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Le Cours Mirabeau, Aix-en-Provence
Fall 2019 Wellesley-in-Aix group, visit to les Gorges de Verdon
Fall 2018, Aix-en-Provence
Fall 2019 Wellesley-in-Aix group at the Montagne Sainte-Victoire
Fall 2019 WIA group, Palais des Papes, Avignon
Wellesley-in-Aix 2012-2013 group at the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, Aix-en-Provence
Spring 2020 group in Nice
Admission
We welcome applications from well-prepared students who have completed the equivalent of at least 5 semesters of college-level French, including at least one French course in the semester immediately prior to the semester or year abroad. Students must have a demonstrated interest in France and French-speaking cultures and be eager to meet the challenges of studying alongside French peers. Students applying from other institutions should consult their academic advisors or contact Wellesley’s Campus Director in the French and Francophone Studies department to determine equivalencies. The program is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors.
Students from all disciplines are welcome. While many WIA students declare French as a major, this is not a requirement: the majority come from a broad range of academic disciplines, including anthropology, art history, international relations, language studies, linguistics, political science, psychology, and sociology. Numerous courses in Aix may count toward these majors.
In recent years, participants have included students from Amherst, Bowdoin, Brandeis, Colby, Columbia, Cornell, Hamilton, Harvard, Haverford, Princeton, Swarthmore, Tufts, Wesleyan, Williams, and Yale.
All students take a mandatory French test during the first week in Aix in order to evaluate their skills and readiness to take university courses. Students who do not meet the minimum level requirement (B2 in the Common European Framework) must take the WIA course on academic writing skills and methodology in Aix.
March 1- Fall and Full Year Applications
October 1- Spring Applications
At the time of applying, all students should hold a valid passport. If you do not currently have a passport, you should plan to apply for one ASAP.
Wellesley Students:
Non-Wellesley Students:
Hélène Bilis is the Campus Director of the Wellesley-in-Aix program and Associate Professor of French in Wellesley's French department. She is the liaison between program staff in Aix-en-Provence and Wellesley's French department. Professor Bilis specializes in early modern literature and culture, with a focus on theatrical works and institutions, and their connection to 17th- and 18th -century developments in political power.
Finances & Policies
The program fee for 2023-24 is $84,240 for the full academic year; $42,120 for one semester. The tuition portion of this fee is $64,320 for the full year and $32,160 for one semester. Once announced, program fees do not change with fluctuations in the dollar-euro exchange rate.
*Travel Stipend is to be used for round-trip airfare to and from France, travel from the airport to the orientation location and travel to the airport for your flight home. This stipend will be direct deposited to the bank account you have on file with the college, in July for fall students and in December for Spring students. Full year students will receive stipends in July and December.
For non-Wellesley participants, a non-refundable deposit of $500 is due upon acceptance.
Three, four, and five month payment plans are available to students and families for the fall and spring semesters. For more information, visit Financing and Loan Options.
For payment information please refer to Wellesley's Student Financial Services web page.
Wellesley students please review the information on financial aid for study abroad on the OIS website. Non-Wellesley students should contact their home schools for details on financial aid for study abroad. The program offers scholarship funding to well-qualified students from outside Wellesley who demonstrate financial need. To be considered for a scholarship you must submit the Wellesley-in-Aix Scholarship Application Form linked here and submit it with your program application.
Budget for Fall Semester 2023 and Spring Semester 2024
Billed Expenses
Tuition- $32,160
Room- $5,160
Board- $4,800
Non-Billed Expenses
Airfare- $0 (included)
Books and Personal Expenses- $1,384
Health insurance coverage is required. Participants will automatically be billed for Wellesley College’s insurance covering study abroad, but may waive it so long as they have insurance that will cover their medical expenses abroad.
Students are also covered automatically by the college’s supplemental emergency medical assistance and evacuation/repatriation insurance.
A student withdrawing from the program must give written notice to the resident director. Living quarters must be vacated within one week of notice and left in clean condition.
Students will receive no credit for their coursework if they withdraw from the program before the end of the academic term.
Conditions and deadlines with respect to the refund policy will be sent to applicants upon acceptance into the program.
Withdrawal from all programs: The $500 acceptance fee is non-refundable . In the event of withdrawal before the final day of classes at Wellesley College the semester preceding the student’s semester in France, a $500 housing cancellation fee is retained.
Additional deadlines:
Full-year program : In the event of withdrawal between the last day of spring semester classes at Wellesley College and the August departure for France, 25% of the full-year comprehensive fee will be retained . Between the August departure for France and the last day of fall classes, 50% of the fee will be retained. After November 1st, there will be an additional cancellation fee of $3,000.
If a student completes fall semester after having notified the program before October 15 of his or her intention to withdraw from spring semester, there is no penalty.
Fall semester program : In the event of withdrawal between the last day of classes of the spring semester and the August departure for France, 25% of the fall comprehensive fee will be retained . If the students withdraws between the August departure for France and the last day of orientation, 50% of the fee will be retained. If the student withdraws after the last day of orientation, no refunds are given.
Spring semester program : In the event of withdrawal between the last day of classes of the fall semester and the departure for France, 25% of the comprehensive fee will be retained . If the students withdraws between the departure for France and the last day of orientation, 50% of the fee will be retained. If the students withdraws after the last day of orientation no refunds are given.
The above deadlines may be subject to change.
