Institut d’études Politique de Lille, also known as Sciences Po Lille, is an exchange destination for University College Utrecht students in Lille, France.
Institut d’études Politique de Lille is especially interesting for social science majors with tracks in politics and international relations.
2 students per semester
Fall Semester: Mid-September - Late December (including exams)
Spring Semester: Mid-January - Early June (including exams)
This destination has a language of instruction other than English. This means that you need to have at least a language proficiency level of CEFR B2 French. You need to complete French Language and Culture II (UCHUMFRE21) or get an exemption from the UCU Language & Culture coordinator, and it is your own responsibility to achieve at least B2 French. This language requirement is partly for your own protection, so you can take courses at the same level as you do at UCU, and partly because we believe it allows you to have an experience abroad that is more immersive, enriching and culturally valuable to you.
At Institut d’études Politique de Lille there are English courses available, but the possibility of oversubscription means you might have to take courses in French.
Fall Semester: April 15th (non EU-students) or June 1st (EU/Erasmus students), Spring Semester: mid- November (all students).
Courses have levels varying from 1st (beginner) to 5th (advanced-master) years. In the list of courses (see above) you can easily find the level.
The IEP works with the ECTS system and requires its students to take 30 ECTS per semester.
Grades in France are given on a scale from 1-20, 20 being the highest grade. This converts to UC-grades according to the following table:
| A+ | 16.5-20 |
| A | 16 |
| A- | 15 |
| B+ | 14 |
| B | 13 |
| B- | 12.5 |
| C+ | 12 |
| C | 11 |
| C- | 10 |
| D+ | 9 |
| D | 8 |
| D- | 7.5 |
| F | 1-7 |
IEP does not have a campus, but international students can ask the University to bring them in contact with some Landlords or contact the ‘Bureau des Internationaux’ (‘the BDI’), which also can give advice on how to find a room.
An off-campus room in Lille is cheaper than in Utrecht: appr. €300. Living expenses will be more or less equal to those in the Netherlands. You’ll probably use the metro quite often – a ticket costs just over one euro.
The first two days of every semester are reserved for an introductive seminar and for administrative registration. Lastly, there is the student organization (‘the BDI’), which takes care of the arrival and integration of Internationals into Lille and the IEP, organizes cultural activities etc.
Finding housing on your own in Lille can be very hard, but BDI will definitely help you out. Former exchange students advise you to get to know French people, as many exchange students tend to stay in their own group and speak only English to each other. Apart from that, Lille houses many nice museums and clubs for all tastes. And of course there’s the famous French cuisine...
In your free time, you will of course never be bored in this metropolis – all museums are free for students, there are ‘thousands of bars’ and daily events. See also this link.
For information about the requirements for studying abroad, the application procedure and more, go to UCU's Study abroad page.
You can browse through all UCU exchange destinations and UU exchange destinations in the exchange catalog.