Health and Wellness

Healthcare Coverage

Emergencies but also basic healthcare needs are fully covered under the French system. Upon arriving you’ll receive a Carte Vitale, essentially the registration card tied to your social security number that medical professionals use to identify you in the vast centralized network of healthcare data. In recent years, additional digital services have been made available via the Assurance Maladie (health insurance) website ameli.fr. This includes digital storage of your medical data in encrypted spaces online allowing you to transfer documents such as X-rays for example from the hospital to your general practitioner and consulted specialists for example.

Additionally, as part of your AUP experience, you benefit from an additional private insurance that is standard in your tuition fees. This policy goes beyond the essentials, providing added layers of coverage for a wide range of medical situations. This coverage includes eye glasses, contact lenses, preventive dental treatment, alternative medicine such as chiropractic care, doctors who make house calls (SOS Médecins), and up to fifteen sessions a semester with a psychologist. You'll find that for most medical care—excluding cosmetic procedures, dental, and optical—you often won’t have any out-of-pocket expenses, and when you do it will be minimal.

Mental Health

Living in a foreign country offers an opportunity for self-reflection, growth and personal development. Many expats find that being abroad gives them much needed space to take stock of their past and process things that may have been difficult to gain perspective when caught up in the needs of everyday life at home.

With this in mind, mental health and counseling support are taken very seriously on our campus. The counseling services at the Student Development Office offer a wide variety of support and guidance to students, ranging from help with time management to psychological support for new or ongoing needs. One-on-one support is available through drop-in or scheduled meetings on-campus, or through scheduled appointments with an off-campus mental health care provider. Given that the AUP insurance plan covers up to 15 sessions with a psychologist a year, we encourage anyone who is inclined to take the opportunity to do a self-check in as part of their personal development journey while at AUP. Relevant student organizations include Comfort Club or GenSex for example, and there is also the Wellness Room available to all students to encourage mindfulness.

From stress management to coping strategies, these resources are designed to ensure that your mental health remains a priority throughout your academic journey.

There are over 16 clubs on campus dedicated to keeping fit and well.

Learn More

Exercise

Staying active is an integral part of a holistic approach to health and AUP facilitates this through various avenues. Students can get involved with student groups that focus on sports and activities, from team sports to ballroom dancing. These groups foster camaraderie and teamwork, and of course represent a healthy outlet for physical activity.

As cities go, Paris tends to be less outwardly “fitness-oriented” partly because the amount of walking, biking and stair climbing the average Parisian does on a daily basis is sufficient physical activity for many. That said, there are gyms, dance studios and yoga studios available all over the city. A fair number of people also run and jog with the average Marathon de Paris drawing around 50,000 participants. Take a jog along the Seine with friends from the Running Club, join yoga classes in scenic gardens, or cultivate your inner flâneur by embracing leisurely walks along the city's labyrinthine streets.

Physical activity doesn’t have to be a strenuous chore, so why not use your time at AUP to try new things and find what suits you best?

Read About Physical Activities

Food and Nutrition

Our campus is home to students with diverse diets, from Halal or Kosher, to Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Vegan, Organic, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free or Keto etc. Given the diversity of Paris’ population, the city is filled with restaurants and grocery stores that cater to every special need and food preference imaginable. That said, in some cases like vegan the range of selection of specialty products may be slightly smaller than in some other countries, but what we do have tends to be quite good – you won’t find better vegan cheeses than the artisanal selections that have made their ways into French supermarkets in recent years.

In France, a healthy lifestyle is deeply rooted in good food and conscious cooking habits. French people enjoy above-average health compared to many developed countries, and this can be attributed to a culture that values quality produce, nutrition, and the concept of “le terroir” which celebrates local produce and heirloom flavors. France is known throughout Europe and the world for its strict regulations and quality labels such as AOP, AOC, Agriculture Biologique (organic agriculture), etc.

At AUP, we encourage students to explore this vibrant culture and embrace this age-old ethos. French cuisine is not only about fine dining and Michelin stars, but also local markets that offer some of the best prices on seasonal, fresh ingredients and learning to cook healthy meals on the cheap at home. Sharing home-made meals with friends with the occasional splurge at a restaurant is a great way to learn how to balance nutrition and indulgence, as this you will come to discover is a defining characteristic of the French way of life.

AUP Health Office

The AUP health office is able to assist any student having trouble finding what they need while they are first getting their bearings.

AUP’s health office helps students navigate smoothly through the French health system by:

Ensuring enrollment in either AUP’s health insurance plan or one that is appropriate for an exemption
Assisting with medical appointments, including doctors and specialists
Assisting with finding the right clinics for everything from blood work, x-rays, MRIs, and ultrasound exams to STD tests and contraception advice
Providing direct support as well as referral to a guidance counselor as needed
Guiding throughout the reimbursement process
Assisting with requests for national health benefits and a social security number
Ensuring immunizations are up to requirements