This
page provides information for outbound KSU exchange students.
Outbound
Exchange to:
L'Ecole
de Design Nantes Atlantique
On campus
Address:
Atlanpole
de Chantrerie
Rue Christian Pauc - BP 3067
44306 Nantes Cedex 3 - France
Website: www.lecolededesign.com/english/
Exchange agreement since: July
2008
Exchange semesters: Spring
or Fall
Process
overview:
Each academic year the “Classe Internationale” (Product
Design, Spatial Design or Interaction Design) welcomes approximately
40 foreign students and 10 French students.
Workshops are conducted in English and French. Therefore a basic
command of both languages is recommended.
To
apply for exchange at Nantes, you must first be selected by KSU's
Architecture Department.You need to
provide a portfolio, and pass an interview test.You must also
take a TOEFL test and
satisfy the International Exchange committee members that your English
is good enough for you to study successfully in Europe.
After your
exchange is approved by KSU, we need to send your application to
Nantes. Exchange information page here,
with link to download application forms here.With your application
you must send the following documents to Nantes:
1. A CV (personal history)
2. A cover letter (explaining your interest in exchange at Nantes)
3. A copy of your passport main pages
4. A portfolio
Deadline for exchange application: May
15 (for Fall), November 15 (for Spring)Accommodation:
Student
residence near the school:
Facilities :All rooms are individual and fully furnished. You have a fridge as
well as your own bathroom with toilet. There is a kitchen on each corridor. You
have Internet access in each room and there is a common TV and entertainment
area.
You need to buy or bring : Cutlery, plates, a pot to cook food.
There are regular buses leaving from there to our school, the bus ride takes
about 15 minutes and most importantly, you are right next to a tramline that
conveniently takes you all across the city. (Tramline 2, tram stop “Bourgeonnière »)
The rent is : 219,40 euros per month. Rent includes electricity and water.
(There
is no cheaper rent to be found in Nantes, these rooms are subsidised by the French
government).
More information from a Canadian site:
Fresche
Blanc
is
divided
into
2
buildings. There are 635 students with 30 students to a floor. It is located
in northern
Nantes, fairly close to
the Faculté des
lettres (10-15 min. walk). Close to tram line #2 and downtown is about 15 min.
away on the tram. The residence is also close to a shopping centre. There is
one kitchen on each floor complete with oven/hot plate and a shared refrigerator.
All rooms have their own sink and lots of storage space—sheets and blankets
are provided. The entire residence is served by 2 washing machines and 2 dryers
in Building B, tokens are available from the Accueil desk. There is also a pay
phone, a T.V. room, a ping-pong table, a study hall, leisure library, dark room
and weight room.
Estimated
living expenses for one semester (not including accommodation): Minimum:
420.00 euros per month
The French Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour and Solidarity (Ministère
des Affaires Sociales, du travail et de la solidarité) sets
an official minimum financial resource of Euro 369.37 per month
(approx.
50,000 yen), though individual consulates may require more
when examining visa applications.
Students wishing to study in France will be required to prove that
they meet
this minimum resource level, but they should not consider
this a sufficient amount for living in France. In practice, even
a sum of Euro 420.00 per month (approx. 56,000 yen) is most unlikely
to
cover usual living expenses (housing, food, medical expenses, transport,
etc.)
Cost of accommodation for one semester: from
250-380 euros per month
Visa
application process: Citizens
from non-European community countries require a passport issued in
their country of origin. The passport must not expire before the
end of the study year.
•
For foreigners wishing to stay in France, the first step is generally
to obtain a visa from the French Consulate in their country of origin
(Tokyo Embassy handles
visas in Japan).
A
short-term Schengen visa is good for 24 countries: Austria, Belgium,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary,
Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, for a
stay of up to 3 months.Information here.
Visas for non-European students
If your stay in France lasts for more than three months, you must
obtain before
your arrival in France a long-term student visa. The request for
the form must be
made at the French consular services in your country of residence.
In order to obtain your visa, you will be asked for the following
documents :
•
Proof of your admission or pre-enrolment at the University of Nantes
(use your official letter of acceptance sent by post)
•
Proof of your monthly income of at least €426
•
A valid passport
With your visa, you will receive a form, which you will need to
complete upon
your arrival in France and send to the OFII. The school will help
you with these
procedures. You will then receive a certificate from the OFII,
which you will need
to keep safe. They will finally call you for a medical check and
an interview and
put a stamp in your visa. Only after receiving this stamp are you
authorised to
travel to other countries.
A long-stay visa affords temporary authorization for residence
in France
pending issue of a residence permit (carte de séjour), and
specifically
includes the wording «voir carte de séjour».
The holder of a long-stay visa
must complete the residence permit application procedure within
a period
of three months.
If you have entered France on a long-stay visa,
you need to (unless specified
otherwise on the visa) apply for a temporary student’s residence
permit.
Documents you will need during your stay in France
Non European students
•
A minimum of 8 passport photos
•
An accommodation certificate (we will give you this when you arrive)
•
3 copies of school certificate in French
•
Health card and vaccination certificate (The health card and vaccination
certificate is a document we ask from our French students, who automatically
get one in France. If a student needed urgent medical care, it would
be useful if the doctors were aware of previous vaccinations, so
if this exists in Japan, please bring it. Otherwise, it is
not obligatory.)
•
Private health insurance if you are 28 years old or over (otherwise
you can
buy it from the Smeba once you arrive)
•
Money for rent and deposit
•
A copy of your birth certificate translated into French by an authorised
translator (we found one in Kyoto)
•
Your bank details in your home country
•
Proof of your financial resources of the last 2 years (if you want
to benefit
from the French housing benefit -- exchange students have the right
to housing benefit, and if they areinterested in requesting it they
will need to declare their resources for the previous year. If they
have 0 resources, they can simply declare this
online without
having to provide proof).
If you are under 28 years old, you are obliged to sign up to the
French social
security system, which cover costs for your health care. The cost
of French
social security is 198 Euros for one year ( it is not possible to
pay for just half a year). We will help you sign up when you arrive.
Vital
Information:
The École
de design Nantes Atlantique is a private college that was founded
in 1988 and is managed by the Nantes Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
550 students are currently enrolled in the school.
The 5 year curriculum is state-approved and its diploma is certified
by the Ministry of Higher Education. A large part
of the program concentrates on design projects that are carried
out in collaboration with industrial partners. This program allows
foreign students to enrol for 3rd year level studies over one or
two semesters.
The first and second semester of the International Class have as
an aim to transfer the appropriate know-how to students in order
for them to carry out a design project from A to Z.
Links
for town/region: Wikitravel Nantes Tourism Office
Money
Conversion:
1
euro = 133 yen (Sept. 09)
Contact:
Zoe
Lacey
Student Coordinator
Location of international office:
In
the 'secrétariat pédagogique" – take
the corridor on the left from the main entrance.
click 
