Housing Exemption Requests

Residency requirement

An essential part of the University’s approach to providing a unique and unparalleled experience is the development of a community spirit amongst its’ undergraduate student population. Central to this is our ‘residency requirement,’ encouraging students to live with one another in their first year at AUP.

All entering first-year students are required to be housed in AUP-approved shared housing for their first year, as are visitors for the duration of their stay. Transfer students must be housed by us for their first semester. Most students arrange housing by reserving with our housing partner, BlueStripe (formerly known as Comforts of Home), which provides shared living arrangements in apartments around Paris. By sharing a home with fellow classmates, you are able to take advantage of AUP’s rich cultural diversity right from the start of your experience here. Alternatively, some students may choose to apply for one of our limited homestay options to learn about the city from a local’s perspective.

AUP-approved housing options are carefully designed to ease your integration into Paris and to help you to initiate social links, creating a sense of community amongst you and your classmates. Over the course of the first year, our Housing Office team leads an initiation process that prepares students for the autonomy of living on their own in the city the following year.

Exemption policy

Students who are over 23 years of age, or who can demonstrate that they have a residence in Ile-de-France at least six months prior to enrollment, may request exemption from this residency requirement. In this case, you are required to submit the following documents to the Housing Office:

• Passport or ID card copy if over 23 years of age by the first day of orientation
• Proof of address in the form of a lease, rent receipt, or utility bill in the student’s or family member’s name, dated at least six months prior to the student’s start date at AUP. In the event that your proof of address is not in your name, please provide a copy of the ID card of the person you live with, as well as a short signed letter explaining how they are related to you and stating that they will be housing you for your first year of studies. We will evaluate this and respond to your request accordingly.

The University may also grant an exemption for medical reasons. Please send a written request detailing your medical situation along with a physician’s reference letter.

Deadlines for exemption requests are May 1 for the fall semester, and November 15 for the spring semester. If you confirm your attendance with AUP after those dates, you must file for exemption no more than 5 (five) business days after your confirmation of attendance.

PLEASE NOTE: students who have not reserved their housing or been granted an exemption before the aforementioned deadlines will not be allowed to register for University courses, and those students who have not fulfilled their financial obligations to our housing providers will be administratively withdrawn from classes.