Paul-Valéry University, Montpellier 3

Paul-Valéry University, Montpellier 3 (UPVM) is a public university, one of the successor institutions to the original Montpellier University, which was founded way back in 1289. Montpellier was the third city to start operating a university after Paris and Toulouse. In 1970, the university split into three, with UPVM born out of the arts, languages, social sciences and humanities departments. It was named in honour of Paul Valéry, a famed French writer, who studied at Montpellier. In 2015, Montpellier universities 1 and 2 merged, leading UPVM to drop the Montpellier III from its name. Today, UPVM hosts over 20,000 students and 1,600 staff. The campus is full of beautiful gardens and lawns, with regular concerts and theatre performances held there. Indeed, culture is an important feature of student life at UPVM. It is the only French university to have a theatre and museum on campus. They form part of the university’s cultural centre, which was launched in 2015. This also hosts the university orchestra, which features the university’s students, as well as those from the Conservatoire de l'agglomération de Montpellier. The university runs courses in arts and culture, social and economic administration, languages and social sciences. Montpellier is located on the south coast of France and offers the attraction of many beaches, plenty of sun and a mix of historic and modern architecture. Winters are mild, rather than cold, and it is particularly warm in summer months. Nearly one third of the city’s population are students. The city plays host each year to Cinémed, which is the second largest film festival in France after Cannes.