The Abbey
The Abbey has been waiting for you the last
1,000 years. Set in the heart of France in the
beautiful Loire Valley, The Abbey’s ancient
campus will welcome you and change your
life. A resident campus with its own chapel
and historic gardens, The Abbey is a new
school of thought in global learning.
The Location
Known all over the world for natural beauty,
vineyards and the many chateaux dotting its
landscape and lining its mighty rivers, the
Loire Valley, located near Paris, long served
as a refuge for French aristocracy and its
royal families. More recently, the Loire
Valley has become France’s most popular
summer travel destination. Our campus is
located in the heart of this region, in the
town of Pontlevoy. Less than 30 kilometers
from the three great chateaux of the valley,
Pontlevoy and The Abbey are just a two-hour
train ride from Paris.
The Semester
Spend a college semester enhancing your
education through hands-on, interactive and
engaging study with a dynamic collegiate
faculty whose passion is your educational
growth. The Abbey offers formal classes,
service-learning projects and host family
opportunities. Europe becomes your
classroom as you explore an ancient and
ever-changing world of new ideas. With the
exception of its French courses, The Abbey’s
curriculum is entirely taught in English.
Whether relaxing at a café with the locals,
eating your first French croissant or enjoying
a weekend in Paris, The Abbey makes your
dreams of studying abroad come alive.
Created by The University of Southern
Mississippi Office of International
Programs, in partnership with universities
and colleges from across the United States,
The Abbey offers globally-minded
undergraduates the chance to pursue their
dreams of becoming, as Socrates put it, a
“citizen of the universe.”
The Abbey has been waiting for you the last
1,000 years. Set in the heart of France in the
beautiful Loire Valley, The Abbey’s ancient
campus will welcome you and change your
life. A resident campus with its own chapel
and historic gardens, The Abbey is a new
school of thought in global learning.
The Location
Known all over the world for natural beauty,
vineyards and the many chateaux dotting its
landscape and lining its mighty rivers, the
Loire Valley, located near Paris, long served
as a refuge for French aristocracy and its
royal families. More recently, the Loire
Valley has become France’s most popular
summer travel destination. Our campus is
located in the heart of this region, in the
town of Pontlevoy. Less than 30 kilometers
from the three great chateaux of the valley,
Pontlevoy and The Abbey are just a two-hour
train ride from Paris.
The Semester
Spend a college semester enhancing your
education through hands-on, interactive and
engaging study with a dynamic collegiate
faculty whose passion is your educational
growth. The Abbey offers formal classes,
service-learning projects and host family
opportunities. Europe becomes your
classroom as you explore an ancient and
ever-changing world of new ideas. With the
exception of its French courses, The Abbey’s
curriculum is entirely taught in English.
Whether relaxing at a café with the locals,
eating your first French croissant or enjoying
a weekend in Paris, The Abbey makes your
dreams of studying abroad come alive.
Created by The University of Southern
Mississippi Office of International
Programs, in partnership with universities
and colleges from across the United States,
The Abbey offers globally-minded
undergraduates the chance to pursue their
dreams of becoming, as Socrates put it, a
“citizen of the universe.”
The Abbey Program
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Office of International Programs
Special Excursions
The Abbey Program offers students a week of
living and learning in the heart of Paris
around the midpoint of the academic semester.
While there, students will use the streets,
museums, cafés and parks of the city as an ever-
changing set of classrooms. Additionally, the
program travels to Normandy to explore the D-
Day landing beaches and the marvelous Bayeux
tapestry. Housing, transportation and other
required elements of these excursions are
included in the programs’ price.
Unique Programs
The Abbey Program provides students with
unique opportunities to immerse themselves in
European culture through three of our
extracurricular programs.
The Abbey Program offers students a week of
living and learning in the heart of Paris
around the midpoint of the academic semester.
While there, students will use the streets,
museums, cafés and parks of the city as an ever-
changing set of classrooms. Additionally, the
program travels to Normandy to explore the D-
Day landing beaches and the marvelous Bayeux
tapestry. Housing, transportation and other
required elements of these excursions are
included in the programs’ price.
Unique Programs
The Abbey Program provides students with
unique opportunities to immerse themselves in
European culture through three of our
extracurricular programs.
- The Community Service Learning
Program gives students opportunities to
embrace the dynamics of service
learning as they adjust to being in a
new culture and learn to see their own
citizenship in increasingly global and
sophisticated terms. The Abbey’s
Service Learning challenges may
include English language tutoring, a
food drive and other student-organized
initiatives. - The Ambassador Series and its weekly
events will bring students into contact
with cultural events, artistic trends and
social movements active in the
European Union. - Held on The Abbey campus and in
neighboring towns, the series will build
bridges between The Abbey community
and its European neighbors. Topics and
themes will change each semester based
on recommendations and programming
choices made by Abbey students, staff
and faulty. - The Vision Quest supports the holistic
learning mission of this program by
helping to organize personal growth
and academic exploration during
students’ independent travel time.
Vision Quest is required of all students.
Experience The Abbey - A Semester in France