CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Paris, France

Name: CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Paris, France
Brand: CEA CAPA Education Abroad
SKU: 15932
Rating: 4.75 (55 reviews)

Read 55 reviews

4.75 Rating

Leave a Review

Location

France
- Paris

Term

Fall, Spring, Summer

Subject Areas

Art History Business Chemistry Communications Cultural Studies Economics Engineering European Studies Fashion Design Film Finance Gender Studies Global Studies History International Business International Relations Liberal Arts Linguistics Literature Marketing Mathematics Political Science Social Sciences Sociology +14

Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, Payment plans, Work study, LGBTQIA+ funding, BIPOC funding

Health & Safety

Learn More

View Other Details

Program Details

Program Type

Provider

Degree Level

High School Diploma Associates Bachelors

Housing

Apartment Dormitory Host Family

Language

English

Pricing

Price Details

Included: Personalized Pre-departure Advising; Tuition & Registration; Travel Medical Insurance; On-site Orientation; Housing; Volunteer Opportunities; On-site Staff Support; Excursions and Cultural Engagement; Host Institution Services & Amenities and more. Scholarships available.

What's Included

Some Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Classes Travel Insurance

Last Updated: Jun 13, 2023

Last Reviewed: Apr 02, 2024

Wish List

105 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Imagine spending a semester in Paris, the embodiment of fine art, cuisine, fashion, and more. Home to one of the world’s most beautiful skylines, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame, and the enchanting Seine River, Paris has an incredible history. Experience the beauty of Paris easily by taking the Metro or with the city’s famed public bike system.

Choose from a wide range of courses offered in both English and French. CEA CAPA partners with Paris-Sorbonne University, The Catholic University of Paris, and ESSCA Ecole de Management and has a Paris Study Center. You can take courses at one of these partner institutions, at the CEA CAPA Paris Center, or enroll in hybrid learning program.

In addition to Study Abroad programs, explore CEA CAPA Internships Abroad, our dynamic program that provides hands-on, practical experience to help you rise above the competition.

Interested? Click the “Visit Site” button to learn what’s waiting for you, get out there and learn!

Visit Site

Apply Now

Video and Photos

View All Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

BIPOC Support

CEA CAPA provides, in conjunction with Diversity Abroad, Destination Guides which provide resources and tips for Black/African-American students, Latinx students, Asian American students, and all other students of color.

Learn More

LGBTQIA+ Support

Through our personalized advising, CEA CAPA takes steps to understand the needs of a diversity of student identities like the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition to diversity and identity training, CEA CAPA leadership engage in continuous department level project work to identify and revise policies and practices using the appropriate Justice, Equity, Diversity or Inclusion lens as a frame to reduce bias and barriers that impact students, faculty, and staff. CEA CAPA is intentional in elevating diverse student voices and providing a platform for a broad array of identities to share their experiences abroad. The CEA CAPA World Blog promotes stories and personal experiences from the perspectives of diverse student bloggers and vloggers.

Neurodivergent Support

CEA CAPA is willing and able to assist students with learning disabilities and physical disabilities. Students are requested to disclose disabilities through the application health forms as part of their application and in discussion with their application advisor or program manager. The earlier CEA CAPA is made aware of learning or physical disabilities the better we can work with the student, institution, and overseas team to tailor an Individualized Education Program if necessary to support the student.

Learn More

Impact

Sustainability

CEA CAPA makes a conscious effort to create study abroad experiences that leave a positive impact on host communities. Each location implements a variety of strategies to support the local community and promote sustainability. Examples include:

Use of recycling bins in Study Center locations and in CEA CAPA housing

Signage in CEA CAPA housing urging students to limit water and electricity usage

Students are often given reusable bags and water bottles upon arrival to limit single plastic use

Students are provided with instructions for acquiring transportation passes to promote use of public transportation rather than taxis

Program Highlights

Hands-on learning experiences that transform the world abroad into a classroom
Personalized Pre-Departure Advising, including visa and immigration support
Courses offered in English that fulfill major and general graduation requirements
Comprehensive on-site support, including 24/7 emergency phone
Career workshops, Internships Abroad, and Alumni Ambassador positions

Program Reviews

4.75 Rating

based on 55 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread Study

5 rating 78.18%
4 rating 20%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 1.82%
1 rating 0%

Academics 4.05
Support 4.7
Fun 4.45
Housing 4.35
Safety 4.65

Good for Students, Photographers, History Buffs

Showing 49 - 55 of 55 reviews

I cant begin to explain the affect of studying abroad had on me. I had such a deep love for Paris and my experience that I am applying to Graduate Schools this coming fall to go back. Not only is Paris an amazing location, but the curriculum of CEA pushes you to think and test yourself and your beliefs. I will truly never be the same after my semester abroad, and the personal growth I achieved was well worth the uncertainty, and sacrifice you deal with when moving away from home if even for a short time.

As an independent person before ever stepping off American soil, I never had a difficult time blending in with the crowd. I could go to the cafe and the park, and take solo walks without feeling lonely or insecure. But for the first time in my life I truly felt small. It's sobering to think about, but I feel more like a citizen of the world for it, I embrace it.

What would you improve about this program?

There was not a lot of opportunity to get involved with local Parisian students. My social activity was always with other international students which was great, but I did not meet a lot of locals.

i'm very glad i chose cea paris as my study abroad program. the staff is nice and helpful 24/7. the teachers are experienced and passionate. the school's neighborhood is awesome and is in a perfect location. cea helps you get situated in the city well and takes you on trips in france & other places europe (price of trips included with tuition!). make sure to be specific with what you want for housing. some people weren't happy with their housing (dorms mostly). you can't slack and skip classes with cea, you need to go to school and turn in homework. but the teachers are fairly relaxed and you don't need to stress out at any point during the semester about school work. they want you to enjoy your experience abroad! i recommend cea to all who want to see, live, and study in paris! (best city in europe!)

What would you improve about this program?

less focus on mandatory class time and strict attendance rules.

Awesome program. The staff is amazing and really nice. The classes are pretty easy. The apartments are really nice and in good locations. The city is amazing. They set up day trips and one night trip that is amazing to the south of france. The program is a good size with great people. The metro system is amazing with good hours and we take it everyday. Some of the best people and a great size program.

CEA Paris is overall a fantastic program for those looking to really learn about the city of Paris. They offer several courses that involve going out into the physical sphere of the city, and using it as a live classroom.

I took Architecture of Paris and History of Haute Couture. Both classes were very interesting and I truly learned a lot about the city. Both professors of the classes were engaging, helpful, and entertaining.

CEA does a great job at providing cultural opportunities for students in Paris. Through CEA, I was able to attend a soccer match, a rugby match, and a cooking class. In addition, the included excursions to Provence, Bruges, Champagne, and Fontainebleau were a good way to experience different parts of France.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the program to other people. The CEA staff is incredibly friendly, accessible, and resourceful, and they definitely take any feedback you say to heart. Paris is a wonderful city and they do a good job to try and help you adjust to it. However, CEA does have a few issues they need to improve on, such as academics and housing, but overall, I had a phenomenal experience.

What would you improve about this program?

CEA's classes generally do not meet on fridays, which is nice for travel. However, when it comes to CEA's academics, the attendance policy could be frustrating at times. As a college student, my belief is that the only one who loses when you miss class is you, because therefore you missed important material. However, CEA disagrees and only lets you miss 4 sessions of a class that meets twice a week for the whole semester. While I am not one to miss class most of the time, it is frustrating for those times when I would want to travel for longer periods of time, or miss class for other events such as friends or parents being in town.

Furthermore, CEA is very strict on switching the type of program you are in once you are in Paris, which is hard because sometimes you do not realize the rigor of the situation until you get there. CEA Paris offers several hybrid programs with the Sorbonne, Novancia Business School, and other French Schools that are definitely more demanding than just the CEA program. I had several friends who realized that they were too overwhelmed in these hybrids programs, but were told that they couldn't switch. CEA Paris' Academic Dean could be a bit rude at times when people would request to switch, so if you do decide to do any of the hybrid programs, make sure you are set on it. As someone who did the Sorbonne hybrid program, I certainly improved my French by having it every day of the week for 2 hours, but it hindered my ability to travel and see the city, so I am torn as to whether or not I would do the hybrid program all over again.

Housing is CEA Paris' biggest downfall. That is not necessarily the fault of the program, but the conditions of the city itself. I was fortunate to receive the exact housing situation I wanted (an apartment in the 11th), however, I had several friends who were VERY unhappy with their housing. I had friends who were put in a homestay who did not want that at all, and other friends who were put into housing that was called an apartment but looked more like a dorm room with a hot plate and a sink. I think if CEA were to provide more apartments in better locations, it would be the perfect program. My advice would be to not take the gamble of being assigned housing, but rather opt for independent housing, and try to sublet an apartment for the semester. Not only would you be able to pick the location and your roommates, but you would also be allowed to have guests stay over, which is against CEA policy. (This is especially useful if you have other friends studying abroad who will want to visit you)

Read my full story

This program was great, the staff was very helpful, friendly, and professional. My questions were always answered to their full potential. The ladies who run the front desk loved referring their favorite places to eat, shop, etc. (Which were always great!) The campus is very small, one building, but very comfortable and well kept. I didn't attend the excursions with the program, but I heard they were alright, that going on a trip with the same amount of money would get you more for you dime and would be more enjoyable. The housing was hit or miss, some housing was AMAZING, apartment views of the Eiffel Tower in great neighborhoods, then other apartments were small and in unsafe locations. Some places had no internet and other places it work great! I had experience with their maintenance staff which was awful, our water heater broke and we went 2 weeks with ice cold water before they came and fixed it. Other than that the trip was great and I would recommend this program!

Selecting CEA Paris as my study abroad program was the best decision of my college career. Studying abroad in Paris opened me up in multiple ways, and helped boost my social and adaptation skills and confidence. I would recommend this program to all levels of French speakers and would suggest that they select the dorm living option--I lived in a dorm in the 11th arrondissment and was able to have not only a close relationship with my 11 fellow program members also living there, but it also gave me the opportunity to foster friendships with 50+ international students. Together we all got to know the 11th and the nearby 3rd where our school was within walking distance (located in the chic and youthful Marais. The staff at CEA Paris is incomparably vivacious, and each person made the experience that much more enjoyable for everyone in the program. The curriculum paralleled our experiences living in a city as curious outsiders seeking acceptance and cross cultural communication skills. It was a very comfortable environment, no question was off limits. All of this combined left it easy for me to fall deeply in love with Paris and make lasting friendships that span the globe. Paris is another home for me thanks to CEA.

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I chose this program because it allowed me to intern while I was taking classes. I wanted a program that would help me find job placement and did not require me to be fluent in the language of the country I was studying in. I also liked that their campus was right in the center of Paris, surrounded by museums, shops, and restaurants.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

My program provider and university assisted me with placing me in an internship, registering me for classes, and choosing a place to live, along with who my roommates would be. All I had to organize for myself was my flight, and food (meal plans are not provided). I was provided instructions with how to obtain a visa, but had to get one on my own.

View Entire Interview

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

One piece of advice I'd give to someone going on this program is to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. There are days where the weather is going to be cold or rainy, and you may be tempted to stay inside, but make sure you are making the most of your time abroad. Your semester will fly by before you know it!

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

As a participant of the study/internship program, you will spend about 9-12 hours a week in class and about 12-15 hours at your internship.

Most classes are only Monday-Thursday but I had my internship seminar on Friday mornings and I sometimes worked afternoons or nights on the weekends. However, I still got off from my job for spring break and internships only last for the first few months of the program, so you will still have plenty of time to travel.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear going abroad was the language barrier.

I had taken a few years of French in high school, but am far from fluent, so I was worried about making a fool of myself when talking to locals. I overcame my fear by taking another French class while I was abroad and practicing as much as I could. Anytime I was in a shop or restaurant I would use as little English as possible. I realized that people were appreciative of my effort and did not feel as bad about struggling and was encouraged to keep trying.

What is one thing that surprised you abroad?

I was very surprised at the café culture.

At first, I wanted to be in and out of a cafe as quick as possible. I just wanted to finish my meal and continue on with my day. It was frustrating to not constantly be checked on and see if I needed my bill. However, I came to appreciate how long I could sit at a table and enjoy myself unbothered, and by the end of the semester, my friends and I would find ourselves spending hours in cafés.

Gemma Gonzalez

2017 Alum

Erin Guy

2017 Alum

Susan Zhang

2015 Alum

Erin Foley

Jennifer Kalmbach

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

great wall of china

Did YOU study abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?

Chris: I lived and taught abroad in lieu of doing a traditional study abroad or exchange program. Dual majoring in French and in Economics in college I really wanted to live in France and improve my language skills. It seemed natural to jump in feet first and figure out the rest on the way which made sense only because I was a hyper-independent student with sufficient training in French to work through the administrative and cultural obstacles that I would face.

Today I find myself reliving some of those same challenges and experiences vicariously through our students. I find the most pleasure when a student describes feeling more lost than when s/he arrived. As strange as that may sound it indicates increased awareness about the complexity of the world and active questioning of their place and identity. And that’s why I do what I do!

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Chris: Living abroad is one thing. Teaching and advising students living abroad, through their successes and challenges, is a whole other. Teaching CEA’s Communication & Global Competence course has been a real eye-opener in terms of gauging student’s cultural growth, in more objective terms, while they are abroad.

The course is a forum for making sense of the experience through the lens of cultural competence. Most students who leave the course feel empowered to frame their experiences, “the good and the bad”, in objective terms and guiding them through that process has been instructive for me as well.

paris panorama

What country have you always wanted to visit?

Chris: I want to respond to this question because it seems contradictory to our mission. “Visiting” a country is a weekend or vacation experience in the sense that the cultural contact is by definition superficial. You go look at the architecture, engage minimally with the local inhabitants, try the food, etc.

My friends give me strange looks when I say that, given the means and liberty, I would take a year sabbatical and volunteer as an educator somewhere in the Middle East. The tension between East and West is one I have only experienced as a Westerner and I feel limited by that. Furthermore experiencing the world through yet another set of eyes, as romanticized as it sounds, is my daydream and Arabic is a beautiful language.

What was your favorite traveling experience?

Chris: In 2010 I traveled, with my partner, to Palma de Mallorca, Spain to visit my in-laws. We stayed with his family for 10 days during which we had meals together, visited the the island, met family friends, etc. While the trip had the makings of an extended getaway it was different because of the interactions we had.

Vaux le Vicomte

My cousins-in-law taught me a little Spanish, the least-useful of which I still remember today (isn’t that always the case?). While the family was mostly multi-lingual: Catalan, Spanish, French and English most of the family’s friends spoke “only” Catalan and Spanish.

So navigating communication was a challenge but reminded me a lot of my first days as a teaching assistant in Blois, France when I understood nothing but had to communicate a lot. While the context was informal, friends and family tend to be patient and engaged, the challenge of it all made the experiences so much more rewarding!

Location

Location:

Paris

Currency:

Euro

Weather:

Jan-Mar

54 F / 36 F

Apr-Jun

73 F / 45 F

Jul-Sep

77 F / 54 F

Oct-Dec

61 F / 37 F

Airports:

Paris Charles de Gaulle

( CDG )

Paris Orly

( ORY )

If you talk to anyone that has ben to Paris, they will likely tell you that it felt magical. There is something exceptionally different in Paris; it could be the twinkling of the Eiffel tower every night, the smell of fresh bread wafting through the streets at all hours, the abundance of art, or the sheer beauty of Les Jardins. This city will leave you awe-struck.

About CEA CAPA Education Abroad

With 22 destinations across 13 countries, CEA CAPA Education Abroad offers an ideal balance of academics, internships, and adventure to more than 4,000 students each year. Click on “Visit Site” to explore our study and internship opportunities and find out just out how far international education can take you. Why study abroad or complete an...

Program Details

Pricing

Program Highlights

Alumni Interviews

Alexis O'Sullivan

Why did you choose this program?

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

What is one thing that surprised you abroad?

Staff Interviews

Christopher Edwards

Did YOU study abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

What country have you always wanted to visit?

What was your favorite traveling experience?