what do young people think?
Dijon was ranked 16th best student city in France by the l’Étudiant website. A good result for the capital of the Dukes? We asked the question to the students of the University of Burgundy.
Each year, the site the student publishes a ranking of the best student cities. It is based on five criteria: training, student life, attractiveness, living environment and employment. For this 2022-2023 edition, Dijon is positioned in 16th place.
It even climbs onto the podium in the ranking of major cities (20,000 to 40,000 students) behind Poitiers and Caen. But what do the young people who continue their studies in the capital of the Dukes think? We went to meet them.
One thing is certain, the position of Dijon within this ranking, did not fail to make those who study there react. “I would have liked to go somewhere else,” admits Marie. “I love Dijon,” says Titouan.
In terms of attractiveness, there has been a significant change: there are 20% more students in the capital of the Dukes compared to 2009. Regarding international students, there has been a 7% change since 2009.
When we talk about training, we particularly talk about success. Compared to the cities ahead of it in the ranking, Dijon is not doing so badly. Its pass rate in the second year of the license is 56%, behind Poitiers (63%) but ahead of Caen (53%). Dijon offers 745 training offers in higher education, ahead of Caen (729) and Poitiers (713).
However, for Marie, 20 years old and in her second year of LEA (Bachelor of Applied Foreign Languages), all is not perfect. “They do not take into account the fact that some are forced to work to be able to live next door. We cannot always be available and our schedules are not arranged.”
According to Titouan, 22 years old and in the first year of a musicology degree, the failure also comes from the switch between high school and university, the transition can be complicated. “Most young people leave high school and get lost in student life. There are so many possibilities to do other things, it’s easy to quickly drop out. But if you keep a little serious, there is no reason to fail”says Titouan.
This year, the symbolic bar of 40,000 students was crossed for the capital of the Dukes. An important part which represents 15% of the Dijon population and which needs to be entertained and to be educated. Titouan met before the activities offered by the university. “We have the SUAPS to do several activities for free, I did boxing and it was super interesting. We have a lot of theaters and events all over town”he declares.
Same story for Marina, 21, who is entering her second year. For her, there is plenty to do for fun in the evening. “It’s a bustling city, there are a lot of people. There are a lot of dancing bars and there is no real nightclub, but I find that enough”she points out.
I don’t even count the bars! There is something for everyone, be it beer, cocktail or wine bars.
Titouan, undergraduate student in musicology
For some, yes, because it is increasingly difficult to pay rent without having to work on the side. According the studentthe average rent for a studio in Dijon is 417 euros, much more than in Poitiers for example (364 euros).
For Jeanne, a first-year student, “IThe rent is not very affordable, it’s cheaper than in Lyon, but I know that in Besançon, it’s much more affordable”, she admits. An opinion shared by Titouan: “For a student who has no financial support, it can be hard to make ends meet. Sometimes you have to work on the side, but sometimes it’s not enough to save, or go out outside of class.”
Public transport is generally more affordable. In any case, this is what Jeanne thinks: “We have discounts and if we take a Divia student subscription at 13 euros per month, that’s less than ten cents a day.”
However, Dijon remains behind its competitors. According the student, the price of the subscription to the transport network is 315 euros per year, much more expensive than in Caen (220 euros) or Poitiers (200 euros). In addition, a student pays his annual subscription 28% less than the normal rate. We are once again far from Caen and Poitiers, which are half price for those who continue their studies in higher education.