Lille Exchange Program

Lille Exchange Program - Lille, France

Location and Academics

The University of Minnesota Morris has an exchange program with the Universitès 1 and 3 á Lille, France. The City of Lille is a beautiful town in northern France, very close to Belgium, England, Luxemburg, and Germany.

With the surrounding towns, the population of Lille is over 200,000 people, making of Lille the most important city in northern France. Due to its proximity to other countries and places, Lille has been site of cultural, linguistic and economic exchange for centuries. In addition to its important universities, Lille has one of the largest art museums in France, an active sports life, and lots of cultural festivities and events. Northern France is reknowned for its friendly people. In fact, the 2008 blockbuster film, Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, showcases how welcoming and warm people from Lille and its surrounding areas are.

You can take courses in any of the areas offered by Universitès Lille 1 Sciences et Technologie and by Lille 3 Sciences humaines et sociales. It is recommended that you select courses from one of their campuses, to avoid scheduling problems, however.

Lille 1 offers courses in: Chemistry, Electronics, Electrotechnics, Automation, Computer Science, Mathematics, Mechanics, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Biology, Geology, Life Science, Earth and Environment, Biochemistry, Mathematics applied to Social Science, Natural Sciences, Applied Economics, Economics and Management, Management Science, Marketing, Geography and Urban Planning, Sociology-Ethnology, Economics, Management, Business, Communication, Human Resources, Education Science and Lifelong learning.

Lille 3 offers courses in Art History, Studio Art, Languages (German, English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Scandinavian Languages, Polish, Portuguese, Russian), Translation, History, Archeology, Communication and Media, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, Sociology, and Political Science.

Prior to your departure, you will need to meet with your academic advisor to plan out courses to take that will satisfy the requirements of your degree.

How does the exchange work?

Under the auspices of this exchange program, Morris can send up to 2 students per year to Lille. Those students can take courses at Lille 1 and Lille 3, while paying tuition at Morris. This exchange option therefore keeps costs down and is about half of what similar, non-exchange programs cost.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Completion of Fren 2002 prior to departure
  • Sophomore, junior or senior standing
  • Minimum GPA = 2.5
  • Strong independence and self-motivation (This is really vital!)
  • Enthusiasm for living in France and for all things French--French majors and minors are given preference.
  • Preference is given to students who would like to go for a full academic year.

Other Details

  • Pay your tuition and fees at Morris.
  • Pay your room and board in France. Stay in a dorm on campus there.
  • Take classes that count toward your major, your minor, or your general education requirements in the French language (on both the Lille 1 and Lille 3 campuses) or in English at Lille 1.
  • The Lille Handbook has more information. It is specifically written for students going to Lille 3, but will be helpful for students going to Lille 1, too.

The application deadline for the 2020-2021academic year will be around March 15th.

Here is a summary of the application materials you will need.

Lille Survival Handbook