Clermont, a student-friendly city
Clermont is a dynamic city and a great place to study with a low cost of living and a high quality of life (International short film festival, international music festivals, theatre, concerts, etc….). The city has an active student population of approximately 40 000 students (around 5,000 are international students) and has witnessed a big increase in its population size during the last few years (+7%) as more people are attracted by the what the city has to offer.
According to the Etudiant ranking of the most pleasant cities in France where to study, Clermont-Fd comes in 3rd position for cities with 30,000 students. Nice score.
One of the undeniable advantages of student life in Clermont-Ferrand is its rather economical cost of living. The cost of housing is among the lowest in the major French student cities (11th out of 46 cities according to UNEF figures in 2017), with a well-supplied housing stock. Students in the city are also entitled to the “Carte cité jeunes” (Youth City Card) which offers significant discounts to take advantage of the local cultural life. And at the start of each academic year the town holds a festival dedicated to “Clermont-Ferrand celebrates its students” for a week to discover all this, which logically goes through the ESC Clermont.
Talking about the region also means talking about its economy. Clermont-Ferrand is the only town in France where a CAC40 company has its headquarters outside Paris, namely Michelin (obviously a partner of the School!). Its industrial ecosystem doesn’t stop at the tyre manufacturer alone since there are also large industrialists such as Constellium… logistics platforms with DB Schenker. There are also other large companies in various fields such as Limagrain, Volvic, the Théa Laboratories, La Montagne… Not to mention the fabric of SMEs and VSEs. As an example, there were no less than sixty micro-breweries in Auvergne in 2020! New technologies are not outdone with groups such as CGI, Almerys and the arrival of a digital district linked to the Clermont Auvergne French Tech. In short, the economic diversity is there.
Finally, the central position of Clermont-Ferrand puts the city less than 2 hours from Lyon (by car), 3 hours from Paris (by train), 3 hours from Bordeaux or Montpellier (by car). Clermont-Ferrand is also open to the world thanks to Aulnat airport and several low-cost lines to all of Europe.
