France

Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S. Programs:

The Cultural Services are a division of the French Embassy in the United States and the facilitate a "Community College in France Bootcamps" which allow students to spend two weeks in France during the summer to explore current global issues, improve their transversal skills and broaden their intellectual horizon.

These two-week culturally immersive experience will broaden your intellectual horizons and improve your transversal skills. These Bootcamps will look at sustainability issues from a multidisciplinary perspective and provide a unique edge to your degree. You will learn through a varied mix of lectures, academic activities, and field trips. You will take part in group work and discussion with academic staff, local actors, and fellow students.

• Ocean & Energy Towards Sustainability
  EIGSI, La Rochelle — June 26 to July 10
• Paris Noir: Exploring Diversity and Equity Politics in France
  n+i Engineering Institutes, Paris — June 9 to June 22
• Future Tech for Good Leaders: Empowering the Next Generation of Climate Innovators
  Ponts Business School, Paris & Beauvais — July 12 to July 25

For information on the 2026 programs, visit the Villa Abertine website. 

Academics

These summer camps are short-term programs and eligible for 1-2 credits of Independent Study or Special Topics. 

Accommodations

Students are scheduled to stay in student housing, but housing type varies by program location. 

Fees

This is an all-inclusive program. The fees include: housing, pick up at the airport, 3 meals a day, cultural visits and local transportation.

Not included: You will have to pay for airfare to and from France.

The total program cost is $2400. If you are selected for a scholarship, the French Embassy will cover $1400, to lower the participation cost to $1000. 

Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP) Program to Dijon

The Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP) is one of the longest running international education consortia in the country. Through ICISP, you can study at Dijon, France, located at the crossroads of Europe, is a lively, progressive university city of over 250,000 inhabitants. Capitol of gastronomy and gateway to the prestigious vineyards of Burgundy, Dijon is exceptionally rich in history and art. Heir to the splendors of the glorious court of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon boasts numerous monuments, museums, and architectural jewels including churches, cathedrals, and private residences dating from the Middle Ages.

Travel is an important part of the program and is provided to broaden the students’ experience. A three- day Paris visit—complete with a guided orientation tour, group welcome dinner, museum entrances, and an evening Seine River cruise–is planned before heading by private coach or fast train (depending on group size) to your final destination and ―home for the next four weeks, Dijon.

Also included on one of the weekends of the program is a three-day tour of Provence, including the Roman cities of Arles and Orange, the Popes’ Palace in Avignon, the Pont du Gard, Les Baux de Provence, the Camargue and the Mediterranean coast!

While in Dijon students will visit local art and history museums, visit neighboring towns, tour wineries, and much more.

Academics

Located in the heart of the University of Burgundy campus, the Centre Internationale d’Études Françaises was founded in 1902 and each year welcomes students from all over the world. You receive a minimum of 20 hours per week of instruction from native speaker faculty members who specialize in the communicative teaching of French as a foreign language. You will enroll in two courses:

• Appropriate level of French (4 credit hours)
• INTL 100 Humanities Field Experience (3 credit hours- online)

This online course develops an appreciation of a France’s culture through a greater understanding art, music, literature, philosophy, geography, history and other cultural aspects. Weekends in Paris and Provence are required part of the Humanities course.

Accommodations

Participants will reside in the University of Burgundy’s Résidence Internationale d’Étudiants (international student residence hall) in private rooms with full baths. In addition to a single bed, desk, closet, and plenty of shelving, each clean, modern, comfortable room has a small refrigerator.

Kitchens located close to all rooms provide cooking facilities for those who want to prepare their own meals. Bedding is provided, but not towels.

Meals are not included in the program costs. However, substantial and tasty lunches can be purchased at very low cost (approx. $4) with the CIEF student ID card at the conveniently-located campus cafeterias.

Fees

• Tuition
• Accommodations
• Travel medical insurance
• Paris trip: Transfer from Paris airport to city center, two nights lodging with breakfast included, welcome dinner, guided walking tour, museum entrances and high speed train from Paris to Dijon.
• Provence trip: private bus with tour guide, two nights lodging with one group dinner and two breakfasts, and all museum entrances.

Not included: round-trip airfare, meals, passport fee, travel insurance, Return rail travel: Dijon>Paris (approx. $50)

Eligibility:

• 18 years or older
• 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale
• Completion of at least 12 hours of college-level coursework by the time of departure
• Completion of one college writing course (commonly known as English Composition I and/or II, or its equivalent) with grade of B or better, by the time of departure

Application Deadlines:

• Application time will vary by the Program, and you should consult the program websites linked above.

How to Apply:

To apply, please contact Zach Petrea, the Study Abroad Coordinator at 309-268-8613 or zach.petrea@heartland.edu