February 4, 2020 – The Cultural Services of the French Embassy is thrilled to announce the 4th annual call for applications for the Community College in France (CCF) Summer Bootcamp and 4-year Degree-granting programs.

Conceived within the framework of the U.S. Department of State and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Transatlantic Friendship and Mobility Initiative to increase and diversify student mobility across the Atlantic, CCF focuses on hands-on educational opportunities through workshops, site-visits, and vocational training partnering with Community Colleges for International Development and France’s n+i network of top engineering schools to provide quality, affordable study abroad opportunities for American community college students.

Since 2017, CCF has offered two types of study aboard programs: short-term summer ‘bootcamps’ for students currently enrolled in a community college and a four-year degree-granting program for those who have already obtained their associate’s degree. In 2020, CCF will award 45 Summer Bootcamp scholarships and accept several students in the 4-year Degree-granting program.

Over the past four years, CCF has proven to be a mutually beneficial and sustainable study abroad model for both French schools and American community college students. Although more than 40% of U.S. college students attend community colleges, only 1.7% of students who study abroad are from community colleges, often because of the costs and time constraints of studying abroad. The Cultural Services of the French Embassy gives these students attending community college a one-of-a-kind opportunity to study in France by providing accessible and affordable programs. A work-study model coupled with low-cost tuition in French schools and the French Embassy’s rigorous vetting process enables CCF to offer community college students quality education at an affordable price.

For French schools, CCF provides an opportunity to connect with a network of U.S. schools, enabling them to expand their offerings and international notoriety.  Between 2018 and 2019, the number of applications from French schools to host CCF Summer Bootcamps doubled, while 60% of the 2018 host-schools have gone on to create their own low-cost annual summer program for international students.

To become a CCF Summer Bootcamp host, French schools must submit a proposal outlining a program topic and related activities. This year, five French schools have been selected to offer CCF Summer Bootcamps on the following topics: ‘Sustainable Design’ at Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (July 6 – July 19); ‘Green Innovation in Industry’ at University Institute of Technology in Le Creusot (May 25 – June 7); ‘Mountains in a Changing World’ at Université Grenoble Alpes in Grenoble (June 22 – July 10); ‘Female Business Founders at University Institute of Technology le Havre in Normandy (May 25 – June 7); and ‘Science & Technology for Sports’ at the n+i network of engineering schools in Paris (June 7 – 16).

“As our world becomes more interconnected, the benefits of studying abroad increase. This is why the Community College in France program is so vital. It offers a model for students from under-represented backgrounds to access the same life-changing experiences that students from private universities have enjoyed for years,” said Gaetan Bruel, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy in the United States. “The benefits are enormous. Students who enroll in the Community College in France degree-granting program, leave with a Master’s Degree, work experience, fluency in a second language, no student loans, and all the while, they’ve been living in a new country, which offers new perspectives on their professional sphere and the world at large.”

Application deadlines for the Summer Bootcamps close on February 17 (round 1) and March 16 (round 2), and for the post associates 4-year degree-granting program on February 21.

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy promotes the best of French arts, literature, cinema, digital innovation, language, and higher education across the US. Based in New York City, Washington D.C., and eight other cities across the country, the Cultural Services brings artists, authors, intellectuals, and innovators to cities nationwide. It also builds partnerships between French and American artists, institutions and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. In New York, through its bookshop Albertine, it fosters French-American exchange around literature and the arts. www.frenchculture.org

Community Colleges for International Development helps member colleges further their internationalization initiatives and develop globally competent workers by providing a wealth of knowledge, resources, and experience in developing international programs. Founded in 1976 and representing more than 140 community, technical, and vocational institutions from 14 countries, CCID is dedicated to creating globally engaged learning environments. https://www.ccidinc.org/

The Network “n+i” is a consortium of over 50 French Grandes Ecoles d’Ingénieurs. For 15 years it has been the biggest network in France. These schools have elected to combine their international cooperation operations so as to offer a better service to foreign students.   The Network “n+i” Engineering Institutes is a not for profit public benefit association and addresses to students or young engineers with a degree in engineering science (BTech, BEng, BSc, BPhil, Licenciatura or equivalent). The network offers training for engineers aiming for an international career. http://www.nplusi.com/