Studying in FranceAfrican student associations in France: how to find the one for your country
Welcome, mentoring, tips, cultural evenings: the association of students from your country is often the best shortcut on arrival. Where to look, how to check it is active, and how to create one if it doesn't exist.
Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas
Information checked on 11 September 2026.
In their first weeks in France, many African students look for the same thing: someone from home who has already been through it. The association of students from your country, in your city, is often that shortcut. It knows the campus, the procedures, the neighbourhoods, and it organises the evenings where you finally meet familiar faces. You still have to find it, check it still exists, and know what to do if it doesn't. This guide covers all three cases. For the admission procedure itself, see our complete guide to Campus France.
What an association of students from your country gives you
An association of Cameroonian, Senegalese, Ivorian or Beninese students is not a closed club. Depending on its size, it plays several roles:
- welcome: welcome evenings for newcomers at the start of the year, first contacts, advice on procedures;
- mentoring: a more advanced student who answers your questions about courses, exams and the university;
- tips: where to shop, how to look for housing without falling into a trap, which university services to turn to;
- cultural life: national holidays, cultural evenings, sport, food from home;
- representation: speaking up for the community's students with the institution or other bodies;
- the network: alumni, whether they stayed in France or went home, who know the job market.
They take several forms, and it helps to tell them apart:
| Type | Scale | What you find there |
|---|---|---|
| Association of students from one country in a city | city | welcome, mutual help, evenings |
| Pan-African or regional association | campus or city | students from several countries, often very active |
| International student association of the institution | campus | welcome for all international students |
| Embassy or consulate service | France | follow-up of grant holders, guidance (not an association) |
Finding your country's association: five leads
1. Your institution
The international relations office and the student life service know which associations are active on campus. Many institutions keep a directory. In Lyon, for example, the Lyon Campus student association directory has an "Accueil des étudiants internationaux" (international student welcome) filter and a keyword search: a search for "camerounais" brings up the Association des étudiants et jeunes Camerounais de Lyon (AEJC Lyon). Our guide to studying in Lyon details what else the city offers on arrival.
2. The Journal officiel des associations (JOAFE)
Every declared association has its creation published in the Journal officiel des associations et fondations d'entreprises (JOAFE), France's official gazette of associations. Its online search, on journal-officiel.gouv.fr, is free and lets you filter by RNA number, SIREN number, location, sector of activity or publication date. Search for example for "étudiants sénégalais" or "étudiants ivoiriens", limited to your city's département. The notice gives the association's exact name, purpose and registered address.
3. The Répertoire national des associations (RNA)
Every declared association receives an RNA number, a W followed by 9 digits. The register, kept by the Ministry of the Interior, is published as open data on data.gouv.fr, but as large files to download, not as a search engine. For a one-off search, use the JOAFE instead, or the Annuaire des Entreprises (annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr, the official business directory), which also lists associations.
4. Social media
Many student associations live mainly on Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp. Search for "étudiants [nationality] [city]", and also for acronyms: associations often go by their initials (AE for "Association des étudiants", followed by the country and city). Check the date of the latest posts before concluding that a page is alive.
5. Your country's embassy or consulate
Some countries have a service in France dedicated to their students. The SGEE (Service de gestion des étudiants sénégalais à l'étranger), attached to the Embassy of Senegal in France, follows grant holders and more broadly supports Senegalese students: guidance, access to housing through agreements with landlords, internships. It is not an association, but this kind of service usually knows its nationals' associations. For other countries, check your embassy's website or call the consulate you depend on.
Checking an association is active before you commit
A student association lives at the pace of its members: when the committee graduates and leaves the city, it can fall dormant without ever being dissolved. A JOAFE notice proves it was declared, not that it still operates. Before relying on it:
- look at the date of the latest posts on its social media and the last event announced;
- check in the JOAFE whether recent changes have been published (new address, new officers);
- send it a simple question and see whether anyone replies;
- beware of anyone who, in an association's name, asks for money for housing or a visa procedure, or requests a copy of your passport. An annual membership fee is normal; a payment to "reserve" accommodation you haven't visited is not.
No association? Create your own (loi 1901)
If your country's association does not exist in your city, or has faded away, nothing stops you from starting it. Declaring it under the loi 1901 (the French law of 1901 on associations) is simple and free.
Once declared, the association gains legal capacity: it can open a bank account and apply for grants. Without a declaration, a group of friends remains an "association de fait", with no legal existence. Two points to note: in Alsace and Moselle, and therefore in Strasbourg, a local regime applies, with registration at the court; and if the association ever pays you, that is employment, which counts towards the 964 hours a year allowed by your student residence permit.
Also talk to your institution's student life service: it can help with a room, visibility or calls for projects. To keep the association going over time, our articles on volunteering in diaspora associations and on creating a diaspora community take these first steps further.
Getting your association listed on Compatri
Compatri keeps a directory of associations that bring the diasporas in France to life, presented city by city: culture, mutual help, students. It is not exhaustive, and automatic sign-up is not yet open to French associations. To have yours included, write to us from the contact page with its name, city, RNA number, a link to its website or social media and a few lines on what it does. Every request is reviewed by a person before publication.
Don't wait for the start of term to find your people
The association covers your campus; the Compatri community covers your city. On Compatri, a community brings together a country of origin and a city, for example Senegalese in Paris or Ivorians in Lyon: students, settled families, alumni, everyone who knows the ground. Your city's page, such as Compatri in Paris, shows the communities present and upcoming meetups. You can join yours free of charge, even before you leave; some require a moderator's approval. The "Étudiants africains" group, shared by all cities, covers grants, degree equivalences, student housing and support between campuses. Why to start early, and how: that is the subject of our article on joining your community before you leave. Compatri does not give legal advice: for the statutes or any doubt about your situation, contact the associations registry or a maison des associations (local associations centre) near you.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the student association for my country in my city?
Start with your institution's international relations office and student life service, which know the associations active on campus. Then search the Journal officiel des associations (JOAFE), free of charge, filtering by département, and social media with "étudiants [nationality] [city]". Your country's embassy and Compatri's association directory are two further leads.
How can you check that an association officially exists?
Every declared association has an RNA number, a W followed by 9 digits, and its creation is published in the JOAFE, which can be searched free of charge on journal-officiel.gouv.fr. The Annuaire des Entreprises also lists associations. Be careful: these registers prove an association was declared, not that it is still active; also look at its recent posts and latest events.
How much does it cost to create a loi 1901 association?
The declaration is free, whether it is made online with the e-création service on service-public.fr, at the associations registry or by post. Publication in the JOAFE, sent automatically by the registry, is also free. The one notable exception: in Alsace and Moselle a local regime applies, with registration at the court and publication costs.
How many people do you need to create an association?
You need at least two people: the statutes must be dated and signed by at least two officers, who state their surname, first name and role in them. The declaration also includes the list of officers with their name, occupation, address and nationality, as well as the minutes of the founding meeting.
Can my country's embassy help me find a student association?
Often, yes. Some countries have a service in France dedicated to their students, such as the SGEE attached to the Embassy of Senegal, which follows grant holders and supports Senegalese students with guidance, housing and internships. These services usually know their nationals' associations; otherwise, check your embassy's website or contact the consulate you depend on.