Your first months at EPITA Paris, sorted. EPITA Paris, sorted.
Visa, CVEC, health insurance, transport and campus life: plain-English guides, checked against official sources. Health, housing, transport, campus life and academics: plain-English guides, checked against official sources.
Which BSc year are you in?
We will show what matters for your year. You can change it any time from the button at the top.
New to EPITA this year? We can show settling-in info (visa, bank, housing) until 1 November.
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Start with these guides All guides
Pay the CVEC and unlock your school certificate
The CVEC is a compulsory yearly student contribution of 105 euros. Pay it online, upload the certificate number in the Student Portal, and EPITA unlocks your school certificate.
Validate your student visa (VLS-TS)
If your visa is a VLS-TS, you must validate it online within 3 months of arrival. EPITA's deadline is 15 October 2026. Keep the attestation with you.
Open a bank account in France
A French bank account (and its RIB) is needed for health insurance, CAF and Navigo instalments. Here is how opening one usually works and what to do if a bank refuses.
Register for French health insurance (Assurance Maladie)
Non-European students register online on the ameli student site, get a social security number, then request a Carte Vitale. Prepare your documents first, especially the birth certificate.
CAF housing aid (APL)
CAF can pay part of your rent, but since July 2026 most non-EU students on a study visa can only get it with a social-criteria scholarship. Check the simulator before you count on it.
See a doctor in France
Book on Doctolib, check the doctor is sector 1 and takes the Carte Vitale, declare a médecin traitant to be reimbursed 70% instead of 30%, and know who to call in an emergency.
Useful guides All guides
See a doctor in France
Book on Doctolib, check the doctor is sector 1 and takes the Carte Vitale, declare a médecin traitant to be reimbursed 70% instead of 30%, and know who to call in an emergency.
Register for French health insurance (Assurance Maladie)
Non-European students register online on the ameli student site, get a social security number, then request a Carte Vitale. Prepare your documents first, especially the birth certificate.
CAF housing aid (APL)
CAF can pay part of your rent, but since July 2026 most non-EU students on a study visa can only get it with a social-criteria scholarship. Check the simulator before you count on it.
Public transport in Paris (Navigo)
Use a Navigo Easy card for single tickets, or subscribe online to the Imagine R student pass (401.30 euros a year, payable in 9 instalments) if you are under 26.
Campus life at Kremlin-Bicêtre
Where International Programs sit, where to eat and print, the student card, the fire alarm, sport, support services and the rules everyone is expected to follow.
Study rules: calendar, attendance and French
BSc term dates, your timetable on Zeus, the Student Portal, the 20% absence rule, how to justify an absence within 48 hours, the French requirement and how to contact the academic team.