CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Paris, France

CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Paris, France

Location
  • France
    • Paris
Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
Subject Areas
Art History Business Chemistry Communications Cultural Studies Economics Engineering European Studies Fashion Design Film Finance Gender Studies Global Studies History International Business International Relations Liberal Arts Linguistics Literature Marketing Mathematics Political Science Social Sciences Sociology +14
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, Payment plans, Work study, LGBTQIA+ funding, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
High School Diploma Associates Bachelors
Housing
Apartment Dormitory Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Price Details
Included: Personalized Pre-departure Advising; Tuition & Registration; Travel Medical Insurance; On-site Orientation; Housing; Volunteer Opportunities; On-site Staff Support; Excursions and Cultural Engagement; Host Institution Services & Amenities and more. Scholarships available.
What's Included
Some Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Classes Travel Insurance
Sep 29, 2025
Feb 23, 2026
119 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Imagine spending a semester in Paris, the embodiment of fine art, cuisine, fashion, and more. Home to one of the world’s most beautiful skylines, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame, and the enchanting Seine River, Paris has an incredible history. Experience the beauty of Paris easily by taking the Metro or with the city’s famed public bike system.

Choose from a wide range of courses offered in both English and French at the CEA CAPA Center or take courses with The Catholic University of Paris.

Interested? Click the “Visit Site” button to learn what’s possible!

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

Students appreciate the program’s strong cultural immersion, engaging classes with city-based learning, and supportive staff who assist with housing and safety.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

CEA CAPA provides, in conjunction with Diversity Abroad, Destination Guides which provide resources and tips for Black/African-American students, Latinx students, Asian American students, and all other students of color.
Through our personalized advising, CEA CAPA takes steps to understand the needs of a diversity of student identities like the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition to diversity and identity training, CEA CAPA leadership engage in continuous department level project work to identify and revise policies and practices using the appropriate Justice, Equity, Diversity or Inclusion lens as a frame to reduce bias and barriers that impact students, faculty, and staff. CEA CAPA is intentional in elevating diverse student voices and providing a platform for a broad array of identities to share their experiences abroad. The CEA CAPA World Blog promotes stories and personal experiences from the perspectives of diverse student bloggers and vloggers.
CEA CAPA is willing and able to assist students with learning disabilities and physical disabilities. Students are requested to disclose disabilities through the application health forms as part of their application and in discussion with their application advisor or program manager. The earlier CEA CAPA is made aware of learning or physical disabilities the better we can work with the student, institution, and overseas team to tailor an Individualized Education Program if necessary to support the student.

Impact 🌎

CEA CAPA makes a conscious effort to create study abroad experiences that leave a positive impact on host communities. Each location implements a variety of strategies to support the local community and promote sustainability. Examples include:

Use of recycling bins in Study Center locations and in CEA CAPA housing

Signage in CEA CAPA housing urging students to limit water and electricity usage

Students are often given reusable bags and water bottles upon arrival to limit single plastic use

Students are provided with instructions for acquiring transportation passes to promote use of public transportation rather than taxis

Program Highlights

  • Hands-on learning experiences that transform the world abroad into a classroom
  • Personalized Pre-Departure Advising, including visa and immigration support
  • Courses offered in English that fulfill major and general graduation requirements
  • Comprehensive on-site support, including 24/7 emergency phone
  • Career workshops, Internships Abroad, and Alumni Ambassador positions

Program Reviews

4.80 Rating
based on 82 reviews
  • 5 rating 82.93%
  • 4 rating 15.85%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 1.22%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.05
  • Support 4.75
  • Fun 4.6
  • Housing 4.35
  • Safety 4.7
Showing 73 - 80 of 82 reviews
Alexandra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

10/10 would recommend

People always warn you about the nerves and sadness you feel before you get to your study abroad destination, but they never tell you how you'll feel when you have to return home. That emotion is so hard to comprehend, especially after you fall in love with a city, people, and a study abroad program.

Overall, CEA Study Abroad allowed me to challenge myself and honestly just grow as a person. I became more independent and found new passions in art and politics while also getting to explore old ones in things like travel and exploration. The program even allowed me to shape what I want to study based on the people I had met and the conversations we had had. I can honestly say that after studying abroad, I can't imagine where I'd be right now without those memories, experiences, and friendships. the entire experience is truly inspiring and has driven me to do things at my home university that I could never have imagined doing. CEA was such a great program that had the best staff, and the greatest mix of students that come from all over the country. I would highly recommend CEA to other students especially after seeing all the program has done for me. I am 100% ready to return to Paris and plan on doing so after I graduate from school. Basically, thank you CEA for giving me some of the best moments of my life!

139 people found this review helpful.
Kacie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Semester Abroad!

Studying abroad in Paris through CEA was probably one of the best semesters of my college career.

I loved CEA because it is more than just taking the same old classes in a different location. Every class I took had some sort of relationship to French culture, whether it was a History of Fashion in Paris class or Oenology where we learned about the different wine regions of France (and of course got to taste them all too!). I never felt like I was stuck inside studying on a beautiful day in Paris. Most of the classes I took had excursions as part of the curriculum, so I was constantly exploring new parts of the city. Through the Liberal arts and Social Sciences program, there are never classes on Fridays so I had an extra day to travel during my weekends exploring Europe.

The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I still keep in touch with them today! They are very knowledgeable about the city as well as problems that a lot of students go through when living in a foreign country.

138 people found this review helpful.
Andrea
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience, would definitely recommend!

Upon deciding to study abroad, I constantly wondered what the living situations would be like, what the difficulty of the classes were like, how I would adjust to being in a foreign country, and how I would manage without knowing very much French. Luckily, the staff at CEA really helped me with my pre departure process and were able to answer ALL the questions that I had (and there were many).
Once in Paris, CEA prepped all their students during the first week after arrival. They shared a lot of advice and gave us do's and don'ts so we knew what to expect while being abroad. Until the very last day of my program, I remembered every little detail of information they shared with us because it was so helpful.
I opted for a shared apartment and it exceeded all expectations I had. The apartment was more spacious than I was expecting it to be. Although I should have packed lighter for my time abroad, we were still provided plenty of space for all of our belongings.
Classes are typically Monday through Thursday, which gives you enough time to take weekend trips to other cities like Barcelona, London, and Rome! Weekend travel trips were always very exciting! One of my favorite parts of my semester abroad was traveling with the group of girls that I met through my program. We got to experience different cities, cultures, and foods together. The excursions that the program offers were fun and it was nice to use that opportunity to get to know other people in my program!
I never envisioned that I would want to live anywhere except for Los Angeles, but studying abroad has definitely encouraged me to think globally, not locally! Sounds cheesy, but it's true. CEA challenged me in so many ways and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for me!

141 people found this review helpful.
Samantha
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Fall 2015

I cant begin to explain the affect of studying abroad had on me. I had such a deep love for Paris and my experience that I am applying to Graduate Schools this coming fall to go back. Not only is Paris an amazing location, but the curriculum of CEA pushes you to think and test yourself and your beliefs. I will truly never be the same after my semester abroad, and the personal growth I achieved was well worth the uncertainty, and sacrifice you deal with when moving away from home if even for a short time.

157 people found this review helpful.
Sarah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

One Drop in an Ocean

As an independent person before ever stepping off American soil, I never had a difficult time blending in with the crowd. I could go to the cafe and the park, and take solo walks without feeling lonely or insecure. But for the first time in my life I truly felt small. It's sobering to think about, but I feel more like a citizen of the world for it, I embrace it.

What would you improve about this program?
There was not a lot of opportunity to get involved with local Parisian students. My social activity was always with other international students which was great, but I did not meet a lot of locals.
127 people found this review helpful.
parisian-persuasion
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

go with cea!

i'm very glad i chose cea paris as my study abroad program. the staff is nice and helpful 24/7. the teachers are experienced and passionate. the school's neighborhood is awesome and is in a perfect location. cea helps you get situated in the city well and takes you on trips in france & other places europe (price of trips included with tuition!). make sure to be specific with what you want for housing. some people weren't happy with their housing (dorms mostly). you can't slack and skip classes with cea, you need to go to school and turn in homework. but the teachers are fairly relaxed and you don't need to stress out at any point during the semester about school work. they want you to enjoy your experience abroad! i recommend cea to all who want to see, live, and study in paris! (best city in europe!)

What would you improve about this program?
less focus on mandatory class time and strict attendance rules.
137 people found this review helpful.
Rebekah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience

Awesome program. The staff is amazing and really nice. The classes are pretty easy. The apartments are really nice and in good locations. The city is amazing. They set up day trips and one night trip that is amazing to the south of france. The program is a good size with great people. The metro system is amazing with good hours and we take it everyday. Some of the best people and a great size program.

129 people found this review helpful.
Paris
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Program! (but a few flaws)

CEA Paris is overall a fantastic program for those looking to really learn about the city of Paris. They offer several courses that involve going out into the physical sphere of the city, and using it as a live classroom.

I took Architecture of Paris and History of Haute Couture. Both classes were very interesting and I truly learned a lot about the city. Both professors of the classes were engaging, helpful, and entertaining.

CEA does a great job at providing cultural opportunities for students in Paris. Through CEA, I was able to attend a soccer match, a rugby match, and a cooking class. In addition, the included excursions to Provence, Bruges, Champagne, and Fontainebleau were a good way to experience different parts of France.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the program to other people. The CEA staff is incredibly friendly, accessible, and resourceful, and they definitely take any feedback you say to heart. Paris is a wonderful city and they do a good job to try and help you adjust to it. However, CEA does have a few issues they need to improve on, such as academics and housing, but overall, I had a phenomenal experience.

What would you improve about this program?
CEA's classes generally do not meet on fridays, which is nice for travel. However, when it comes to CEA's academics, the attendance policy could be frustrating at times. As a college student, my belief is that the only one who loses when you miss class is you, because therefore you missed important material. However, CEA disagrees and only lets you miss 4 sessions of a class that meets twice a week for the whole semester. While I am not one to miss class most of the time, it is frustrating for those times when I would want to travel for longer periods of time, or miss class for other events such as friends or parents being in town.

Furthermore, CEA is very strict on switching the type of program you are in once you are in Paris, which is hard because sometimes you do not realize the rigor of the situation until you get there. CEA Paris offers several hybrid programs with the Sorbonne, Novancia Business School, and other French Schools that are definitely more demanding than just the CEA program. I had several friends who realized that they were too overwhelmed in these hybrids programs, but were told that they couldn't switch. CEA Paris' Academic Dean could be a bit rude at times when people would request to switch, so if you do decide to do any of the hybrid programs, make sure you are set on it. As someone who did the Sorbonne hybrid program, I certainly improved my French by having it every day of the week for 2 hours, but it hindered my ability to travel and see the city, so I am torn as to whether or not I would do the hybrid program all over again.

Housing is CEA Paris' biggest downfall. That is not necessarily the fault of the program, but the conditions of the city itself. I was fortunate to receive the exact housing situation I wanted (an apartment in the 11th), however, I had several friends who were VERY unhappy with their housing. I had friends who were put in a homestay who did not want that at all, and other friends who were put into housing that was called an apartment but looked more like a dorm room with a hot plate and a sink. I think if CEA were to provide more apartments in better locations, it would be the perfect program. My advice would be to not take the gamble of being assigned housing, but rather opt for independent housing, and try to sublet an apartment for the semester. Not only would you be able to pick the location and your roommates, but you would also be allowed to have guests stay over, which is against CEA policy. (This is especially useful if you have other friends studying abroad who will want to visit you)
148 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story

Questions & Answers