SciencesPo Academic Exchange

More Information on the SciencesPo Exchange Program

The Sciences Po Undergraduate College strives to educate enlightened, inventive citizens who will contribute to the common good in a global world. The Paris campus has about 3,000 undergraduate students, over a third of whom are international students on a semester or year of exchange at Sciences Po.

Campus life is kept vibrant by the vast range of clubs and associations on offer and many events throughout the year. With the choice of more than 80 artistic, union, political, cultural and humanitarian clubs and associations, students are encouraged to participate in activities that develop their sense of community and responsibility.

Learn all about the Undergraduate Exchange Program here.

MIT students on the exchange can study at SciencesPo for the Fall or Spring semesters.

Fall Semester Dates: end of August to mid-December

Spring Semester Dates: mid-January to mid-May

We recommend verifying program start and end dates directly with SciencesPo: SciencesPo Academic Calendar.

The SciencesPo Exchange open to all majors. Applicants for the exchange need to be:

Have a GPA of 4.3 or above
In good academic standing
In good judicial standing
Up to date with the Communication Requirement
Up to date with HASS courses

No French is required because courses are taught in English. If you would like to take all of your courses in French, you will need to have taken five or six semesters of college-level French or equivalent and a letter must be completed by the MISTI office or you must have passed the C1 exam.

Contact MISTI if you have questions about your particular situation.

Complete your application for the exchange through the MISTI Portal, including academic recommendation.
Once your application is complete, it will be reviewed by MISTI and your department. You may be invited to a ~30 minute informal interview. Following the interview, you will receive a decision on your application and be given two weeks to confirm your space on the program.

Undergraduate College courses are multidisciplinary and cover the fields of economics, history, international relations, law, political science and the humanities. There is no compulsory major or specific programme for exchange students. Students can therefore enroll in any of the many courses offered by the College, in the discipline of their choice. Students can also choose as many courses as they like and think they can manage, according to their personal interests and the requirements of their home university.

Undergraduate and graduate exchange students can take courses taught in English or in French. You cannot take a mixture of French and English (other than the French Language course).

Please review these links regarding courses and policies:

the Undergraduate College course catalogue (under Course Lists).

Students are highly encouraged to take a French language class. Students wishing to take a language class in another foreign language must have previously studied the language.

Sciences Po limits their students and exchange students to 30 ECTS (their equivalent to units) per semester.

Transfer Credit

Information on the transfer credit process at MIT can be found here.

Students admitted to the program will continue to pay MIT tuition for the exchange semester and will pay all their living expenses locally for that semester.

A few months before departure, SFS and MISTI will share with the students and the most up-to-date budget for the participation on the Exchange based on an agreement with the host institution.

MIT financial aid is portable for this program. Admitted students who receive financial aid should make an appointment with the financial aid representative to whom they are assigned to discuss the details.

Find out more about the cost of living in France: Finance your studies at Sciences Po

Accepted students are responsible for securing their own accommodations. Most students will stay in apartments in Paris. Sciences Po has resources in place to help you find an apartment and MISTI will also provide guidance.

Students will need to apply for a student visa to study in France. Sciences Po will issue an enrollment certificate, once admitted, for students to use for their visa application. Here are more details regarding Sciences Po's support.

In addition, here are the French government's visa instructions.