Participation in the Colloque de l’Accueil – Campus France event – Montpellier
On April 1 and 2, the annual Colloque de l’Accueil 2026 was held in Montpellier, bringing together more than 400 higher education professionals from across France to discuss different issues related to welcoming international students into our institutions.
Elodie Gonnet, advisor for international students welcome, took part alongside Domoina Rakotosolofo from the Institut Polytechnique de Lyon, representing our school and the International Relations Office.
The program was particularly rich and covered a wide range of topics, including the challenges of welcoming international students, as well as the strengths of France’s attractiveness as a study destination. Discussions also addressed student support and guidance toward professional integration. The Montpellier metropolitan area and Campus France presented their welcome initiatives, and the event also provided an opportunity to meet counterparts from institutions in Lyon, as well as those responsible for similar welcome services in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Finally, workshops encouraged the sharing of best practices between institutions and provided an update on regulatory developments related to residence permits, visas, and administrative procedures in France. This conference will have provided inspiring ideas to improve the welcome of international students at IPL and CPE Lyon.
