The University

Cergy-Pontoise University

Cergy-Pontoise University, founded in 1991, welcomes 14,675 students for initial and/or continuing training courses of whom 1,900 are international students, on 7 sites located in the Val-d’Oise area, which is about 25 km from Paris.

A strong original identity

• 160 bachelor, master and doctorate degrees in a wide range of fields. In addition to the courses traditionally available in all major universities, Cergy-Pontoise offers vocational courses responding to the needs of today’s economy. The university is an expanding state-funded scientific, cultural and vocational establishment made up of : 5 teaching an research faculties : law, economy and management, modern languages, literature and humanities, science and technology, an administrative training institute (IPAG) and a university institute of technology (IUT).
• 22 research teams, 8 of which are associated with the CNRS (National Center of Scientific Research)
• 248 partnerships with foreign universities
• 14% of foreign students, representing 94 nationalities

A well-known University

Cergy-Pontoise University is ranked :
• first among French Universities in the field of literature
• second in the field of history and geography
• third in the field of law
• fourth in the field of modern languages
• and is France’s foremost multidisciplinary University in terms of facilities placed at the student’s disposal

Excellent conditions for studying and a pleasant environment

• 1 teacher for 24 students
• the University is equipped with 1,500 computers for 93 computing rooms (Internet access, word-processing software)
• academic libraries : 1,575 seats, more than 140,000 documents
• public halls of residence belonging to the CROUS and private halls of residence
• French as a foreign language courses (CILFAC) for foreign students after evaluation tests

An academic and dynamic economic and cultural pole

• More than 24,000 students enrolled in 14 higher education establishments
• An attractive region : more than 44,000 firms located in the Val-d’Oise department, 400 new firms per year, 800 foreign companies with a large contingent of Japanese firms.
• 16 cinemas, 19 museums, the Cergy-Pontoise recreational park (250 hectares, of which 150 are for nautical and land sport activities)...

Identification form
Cergy-Pontoise university
Address : 33, bd du port - F 95510 Cergy-Pontoise cedex
Status : Public _ Name of the town : Cergy-Pontoise
Number of students : 14,675
Percentage of foreign students : 13%
Degrees : Bachelor, Master, Doctorate
Other national degrees
Establishment degrees
French language courses for foreign students
Program of study for foreign students
Amount of registration fees : between €0 (Erasmus and cooperation agreements) and €200.
Social security : €205

Cergy-Pontoise University ranking

The March 2005 issue of the French student magazine, L’Etudiant, reviewed undergraduate courses available at French universities. The University of Cergy-Pontoise was ranked first for French(ahead of Mulhouse and Paris X), second for history & geography  (but first in the Paris area, ahead of Lyon II), third for law  (but first in the Paris area, Lyon II and Poitiers being ranked 1st & 2nd nationally), and fourth for languages (but first in the Paris area with Mulhouse, Corsica and Brest top nationally).
This second national ranking confirmed the findings of the Nouvel Observateur magazine in 2003 where Cergy-Pontoise was deemed to be France’s top multi-faculty university in terms of student facilities.

Thierry Coulhon, Dean of the university :
“In 10 years - because the figures analysed were from 2001 - we have turned Cergy-Pontoise into a university worthy of France’s finest centres of learning.
It is not surprising that a modern, university offering a broad, well-balanced course structure at undergraduate level provides students in the Val d’Oise and Yvelines region an ideal environment to further their education.
The quality of life and teaching is carried over into degree courses, as witness the results we achieved in the public engineering and teaching qualifications.
The appeal of the university to postgraduate students is largely due to our dynamic approach to research, with a recognised level of excellence in mathematics, economics, geology and physics, as well as our achievements in helping our students to find jobs.”

Detailed figures :

Getting to Cergy-Pontoise

Since Cergy-Pontoise is located just twenty miles from Paris, the easiest way is to take a flight to Paris, arriving at either Charles-de-Gaulle (closest) or Orly airport.

There are a number of ways to get from the airports to Cergy-Pontoise :

If you are arriving at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport, you can take the : Connex bus number 95-18 that goes to the town of Cergy every hour. The trip lasts one hour and costs 1.90 €.

Train : from Roissy you should take the RER B towards Robinson or Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuses, alighting at Châtelet-les-Halles to change to RER A towards Cergy-le-Haut. Alight at Cergy-Préfecture. RERs run frequently ; total journey time is about 75 minutes and costs €13.90.

If you are arriving at Orly airport, you should take the ORLYVAL shuttle towards Antony. At the Antony RER station, take the RER B towards Mitry-Claye, alighting at Châtelet-les-Halles to change to the RER A towards Cergy-le-Haut. Alight at Cergy-Préfecture. RER services run frequently ; total journey time is about 90 minutes and costs around €15.

If you are arriving at the Gare Saint-Lazare, take a train towards Cergy-le-Haut, alighting at Cergy-Préfecture. The journey lasts 45 minutes and costs about €4.65. If you are arriving at the Gare du Nord, take the RER D towards Villneuve Saint-Georges. Alight at Châtelet-les-halles and change to the RER A towards Cergy-le-Haut. Alight at Cergy-Préfecture. Total journey time is about 1 hour and costs €5.40.

You can also take a taxi to Cergy, although the cost will obviously be higher - expect about €45 from the centre of Paris.

Learn more about the two Paris airports : http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/
and the trains : http://www.sncf.com/

- Once you have got to Cergy-Préfecture, you will easily be able to spot the Les Chênes campus (5 minutes from the station) where you will be able to meet the administrative staff and visit the university’s international & cultural relations department (SRIC).

- Walking from the RER stop, for Les Chênes RER line A3, towards Cergy-le-Haut, station Cergy-Préfecture. After going through the turnstiles, turn left and take the escalator up to the Place de la Fontaine. Take the Rue du Marché Neuf opposite. Cross over the first carpark, then the road and then the second carpark to the footbridge leading to Les Chênes.

Getting around Cergy-Pontoise

There are basically two ways to get around Cergy-Pontoise :

STIVO buses
STIVO runs 16 routes numbered 34-58 and which run from 6.30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bus tickets are €1.90. Timetable
The main routes are :
• n° 36 : Pontoise/Cergy-Préfecture/Courdimanche,
• n° 38 : Pontoise/Cergy-Préfecture/Vauréal-Menucourt,
• n° 45 : Pontoise/Cergy-Préfecture/Cergy-Saint-Christophe.

RER
RER tickets cost €5.40.
• Line A : Cergy-Préfecture/Paris/Cergy-Préfecture.
• Line C : Pontoise/Paris/Pontoise.

The University campus

Les Chênes
33, bd du Port - 95011 Cergy-Pontoise CEDEX
Tel : +33 134 256 000
The Les Chênes campus at Cergy-Préfecture hosts the dean’s office, administration, the faculties of law, economics & finance, language and French & humanities, the Financial Vocational College and the Faculty of General Administration (FGA), as well as the student union, the International Relations department and the Cultural departement(located in the Les Chênes tower).
Reception is open from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and can be found on the ground floor in the entrance hall to the Les Chênes building 1.

Saint-Martin
2, av. Adolphe-Chauvin - BP 222 - Pontoise - 95302 Cergy-Pontoise CEDEX
Tel : +33 134 256 000
The Saint-Martin campus at Pontoise hosts the biology, IT, mathematics and theoretical physics departments of the Science & Engineering faculty. Reception is located at the security office on the ground floor of the St Martin building 1. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Cergy-Saint-Christophe
49, avenue des Genottes - BP 8428 - 95806 Cergy-Pontoise CEDEX
Tel : +33 134 257 145
The Cergy-Saint-Christophe campus hosts the Technical College’s sales & marketing department and the Language faculty’s vocational degrees.
Reception is located in the hall and is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Neuville-sur-Oise
5, mail Gay Lussac - Neuville/Oise - 95031 Cergy-Pontoise CEDEX
Tel : +33 1 34 25 68 30/60 00
The Neuville campus hosts the chemistry, experimental physics, Earth sciences and environment departments, the civil engineering vocational college, electrical engineering & industrial IT vocational college within the science & engineering faculty, together with two Technical College departments : electrical engineering & industrial IT and civil engineering.
Reception is located in the hall of Neuville 1 and is open Monday to Friday from 830 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Getting to Les Chênes and Saint-Martin

By car : coming from Paris, exit porte Maillot towards La Défense, follow signs to Cergy-Pontoise (A86).
A15 head towards Cergy-Pontoise, exit 9. From Versailles, follow signs to Beauvais until you get to Cergy-Pontoise (N184).
By RER : Line A3 towards Cergy-le-Haut, alight at Cergy-Préfecture. Line C, alight at Pontoise.
By train : from the Gare Saint-Lazare and Nanterre-Université, alight at Cergy-Préfecture.
By bus (Les Chênes campus) : from Pontoise (Canrobert) 44, 45, 56, 57 alight at Cergy-Préfecture.
By bus (Saint-Martin campus) : from Cergy-Préfecture, 44 alight at Plateau Saint-Martin.
From Pontoise (Canrobert) 36, 44 alight at Plateau Saint-Martin.

Getting to the Saint-Christophe campus
By car : from Paris, porte Maillot, head towards La Défense, following signs to Cergy-Pontoise (A86). A15 head towards Cergy-Pontoise, exit 11 (left at the roundabout). From Versailles, head towards Beauvais until you get to Cergy-Pontoise (N184).
By RER : line A3 towards Cergy-le-Haut, alight at Cergy-Saint-Christophe.
By train : from the gare Saint-Lazare and the gare du Nord, alight at Cergy-Saint-Christophe. By bus : 34 North, 40, 44, 45 Cergy-Saint-Christophe station.

Getting to the Neuville campus
By car : from Paris, porte Maillot, head towards La Défense, following signs to Cergy-Pontoise (A86). A15 head towards Cergy-Pontoise, exit 7, then take the N184 towards Versailles/Jouy-le-Moutier/ Neuville-sur-Oise (turn right at the lights). From Versailles, head towards Beauvais until you get to Cergy-Pontoise (N184).
By RER : line A3 towards Cergy-le-Haut, alight at Neuville-Université.
By train : from the Gare Saint-Lazare and Nanterre-Université, alight at Neuville- Université.
By bus : 34 South, 49 (A-B-C).

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