Université Grenoble Alpes came into being on January 1, 2016 after three separate universities within the city merged to form one, cohesive institution. Previously divided by discipline, Université Joseph Fourier, Université Pierre-Mendès-France, and Université Stendhal have all come together to create a single university representing all faculties and studies. As the third largest university in the country, UGA boasts of over 45,000 students and more than 11,000 faculty and staff spread throughout 24 different faculties.
Since the three universities merged, any course of study can be pursued at UGA by Washington College students, whereas our previous agreement with Université Pierre-Mendès-France was limited to studying the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Language. Any course of study that can be pursued at Washington College can also be pursued at UGA. All classes will be taught in French by UGA faculty members, and every department (or faculty) has a representative from the International Office to guide and advise exchange students. The exchange student advising is done by the Service for European and International Relations, a team that is over 30 staff members since the merge.
Historically, Grenoble is where the French Revolution germinated and where Napoleon returned from his exile on the Isle of Elbe. On a lighter side, Grenoble is a beautiful city surrounded by mountain ranges which offer alpine skiing in the winter and over 4000 km of trails for hikers in the summer. The city is conveniently located 537 km from Paris, 331 km from Nice, 100 km from Lyon, 145 km from Geneva, and 240 km from Turin while also at an important crossroads to Italy and Switzerland.
The Office of Housing for University Exchanges helps exchange students find suitable accommodations in and around Grenoble. Most students find it more affordable to share an apartment with other UGA students.
| Université Grenoble Alpes Grades |
Washington College Grades |
| 20-14 |
A |
| 13 |
A- |
| 12-11 |
B+ |
| 10 |
B |
| 9-8 |
B- |
| 7 |
C+ |
| 6 |
C |
| 5-4 |
D |
| 3 or below |
F |
Please consult with the French Department prior to studying abroad. A full course load at Université Grenoble Alpes is 20 ECTS credits per semester and 40 ECTS credits for the academic year. If you take a full course load at Université Grenoble Alpes, you will receive a full course load at Washington College (16 credits/semester; 32 credits/academic year). If you take less than the full course load you will NOT receive a full course load at Washington College.
| Université Grenoble Alpes Credits |
Washington College Credits |
| 6 ECTS credits |
5 credits |
| 5 ECTS credits |
4 credits |
| 4 ECTS credits |
3.25 credits |
| 3 ECTS credits |
2.5 credits |
