France has the chance to be the Fifth most popular country in the world for international students. Thousands of Americans, British, and Australians come here to study. At first, it can seem hard to understand how to make friends in France, but in fact, there are many international students who integrate very well.

The most popular places to study for international students were Paris at 59,179, followed by Versailles at 26,588, and Lyon at 24,150. Other notable cities included Creteil at 21,500, Lille at 15,500, and Toulouse at 15,000.

If you are one of them, you are maybe wondering how to have a memorable stay in France… One of the keys to it is to make good friends with whom you will spend your best moments!

The question can be an idiot for some of you or essential for others: How to make friends in France?

As a foreign student, It can be hard to make friends with French students, especially when they have already established solid friendship groups. Unfortunately, some strangers can feel a gap between them and French students. But in general, if you make an effort to mix like joining associations and sports clubs, then you will get to know lots of French students easier.

One in three international students feels alone… We don’t want you to be that one. Here are some tips to integrate as best as possible!

Take advantage from the start

Take advantage of the first few weeks of university as much as possible. Friendship groups won’t be fully formed yet, so this is often the best time to make friends. While not all students have traveled thousands of miles for their studies, most will have left home for the first time and will be just as keen to find a friendly face as you.

Make friends with students from other parts of France (not the town where you’re studying) or from other French-speaking countries. These students are also studying far away from their own families and friends, and are likely to be more receptive to meeting new people.

Go to as many events as you can

While you are in France it is important that you take advantage of the culture as much as you can. It is truly amazing and there is so very much that you can experience. It would be such a shame to leave and not have enjoyed it all. While it is true that you need to take the time to study and learn what you’ve come to learn, this doesn’t mean that there is still plenty of time to enjoy yourself, too.

On this website, you will find the latest events in the most famous cities for foreign students like Paris, Bordeaux, Strasbourg… It can also help you find the best restaurants, events to not miss, and unusual places to visit for example.

If you are looking for more cultural events, you can check this website. It lists most of them in the entire country.

Try out new activities like discovering the French “Artisanat” craft with the website Le Bon Atelier.

Try house-sharing

Opting for these student halls is a great way to live close to lots of other students. Most properties will have shared communal spaces to hang out in, and lots boast resident social committees that arrange fun meetups for all the students.

Having a roommate is also an accommodation option that is available for you. Many roommate situations can be found throughout France, and not only does this give you the chance to cut back on some of the money that you spend on rent. The chance to live with other people also helps you socialize easier as you meet people who are living with you, their friends, and so on and so forth.

You can easily find an accommodation that is looking for a roommate or post your own announcement to recruit roommates here.

Otherwise, if you want to have accommodation with international people, you can find it in Room4talk, where you will be able to choose the language you want to speak. If you prefer, with a bit of luck, you can find roommates that speak your language.

Participate in university activities 

Universities organize shows and hold conferences, seminars, parties, and sports as well as other outdoor activities as part of the student lifestyle. While the things that are put together will vary according to the college that you have chosen to attend, you can be certain there is a calendar filled with activities that can entertain all. Colleges want their students to learn but they also want them to have a great time in the process. Life cannot be serious all of the time. All of the activities planned by colleges and universities offer plenty of fun for you.

Try Dating Apps!

If you are already bored with your new French friends, don’t worry, you can meet a bunch of new ones with apps!

You may know Tinder, the most famous app for finding a soulmate. But if you want to try new apps. You can always try Bumble!

This app is known internationally but not a lot of Frenchies know this app. So you may discover a lot more foreigners like you in the city. It can be really helpful to talk to international students like you who came here to France and to hear their own stories. Bumble is not only meant for finding your soulmate, you can also look for a good friend or a professional encounter. The particularity of this app is that the first move has to be done by the lady. Women first!

Get a Buddy 

Living in a different country, whose language you might not even speak, can be a bit terrifying in the beginning. Especially when you need to get all that bureaucratic paperwork done before you can pick up your studies. Getting a buddy is a good start to making friends in France.

Buddies are local students that help you take your first steps in the new city.

These services are usually offered by the International Office of your university or your local ESN section. This is a unique opportunity to not only get the best help possible but to also immediately form a friendship with a resident.

Feel Français also has a buddy system. It will let you make friends in France, who will help you during your stay. You’ll have to enter different information that will be used as criteria to find your buddy. That includes your hobbies, preferred nationalities, and languages spoken. Depending on these criteria, the platform will match you with a buddy who will get in touch with you.

And that’s it! Now you just have to enjoy this experience together. If you stay for a long time, you can become a local buddy. It will be your turn to help an international student become more familiar with France!

You can also find a buddy in the section called “Make friends”. There, you can look for other students from our partner schools and find their contact information.

You can also join a group chat on WhatsApp or the forum if you prefer. On the forum, you’ll be able to find accommodation offers, discounts, or tips for your stay in France! 

Join Facebook groups 

If you want to know what’s going on around you, checking a social media like Facebook is always a great answer. There are plenty of Facebook groups and pages dedicated to events, parties, or hobbies. Maybe you have a skill set that someone requires, or somebody is giving recommendations for a cool new spot to hang out. Try to move beyond the usual Erasmus Facebook groups and broaden your perception of things to do in your Erasmus city! If you will study in Paris SOCIALIZING WITH INTERNATIONALS IN PARIS is a famous page on MeetUp with more than 30 000 active members.

I hope all of these tips on how to make friends in France will help you through your stay in France! You can also check out this article, in which a student shares her experience of making friends with our platform.

If you need more information, you have this article, or this one. They list everything that you need to know as an international student in France.

Feel Francais helps you!

On the Feel Francais platform you have access to :

• a student book with photo, email, number, age, gender, city in France, nationality, length of stay, date of arrival, name of the school of our thousands of users! You can contact them to make friends, exchange home for vacation or find a roommate.
• a roommate system: according to your profile, you will match with others students who are looking for a roommate too, to share a flat in your city and decrease your rent!

Discover those services in any of our packs!

Watch this video to discover more about our platform Feel Français: