How to apply ?

The CPS2 Master program is co-operated by Mines Saint-Étienne and Université Jean Monnet. Depending on their status, students will apply and register at one or the other institution:

  • Mines Saint-Étienne: for students already enrolled at Mines Saint-Étienne (ICM or ISMIN), and students whose school has a partnership agreement with Mines Saint-Étienne.
  • Université Jean Monnet: for all other students, French or foreigners.

Most students, French or foreigners, must apply via the application form of Université Jean Monnet (open). Applying online takes only 10 minutes, provided that you have the requested documents ready.

  • Deadline for non-EU applicants: 31 May
  • Deadlines for EU applicants: 30 June
  • Final notification: 15 July

Registration and tuition fees: Admitted students will register for the Master’s program at Université Jean Monnet. Tuitions fees are the following:

  • M1: national tuition fees €250 + CVEC + €500
  • M2: national tuition fees €250 + CVEC + €250

The extra cost contributes to:

  • French courses;
  • A dedicated secretariat, with help for housing, prefecture, opening of accounts, various…;
  • A Welcome week (explanation of the “academic landscape” and general, company conference, …).

Students already enrolled at Mines Saint-Étienne (ICM or ISMIN), and students whose school has a partnership agreement with Mines Saint-Étienne, must apply via the the application form of École des Mines. This Application form will open mid-February 2024, and close end of May 2024.

Registration and tuition fees: Admitted students will register for the Master’s program at École des Mines.

  • Exchange students coming under the framework of a bilateral or Erasmus agreement are fully exempted of tuition fees.
  • For other students, the national tuition fees apply: €250 + CVEC

Different from Université Jean-Monnet, students do not pay for extra services. Our dedicated secretartiat provides support, but does not book accomodations or open bank accounts on the behalf of students.

Admission procedure

Before the 1 of July you will get the notification and the certificate of admission and the certificate of residence.

You need to officially commit to the Programme by completing a Letter of Commitment. Additional info regarding housing & banking service, your financial ability to cover expenses associated to your participation in the Programme and the cost of living during the full period of your enrollment in the Programme need to be informed.

Upon reception of your letter of commitment and subject to demonstrated evidence of financial means, the administration will send you a scan of your certificate of admission, signed by all hosting institutions, stating the precise dates of the Programme mobility scheme that will serve supporting all visa applications you’ll need to undertake during the Programme.

You will need also a certificate of residence to apply to a French long-stay student visa. See below for accomodation options.

Student VISA Application

EU citizens or the European Economy Area (EEA): no visa required (a valid passport or ID card is sufficient)

Non-EU citizens: Apply for a french long-stay student visa. There is an official website for visas in France. Feel free to browse it to obtain any information you may need to prepare for your studies in France. Based on our previous experience, visa issues demand much time and attention. Sometimes it might take up 4 months. For a more effective result, please start with the visa paperwork as soon as possible. (i.e., as soon as you have received the certificate of admission and certificate of residence.

Application procedure subject to country of origin: please contact the French embassy or consulate in your home country and the local Campus France Office when relevant for the academic interview prior to the visa application.

Housing in Saint-Étienne

University Jean-Monnet students: Residence booking has to be done for at least a semester. Students will have to make their choice carefully because they cannot change residency after their arrival (one month’s warning is required to leave/cancel your reservation) or they would lose the security deposit and 1 month of rent. Note that UJM is not directly involved in the process and the contract between the student and the private residency providers.

Here is the information regarding housing: https://univ-st-etienne.studapart.com/ .

Make sure to follow each step carefully and contact “Studappart” if any doubt. They will provide you with the certificate of residence you will need for the visa application process ( see.previous point).

Please find here a map indicating the location of the student residences in Saint-Etienne.

Students are also advised to seek advice from current UJM international students regarding residence options.”

Mines Saint-Étienne students:

We work with the students’ house located a few hundred metres from the school.

  • Residence “Maison des Elèves”: Fully equipped and furnished rooms, two-room accommodation for couples, fully equipped kitchen on everyfloor - launderette – bicycle garage and car park – indoor and outdoor sports equipment – music studio – photo lab. You can book for the duration you need a “temporary room” for 29€/night. The rates are decreasing according to the duration of the stay.

Venue

Here is the information you can read to help you organise your arrival and studies in Saint-Étienne, once you have been accepted into the CPS2 programme.

Flight booking and travel arrangement are your own responsibility. We advise you to book your flight ticket as early as possible. A return ticket is always cheaper than a single one: think ahead if you wish to go back home for the winter break (last two weeks of December). You can book a flight to the cities of Paris or Lyon depending on the best fare you can get, both destinations being equally convenient to come to Saint Etienne.

Once you’re in France, you must settle by Monday the 7th of September in the residence you’ve booked.

Don’t forget to bring some cash in Euros (at least 200 € for travel expenses).

From Paris Airports (CDG, or ORY)

From Paris Airports airport, you can either:

  • take the subway to the train station Paris Gare de Lyon, then take a high-speed train to Lyon or Saint-Étienne. There are usually 2 or 3 direct journeys from Paris Gare de Lyon to Saint-Étienne. It takes 2h45 and cost vary significantly depending on time of departure and date of booking, from €50 to €100 .

  • from the train station in the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG), there are trains to Lyon Part-Dieu. The journey takes 2h and cost vary significantly depending on time of departure and date of booking, from €50 to €120.

NOTE: Train tickets can be purchased upon arrival directly at the train station, or you can buy e-tickets with a QR-Code online.

From Lyon

From Lyon Saint Exupéry airport (LYS), you must take the Rhonexpress train from to Lyon Part-Dieu train station, the journey takes 30 minutes and cost around €15.

From Lyon Part-Dieu train station, there are regional trains (“TER”) to Saint-Étienne Chateaucreux train station. There is a train running every 30 minutes, the journey takes 45 minutes and cost around €12.

NOTE: Train tickets can be purchased upon arrival directly at the train station, or you can buy e-tickets with a QR-Code online.

Once in Saint Etienne

From Saint-Étienne Chateaucreux train station, you can easily reach your residence by tramway (a tram station is located in front of the train station and ticket can be purchased at the tram station).

  • Saint-Étienne Chateaucreux to the residence “Carr’Etude”

Take tramway in direction Bellevue/Solaure or Hopitâl nord/La Terrasse and get off at “place Fourneyron”. Then walk by PLACE FOURNEYRON, then RUE CHANTEGRILLET, then SQUARE DU TEMPS PASSÉ to arrive to 33 ALLÉE CHANTEGRILLET.

  • Saint-Étienne Chateaucreux to the residence “Le Littré”

Take tramway in direction of T3 Bellevue/Solaure get off at ANATOLE France. Then walk by RUE GAMBETTA, RUE DU ONZE NOVEMBRE, RUE BAR-THÉLEMY RAMIER, RUE ÉMILE LITTRE.

  • Saint-Étienne Chateaucreux to the residence “La Cotonne”

Take any tramway in direction of Bellevue/Solaure or Hopitâl nord/La Terrasse and get off at “place Fourneyron” , then walk to the bus stop ST ETIENNE – FOURNEYRON , take the bus line N°3, COTONNE-TERRENOIRE in direction of Cotonne.

Locations

  • Université Jean-Monnet:
    • Carnot Campus - Tram stop “Cité design”
      • for courses (B-Building or Télécom Saint-Étienne)
      • Data Intelligence Team @ Laboratoire Hubert Curien (F-Building)
  • Mines Saint-Étienne
    • Main buildingt - 158 cours Fauriel (Bus M6 « Ecole des Mines »)
      • for administrative tasks
    • Espace Fauriel – 29 rue Pierre et Dominique Ponchardier (Bus M6 « Espace Fauriel »)
      • for courses
      • Computer science and intelligent systems @ Mines Saint-Étienne (4th Floor)

Health Insurance

French Health Insurance is free for international students. International students have to register online by themselves as soon as they have proceed to administrative registration at MINES Saint Etienne.

  • Civil liability: Mandatory, approximately €15 to be paid at Mines Saint-Étienne.
  • Repatriation: Recommended

Living Expanses

Approximately €700/month, including local transport, food and housing. Housing benefit for EU students and non EU students with a long stay visa approved by the French Office for Immigration and Integration, which is equivalent to a residence permit.

Student Life

90% of Mines Saint-Étienne students live in the friendly and comfortable “Maison des Elèves”. They have access to over 40 organised student associations (international association, sports, arts, culture, entertainment), as well as a rich programme of events and activities offered to the student community from Saint-Étienne and Lyon (25,000 students, 3,000 international students, 30 nationalities only for Saint-Étienne campuses). You will have an inception week to meet all your new classmates

Other essential Informations

About the housing allowance (CAF)

If you’re a non-European student and need a residence permit, the payment of housing allowance will only start when your residence permit is issued and when the CAF has received a copy of your residence permit. However, we’ll help you to required this housing allowance as soon as the inception week because the date of this is the date of the request that will be taken into account to calculate your rights. Make sure that you have with you all originals or certified copies of your application and a translation in French of your birth certificate (The CAF office will require it to process your student housing benefits).

About the French health insurance

Subscribing a student health insurance and civil liability along administrative registration at the Mines SaintEtienne is compulsory for all students under 28 years old or less at the 1st of October of the academic year:. If you’re older than 28 years old, you can benefit from the France’s Universal Health Insurance Coverage (“Couverture Maladie Universelle”).

About the residence permit

European students don’t need a residence permit to study in France. Non-European students are required to apply for a residence permit to OFFI upon arrival. When the VLS-TS visa is issued, the consulate will give you an official form (with instructions). Mines Saint-Étienne have entered into agreement with OFFI, (the “Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration“). You are not therefore requested to contact directly OFII, the International Office will process the application on your behalf. Following documents will be required:

  • The official form you received from the consulate that issued the visa; A copy of passport pages showing the visa holders identity and the stamp indicating entry into France (or into the Schengen area); a fee of €58 will be charged. You may be in addition requested to have a medical check-up before issuance of the residence permit.
  • The residence permit is a sticker on the French visa and is valid 1 year and allow you to stay up to 90 days in any country of the Schengen area. Both visa and residence permit must therefor be renewed in case you’re coming back to France for the summer break or Master Thesis (Semester 4).
  • Algerian students need to apply to a residence permit within 2 month upon arraival and will be also subject to this tax. However, because they do not obtain an extended-stay visa with residency permit, they may not use the virtual stamp purchased online. Instead, they must purchase the paper version.