Are you a student that would be interested in a one-year or a semester exchange abroad? If so, France is an exciting choice! Buffalo State University has a partnership with the University of Toulouse – Jean Jaures in southern France!

Toulouse is known as the Pink City for its unique pinkish terracotta walls, which are unusual in France. The city is located close to many prominent European cities. It’s just two hours to Bordeaux and four hours to Paris, Marseille, Nice, Cannes, the French Riviera, Barcelona, and Spain.

Flights to other European destinations such as Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, or even London, are also very cheap. Compared to other big French cities, Toulouse is a relatively affordable place to live. The transport system, called Tisseo, will bring you everywhere in town. Forget about an expensive Uber!

The city is also very walkable with its medieval narrow streets. Of course, its location in the south of France also means good weather with warm winters and very sunny springs and summers. Make sure to bring your snow equipment to go skiing in the Pyrenees which are less than two hours away.

But don’t think you’ll be lost in the middle of nowhere. You’ll find other students all around as Toulouse is a student city with 150,000 students out of a population of 800,000 people in Toulouse and its suburbs.

If you are a rugby fan, Toulouse is the place to be in France. You can enjoy watching a game at a bar downtown in Saint Pierre square.

As Toulousians like to say, this city is like a big village, and it’s impossible to get lost. And even though French people are known to be kind of rude, the people in Toulouse are known for their warmth and kindness. For example, they never forget to thank the bus driver when they leave the bus.

As a student from Buffalo State, this is the opportunity to experience life in a European campus of 33,000 students. The entire catalog is open to American students, and it’s even possible to find some classes in English for History and English majors. Nevertheless, in order to be able to deal with everyday life, it is recommended to take at least one or two French or Spanish classes before you head across the Atlantic to start your adventure in Toulouse.

Students interested in studying at the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaures or in other universities abroad can contact Study Abroad Advisors in the Office of Global Engagement by emailing [email protected].