Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education, is pleased to announce the sixth annual call for applications for French institutions to host the Summer Schools in France program, formerly known as Community College in France (CCF).
Summer Schools in France is dedicated to expanding and diversifying student mobility between the United States and France. The program offers immersive academic experiences through interactive workshops, site visits, and hands-on vocational training. Organized in collaboration with Community Colleges for International Development (CCID), the program is also open to students from any Minority Serving Institution (MSI).
Since its launch, Summer Schools in France has provided short-term, intensive summer programs tailored for students enrolled in US community colleges. In 2025, the program selected 52 participants for these summer sessions.
Looking ahead to 2026, French higher education institutions will offer summer camps centered around sustainability, exploring themes that intersect with the environment across disciplines such as business, law, development, artificial intelligence, and even culinary arts. These programs aim to highlight how technical and economic innovations can contribute to environmental stewardship, reduce inequalities, combat discrimination, and strengthen democratic values.
Now in its sixth year, Summer Schools in France has become a transformative and sustainable model for study abroad, building strong connections between French institutions and US community college students. This effort is particularly significant given that, although over 40% of U.S. college students attend community colleges, only 1.7% of all study abroad participants come from these schools—a gap often driven by financial and logistical barriers.
To address this disparity, the Villa Albertine offers an affordable and high-quality international experience through Summer Schools in France. The program integrates low-cost tuition and a work-study format with a careful selection process to ensure academic rigor and value. For participating French institutions, Summer Schools in France offers a unique opportunity to engage with a broad network of US colleges and strengthen their international partnerships.
French institutions interested in hosting a Summer Camps in France are invited to submit a detailed proposal outlining their program’s focus and activities. For the 2025 edition, four leading institutions were selected, each presenting a bootcamp centered on sustainability:
- Université de Strasbourg: Sustainable Business Strategies in an International Context
- N+i Engineering Institutes (Paris and Nice): Artificial Intelligence: A New Technology Transforming French Society: Opportunities and Impact
- ESSCA Business School (Angers): Managing Sustainability in Business
- Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne: Sustainovate
Be a Part of Summer Schools in France 2026
The results of the 2026 call for projects will be announced in mid-November 2025 with student applications opening later this fall. Please carefully read the call for applications and apply here by October 31, 2025.