Exchange students' Frequently Asked Questions

Exchange students' Frequently Asked Questions

Upon your arrival

When and how can you get your student ID?

You will receive your Student ID (which grants access to the ENS-PSL campus, library, and cafeteria) during the Exchange Student Welcome Day on August 30th, 2024 or upon your arrival. 

This card is used for :
• access to all or part of the school premises depending on the student’s status,
• access to the school’s libraries and to borrow books, 
• access to the school’s restaurant and cafeteria.
It is valid proof to benefit from student discounts (in museums, cinemas, public transportation, etc.).

You can access the restaurant as soon as you have obtained your student ID and after having credited your account on this card. You can do so
• from the intranet, on the page Rechargement compte restaurant
• or by credit card on the machines located at the entrance to the restaurant and in the cafeteria. Remember to ask for your receipt the first time you visit the restaurant (it is otherwise not given to save paper) in order to get your ID number at the bottom of the receipt.
In the cafeteria, you can pay with your student ID or by credit card. In the restaurant as in the cafeteria, it is not possible to pay in cash.

Opening hours
Restaurant: Monday to Friday from 11.40 am to 2 pm
Cafeteria: Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm

Prices
Exchange students enrolled at the ENS-PSL benefit from special prices (around 4,10 euros). They will be automatically taken into account on your student ID 24 hours after its issue. You can access the restaurant before this date, but at the normal rate, i.e. €11.30.

  
The ENS-PSL provides various digital services to exchange students, most of them accessible through your ens.psl.eu email address and login and password, which will be sent to your personal email address by the beginning of your mobility.

Here are the services available to you:

• A WIFI connection on site
Use your login and password to access it.
If you have not received them by the beginning of your mobility, you can obtain them from the Centre de Ressources Informatiques (CRI). Send to assistance-cri@ens.psl.eu your mobile phone number, date of birth and a copy of the front of your ENS-PSL student ID.

• Self-service computer rooms with printers
Access is via your login and password.

  1. Pantheon      Campus: at 45 rue d’Ulm, Info 3 and Info 4 rooms on level 1 of the NIR and      near the War Memorial
  2. Montrouge      Campus: 7th floor of Tower C
  3. Campus      Jourdan: ground floor in Hypnos building

Enter your login and password to find administrative information and electronic documents.

• Software
Via the ENS-PSL, you can get scientific software, Mathematica and Matlab, for free. If you want to use them, contact spi@ens.psl.eu.

A coordinator is there to answer your questions and inform you about what we can do to support you. You will find all the information on a dedicated page on the intranet (you will need your ENS address to access it).

Discovering the school

How to participate in orientation?

You will be able to choose the various events and activities via the "Mon agenda" page. You will receive an email in August giving you access to this platform.

Access to each of the libraries requires specific registration. To register online, go to www.bib.ens.fr, then click Préinscription.

Arrival of exchange students (pensionnaires étrangers) living on campus

Where will I live?

Erasmus+ exchange students must find accomodation in Paris by their own means. The DRI and PSL Welcome Desk are happy to provide information and advice[GG1]  for finding housing. Pensionnaires Etrangers exchange students have been contacted concerning their housing situation for 2024.

We invite you to communicate as soon as you can your date and time of arrival to the Accommodation Service (hebergement@ens.psl.eu) and to the International Office (dri@ens.psl.eu).

If you are a pensionnaire étranger and have not yet received a message, please contact dri@ens.psl.eu.
The rooms are approximately 12 square meters and furnished (bed, mattress, bedside table, desk, chair and shelf) but you must bring with you or buy your bed sheets, pillow and blanket. Each floor has a kitchen equipped with hotplates, a refrigerator, an oven and microwave. The toilets and the showers are on the landing. This page offers an overview of the rooms. The exact location and the number of your room will be communicated upon your arrival.

Insurance

Within one month after your arrival, you should send a copy of your comprehensive civil liability insurance (“assurance de responsabilité civile”) at hebergement@ens.psl.eu.

You can get this insurance through your own bank or purchase one in France through:

  • a bank (examples : Société      Générale, Crédit Agricole, BNP Paribas, Banque Populaire, Caisse      d’Epargne, LCL, etc)
  • or an insurance      company/provider online (examples: Allianz, MAAF, AXA, Groupama, GMF,      MACIF, MATMUT, Direct Assurance, etc).

You will probably have to purchase an insurance for one year, but if your stay is shorter, you should have the possibility to cancel your contract at your departure and get reimbursed.

For exchange students who don’t benefit from housing on campus, here are useful links to help you in your research for accommodation in Paris:

Download "Housing Guide" from PSL Welcome Desk, and "Accommodation tips" sent by the ENS International Office. 

New students will arrive from August 28 on. You will pick up your key at the same time as your multifunction card. It is essential to make an appointment via this website's Agenda. Please note that there is no time slot open on Saturdays and Sundays.

Before picking up your key: you must send your bank details as well as a payment authorisation to hebergement@ens.psl.eu when you confirm your coming to ENS and ask for accommodation.

No, unfortunately that will not be possible.

If you are staying on campus, you have a postal address at 45, rue d’Ulm, 75005 Paris. Please do not forget to specify your room number so that the mail service can deposit your letters in your locker on the Ulm or Jourdan campuses.

Please note that it usually takes a few weeks to set up the pigeonholes. Before that, you will collect your mail at the service courrier opposite the main entrance of the 45.

Parking at 46 rue d’Ulm
For occasional access to this underground car park, contact the DG at dg@ens.psl.eu : they will be able to give you a car park card in exchange for a deposit (ID or €20 by cheque or cash). You can keep this card for 8 days only. The badge is to be passed at the top of the ramp (the reader at the bottom opens the door only halfway, for pedestrians).
Longer or more regular access to the car park at 46 rue d’Ulm is possible for a limited number of vehicles. In order to submit your request, you have to fill out the online form on degetteweb, print it out and send it back to the DG with the necessary documents (including an insurance certificate). If your request can be satisfied, your ENS card will be activated for parking access in the following working days.

Parking at 45 rue d’Ulm
During the opening hours of the site, it is possible to access a parking space occasionally and outside weekends. To request it, please send an e-mail at least one working day before you want access to the security staff at 45, rue d’Ulm (securite.ulm@ens.psl.eu). Please give the following information: surname, first name, contact number, reason and vehicle registration number.

Campus Jourdan
The parking lot at Jourdan is reserved for Jourdan staff only. However, when you move in you may use the fire lane at 46 boulevard Jourdan, as briefly as possible
To do so, please send an e-mail at least one working day in advance to the Jourdan security staf (securite.jourdan@ens.psl.eu) indicating your name, first name, contact number, reason and vehicle registration number.

In any case, it is advisable to read the parking regulations.

The rooms are equipped with a network connection plug: there is no Wi-Fi network in the dorms.
You will need a 3-metre RJ-45 network cable (or 5 metres depending on the layout of your room).
Wired connection details are available on the intranet.

On the intranet, which everyone can access once they have obtained their login and password. This year, the regulations are complemented by specific instructions related to the health context. By living on campus, you agree to respect them.

You can contact DRI (dri@ens.psl.eu) as your main point of contact. Otherwise you can contact the Délégation Générale at dg@ens.psl.eu and consult their FAQ. You can also contact the accommodation office at hebergement@ens.psl.eu.

You can contact DRI (dri@ens.psl.eu) as your main point of contact. Otherwise you can write to the accommodation office at hebergement@ens.psl.eu, with a copy to the DG (dg@ens.psl.eu).

  • In case of an emergency
Depending on the campus where you are staying, here is the list of the numbers of the central security posts of the different sites:
  • Ulm : 01 44 32 37 77
  • Jourdan: 01 45 88 66 26
  • Montrouge : 01 58 07 65 18

If you need to contact student representatives, the COF/BDS/DG mobile numbers are in the annuaire des élèves (directory).

  • What should I do in case of damage, technical problems, repairs needed?
For any problem in the room (or common areas such as the kitchen) requiring technical intervention, you can report it to travaux@ens.psl.eu, with a copy to the DG (dg@ens.psl.eu).
In the subject of your email, clearly specify the problem, and in the body of the email do not forget to indicate your room number.

  • Replacement of equipment, presence of pests
For any problem that does not require a technical intervention, you can report it to the accommodation office via hebergement@ens.psl.eu with a copy to the DG (dg@ens.psl.eu).
Please note that the logistic service does not take back beds and does not lend extra mattresses.