University of Poitiers, France

image of portiers

Marquette University Law School currently participates in an exchange program with the University of Poitiers (France). In an exchange program, Marquette students pay the same tuition and fees to Marquette that they would pay for a regular semester at Marquette, but students are enrolled in and attend classes at the foreign law school.

Established in 1431, the University of Poitiers is the second oldest university in France and counts François Rabelais, René Descartes, and Francis Bacon amongst its former students. Highly regarded within France, the University of Poitiers provides courses in Science, Liberal Arts, Pharmacy and Medicine, Engineering, Law, Economics, and Management. Poitiers provides a student friendly environment with the highest per capita student population of any city in France.

More information about the University of Poitiers is available here.

Poitiers is the capital of the Poitou region and is only a few hours from Paris by TGV (high-speed train). Located in the west of France, Poitiers is in close proximity to the Loire Valley, dozens of charming chateaux, an excellent wine region, and Basque country just to the south. The Futuroscope--part interactive learning center and part theme park--is located just outside Poitiers and pays tribute to the technologies of multimedia in several wildly imaginative pavilions. Normandy, Brittany, the French Riviera, the Alps, London, northeastern Spain, and northwestern Italy are all within half a day's train travel.

A “fact sheet” with additional information about the semester exchange program with the Faculty of Law at the University of Poitiers is available here.

Students selected to participate in the exchange program will enroll in classes at the foreign law school according to procedures established by the foreign law school. In addition, students must enroll in the Law School course Law XXX Study Abroad – Poitiers University. Only the Law School course will appear on the student's transcript.

Students will be awarded credit only for classes approved in advance by the Law School Director of Study Abroad Programs and for which the student earns at least the equivalent of a grade of C. All credits awarded will receive a grade of Satisfactory unless the student fails to achieve a grade of C in any class, in which case the student's transcript will show that the student earned no credit for the course with a grade of Unsatisfactory. Students will be awarded credit for classes taken in exchange programs depending on the number of hours of classroom instruction for each class.

French language proficiency is mandatory for this exchange. Students should not count on residents of Poitiers and the surrounding region being able to speak English. The University of Poitiers offers a selection of political science and law courses that are taught in the English language, but the variety of English language courses is limited. Additional law courses are taught in French. Note that course offerings change from semester to semester and that the University of Poitiers cannot guarantee that exchange students will be able to enroll in all of their preferred courses.

The University of Poitiers offers French language courses to interested exchange students while they are enrolled in law classes. Law School credit is NOT awarded for the French language instruction courses.

The number of Marquette Law students permitted to participate in a semester exchange at the University of Poitiers is limited to a maximum of two each academic semester, and there may be certain semesters when no exchange positions are available at all.

Application Deadlines:

September 15 for exchange visits during the following spring semester

April 1 for exchange visits during the following fall semester

For further information about the semester exchange program with the University of Poitiers, contact Professor Ed Fallone, Director of Study Abroad Programs, at edward.fallone@marquette.edu.

IMPORTANT: The application process begins with approval from Prof. Ed Fallone, the Law School’s Director of Study Abroad programs. If you would like to apply for a semester exchange at the University of Poitiers, contact Prof. Fallone before the deadline date. Do not contact the University of Poitiers directly.

Return to the Study Abroad Overview