8:15 a.m., Monday. Clusters of students get off the buses or emerge from the Villejean Université metro station. They all converge on the Rennes 2 site. The influx seems very dense, so early in the season. In fact, the real start of the school year, with the first classes given, will take place next Monday, September 9. This morning of the 2nd is devoted to the pre-start, which allows first-year students to get used to their new environment, to discover its organization, to learn about their schedule, whether they are in human or social sciences, arts, literature and communication, languages or sports (Staps).
The first years started heading to university on Monday. Thomas Bregardis / Ouest-France
“It’s impressive, a group of friends from the Rennes region are surprised. There are so many buildings, so many different subjects. It’s a change from high school.” While many are feeling their way, looking for their lecture hall, where the first information will be given to them, Kayla, 18, from Brest, is not stressed. “I have my little apartment in Cesson. I can calmly start my degree in visual arts,” she confides.
The 5,650 first-year students, out of the 22,000 young people registered for 2024-2025, still have this whole week to finalize their registration and their choice of options. Until now, the reception of “new” students was spread over two weeks. Tightening the schedule made it possible to fit in a week without classes after the Christmas holidays.
Welcoming new Staps (sport) students, including the broadcast of the pre-recorded welcome speech by Vincent Gouëset, the president of Rennes 2. Thomas Bregardis / Ouest-France
2,500 foreign students
The first foreign students are expected on campus this Tuesday. There will be 2,500 of them at the peak of the season attending Rennes 2. Whether they are Spanish, German or Italian, “they are not left to their own devices, assures Amal Jouffe El Amrani, director of international relations. The “Welcome to France” label has been awarded to us since 2019. More than 600 students speak little or no French. “Like these Ukrainians, these Syrian and Afghan refugees that we integrated, after two to three years of learning the language.” Since Brexit, the presence of the British has been decreasing. The phenomenon also affects the Maghreb and black Africa, where “the appetite for French is diminishing”.
The integration of foreigners, like the French, will experience a more festive highlight on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 September, in conjunction with the associations which run the campus.
