lectures, assigned readings, and curated cultural excursions, take precedence and require students to demonstrate robust time management throughout the term.
Classes are typically held Monday through Friday, with planned activities throughout the week in conjunction with the courses to provide more cultural exposure to the city.
All students are required to attend the in-depth Orientation Week, which will include mandatory meetings and excursions to help you get to know the city of Paris and familiarize you with French culture. Housing and all activities are arranged for the full length of the program. However, program housing is not available outside of the program dates.
Grades 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: Credit completed on summer Columbia-Led programs is considered transfer credit. Transfer credit grades are not posted to your Barnard record. For more information and to obtain approval for credit transfer, please visit the Barnard Registrar's Transfer Credits page > Summer Course Approval section. To order an official transcript, please visit the Columbia University Registrar's Transcript page.
- Non-Columbia Students: You can request electronic transcripts online through Columbia's Office of the 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 a chance to partake in an essential part of French culture. Living with a host family is a great way to experience the daily rhythm of French life firsthand, learn about Paris from an insider's perspective, and be immersed in a French-speaking environment.
Please note that summers in Paris can be exceptionally hot, and air conditioning is uncommon and rarely available in local homestays. You can purchase fans or, if available, borrow them from Reid Hall for your accommodation. Program housing is also 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 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 in the summer. In addition, the Columbia Global Center | Paris has many activities throughout the summer that are open to students in 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
Columbia Global Centers | Paris
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
Karen Santos Da Silva, Senior Lecturer of French at Barnard College
Professor Santos Da Silva received her BA in Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley and her Ph.D. in French Literature from New York University. Her research focuses on the rise of character interiority and proto-historical characteristics in the 17th-century novel and the accompanying emergence of character interiority as a new fictional space, with particular emphasis on the uses of the female body within these texts. She taught at Sarah Lawrence College for two years before joining the Department of French at Barnard College, where she has been teaching language literature classes since 2010, as well as a course on censorship in art, as part of Barnard's First Year Seminar requirement. She is currently working on a translation of Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni’s first epistolary novel. She has taught in the Columbia Summer in Paris program since 2016.
Financial Considerations
Summer 2026 Tuition & Fees*
Please see our Summer 2026 cost breakdown to familiarize yourself with last year's costs. The Summer 2027 cost breakdown 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.
Other students should contact their home school financial aid offices.
For more general information and resources on financing your time abroad, please see the pages below:
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 Scholarship (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: Sunday, February 14th, 2027 (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: Sunday, February 14th, 2027 (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
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.
