As a tourist destination and an eco-pioneer, the city of La Rochelle has wisely capitalised on its natural assets (nautical and foods industries, urban ecology and tourist events). This vibrant town has more than 10,000

students, teachers and researchers who make the Minimes university campus a lively place.

Right on the oceanfront and close to a historic city centre, this academic centre is made up of three educational and research units (a Faculty of Law, Political Science and Management, a Faculty of Letters, Languages, Arts and Human Sciences, and a Faculty of Science and Technology) and a technological institute (IUT). La Rochelle Business School is located alongside these innovative and specialised university institutions and the EIGSI school of engineering.

On the Minimes campus, students have access to a university library and a magnificent multimedia library, as well as university restaurants, student residences, sports complexes and a 12 screen cinema.

An exceptional lifestyle

La Rochelle enjoys almost as much sunshine annually as the French Riviera and its climate is made more temperate by the proximity of offshore islands (Île de Ré, Île d’Oléron, Île d’Aix and Île Madame). The town boasts green areas, beaches, fortifications and limestone cliffs – a natural heritage that it passionately preserves.

With more than 3 million visitors each year, La Rochelle is the 3^rd tourist city in France. This pearl of the European Atlantic shore, located between Nantes, Paris and Bordeaux (accessible by the A10 motorway, TGV or its international airport), La Rochelle has a spirit of openness and attracts many entrepreneurs (+ 12% new businesses created in the last 5 years).

The city's ports (for both leisure and trade) make it a major feature of France's Atlantic shore. The town has a total of 147,000 inhabitants (up by 11% over the last 10 years) and is of inestimable value to the Poitou-Charentes region.