International student in France: from polite smiles to a real circle of friends
Student life · Équipe Viatous · 4 min
You arrived with two suitcases, a residence permit to validate and a to-do list as long as your arm. Classes have started, everyone is polite, people greet you with a kiss on the cheek and smile at you in the hallways. And yet on Friday night, your phone stays silent. That's often how it begins for international students in France: surrounded by people, but not yet really connected.
That gap is something you share with a huge number of people. According to Campus France , 443,500 international students were enrolled in French higher education in 2024-2025. Hundreds of thousands of people are going, or have gone, through what you're living now. And many of them are also looking for people to share their new life with.
Understand the codes, without the clichés
Every country has its social habits, and France is no exception. A few patterns come up often, even if they vary from person to person and city to city:
Friendship builds over time. First conversations can feel a bit reserved. That isn't rejection. It's often just the time it takes to go from "classmate" to "friend".
Groups form around activities. A group project, a club, a sport: that's often where real friendships start, far more than at parties.
Taking the initiative is welcome. You can absolutely suggest a coffee, an outing or a study session. People appreciate it.
Build three circles at once
The classic trap is to spend time only with other international students, or, on the contrary, to insist on meeting only French people. The most solid approach is to move forward on three fronts at the same time:
Other international students. They get what you're going through, they're available and often very open. They're your first safety net.
Students in your program. They'll explain how exams work, which professors to know, the best tips. Start with a group assignment or a question about a class.
People outside university. Neighbors, coworkers at your student job, members of a sports club. They anchor you in the city, not just in your studies.
Where to actually meet people
Student associations , especially those focused on international exchange, which organize visits, parties and weekend trips.
University sports. A team, a group class: nothing bonds people faster than sweating together.
Language exchanges. You practice your French, the other person practices your language. Everyone wins.
Volunteering. Tutoring, food banks, cultural events: a great way to meet people who share your values.
Free events in your city : tours, concerts, markets, neighborhood festivals.
French: speak before you're perfect
Many international students wait until their French is "good enough" before speaking up. That's the problem backwards: speaking is how you get better. French people are usually touched when you make the effort, mistakes and all. A simple sentence like "Désolé, mon français n'est pas parfait, mais j'essaie" opens a lot of doors.
And if you're comfortable in English, feel free to lean on it at first, especially in big cities and on international campuses. Switching between the two languages mid-conversation is very common.
Plan for the quiet times
Some moments weigh more than others. On weekends, many French students go home to their parents, and your residence empties out. Over the Christmas break, campus can get very quiet while your family is thousands of miles away. That's often when homesickness hits.
The best remedy is to see them coming. Find the other students who are staying, suggest a shared meal where everyone cooks a dish from home, organize a Sunday outing. And keep regular contact with your loved ones at a fixed time, so the Sunday call becomes a comforting ritual rather than a wave of nostalgia.
Build your network with Viatous
When you arrive in a new country, the hardest part is finding people to do things with. On Viatous , you write what you want to do, in your own words, for example: "I'm a Colombian student in Toulouse, looking for 2 or 3 people to visit a museum on Saturday and practice my French."
Viatous understands what you're after and creates a Room : a small group of 2 to 4 compatible people, online or in person. Roomi, the Viatous robot, welcomes the group, walks everyone through the steps and reminds you of the rules, so meeting up feels easy and relaxed. You show up with your first name, the camera is optional online, and you can leave the Room whenever you want. Going out in person? Read our safety tips .
If you click, the Room can become a Circle , a group that meets again, only if everyone wants to. Little by little, those Circles become your network.
And then one Friday night, instead of silence, someone will ask: "Meet outside the museum on Saturday?" That day, you won't just be surrounded anymore. The free plan includes one completed Room per week, no credit card needed. See how it works .