CMI 2I2A

Hello everyone ! I’m going to share some useful tips to help you get the best Erasmus experience in Mons (Belgium).

1. BEFORE LEAVING

First of all, start early! Take time to choose the subjects you want to study abroad and to set up your learning agreement. The coordinators in Avignon and Mons can be quite slow, so it’s better not to wait until the last minute.
Here’s the link to check the available courses for each degree: https://webcontent.umons.ac.be/web/fr/pde/2025-2026/cursus_sitemap.html
Keep in mind that you can’t choose your subjects completely freely, your program must be roughly equivalent to what you would study at your home university. However, note that courses that are supposed to be equivalent can still be quite different from those at your home university.
Personally, I’m studying “Bachelier en sciences informatiques (MONS) (Horaire jour)”, but some students were able to register in a master’s degree some years ago.
Here’s the subjects I’m following:

• Optimisation linéaire
• Modélisation logicielle orientée objet
• Développement dirigé par les modèles
• Intelligence artificielle
• Introduction à la comptabilité
• Cryptographie et sécurité des systèmes informatiques
• Graphes et optimisation combinatoire
• Initiation à l’épistémologie
• Informatique temps-réel

In case you aren’t aware, as for Erasmus student, you only have to pay the registration of your home university, you absolutely don’t have to pay the 800 or 1200€ for Belgian universities !
At UMons, there are far fewer exercices sessions (= TD) than in Avignon, so you might have fewer opportunities to practice in classes. On the bright side, the schedule is often quite light ! By the way here is the public link to the timetables : https://hplanning2025.umons.ac.be/invite

Also, almost all exams take place in January, so there’s no continuous exams like in Avignon.

Once your application is accepted by UMons, register as soon as possible at the town hall for the mandatory “foreign students’ registration” (1ère Inscription étudiants étrangers). You can find all the details here: https://www.mons.be/fr/vivre-a-mons/etat-civil-population/demarches-1/demarches-etrangers/1ere-inscription-etudiants-etrangers
Honestly, this step is quite useless and annoying, but it’s required by law. Remember that the administration in Belgium is very slow and frustrating.

Also, to continue to have health insurance coverage, you must order your European Health Insurance Card (from Ameli in France), it’s quick and easy.

Finally, check your mailbox regularly for administrative emails. Some things (like your student card) need to be done early, so don’t miss any notifications !

2. THE ROUTE TO GET THERE

For your information, I traveled with one medium suitcase, one large suitcase, and a 40L backpack. Take some time to think carefully about what everything you will need. Don’t bother packing summer clothes, they’re already useless in September. Make sure to bring enough warm clothes instead, because temperatures in December and January can drop to around 0°C or even –10°C.

As for transportation, my best advice is to travel to Mons by train with Ouigo. You get a higher Erasmus grant if you travel by train instead of by plane, and Ouigo is much cheaper than regular French trains.
For example, I went from Avignon → Paris Gare de Lyon, then Paris Nord → Mons with Ouigo for about 51€ + 19€ with some options, way better compared to over 100€ with standard trains !

I also took advantage of my long trip to spend a few days in Paris, since I already had a stop there between the two trains. A nice way to start the Erasmus adventure !

3. SURVIVE IN MONS

Let’s start with housing. The most common way to find accommodation is through dedicated Facebook groups. Be careful to avoid scams, if someone asks for unusual documents, strange payment methods, or anything that feels suspicious, don’t continue.
As a reference, rent prices are around 400€ per month.
In Belgium, there’s something called “domiciliation”, which can be confusing for foreigners. Honestly, in many cases you don’t actually need it.
For home insurance, I strongly recommend InforJeunes, an association that helps students and poor people. Their home insurance costs only 30€ per year, and honestly you won’t find anything cheaper anywhere !

Now, about the cost of living, Belgium is more expensive than France. As a comparison, the minimum wage is about 1800€ here. Personally, I spent around 950€ in September, then 750–800€ in the following months (compared to about 550€ in Avignon). As an example, a meal at the university cafeteria costs 4€ or 4.50€ for a single dish, while a sandwich costs 3.60€ . Also remember that Erasmus is also about enjoying life and traveling a bit, so expect to spend more than usual.
Fortunately, I received 1617€ in total from the Erasmus grant, which really saved me!

When it comes to supermarkets, I recommend Delhaize and Carrefour, and don’t miss the downtown market (yes I’m a bit picky 😅). On the other hand, Colruyt traumatized me, the product quality was really disappointing in my opinion but belgians like it (help). However know that in Belgium some foods are terrible compared to France, like bread, meat, ready-to-eat vegetables in bags or plastic containers.

Also, in Belgium, you have to sort your waste and buy official trash bags (unlike in France where you can buy any black trash bag). They’re very expensive (around 10€ per roll for household waste), you place your trash bag on the street next to your door, and if your bag doesn’t follow the rules, it won’t be collected.

For your banking, you might not have any fees in Europe, but check with your bank advisor first. If you have some fees, you can open an account with Revolut for example. Keep in mind that card transactions can be slower and sometimes randomly refused. Belgium also uses Bancontact (similar to Visa or Mastercard), but it doesn’t work with foreign cards. So you might need to tell the cashier you’re paying with Visa, otherwise your payment could be declined.
And don’t forget that cash is sometimes prefered in Belgium, especially in some restaurants and little shops, so always carry some with you.

Finally for your mobile plan, I should keep your french plan because mobile data is much more expensive in Belgium (they haven’t had the “Free revolution” yet ahah).
Personally, I suggest the Free unlimited plan with 35GB in Europe for 20€/month, or another French plan that includes enough roaming data (like Bouygues Telecom, Sosh, or other summer promotions).
For the anectode, your phone will become Belgian after one month lol ! News in notifications will be Belgian, your Google and ChatGPT results will be Belgium-oriented rather than France-oriented, algorithms and recommended content in Facebook and Tiktok too, comments on social media will also be from Belgian people.

4. ENJOY YOUR ERASMUS !!!

It will probably be your only Erasmus experience (but don’t worry, it won’t be your only adventure abroad !). So don’t focus excessively on studying ; get out, travel, and meet new people !

Belgians are generally very friendly and open-minded, much more than Frenchies, which makes things easier if you are a bit shy. That said, in my opinion, Belgians are sometimes be too relaxed or careless, they don’t always do things properly, and they don’t mind !

You should absolutely join the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) and take part in their events, it’s a great way to meet people and experience student life. The Mons ESN is active, but if you’re looking for something bigger and more dynamic, I recommend the ESNs in Brussels, especially the Saint-Louis one.
However in my opinion, there is nationality grouping, Spanishs with Spanishs, Chinese with Chinese, etc. Plus there are not a lot of French students either, and since most Erasmus students study languages, as a computer science student I rarely met them on campus.
I advice you to socialize with Belgian students too, in classes (work groups !) or through associations (look at the ORE association !), join the students’ Discord server is also useful, so please don’t focus only on Erasmus groups.
At the university, there’s a system called TandeMons, where a local student is assigned to help you if you need help. Believe me, you’ll need them, especially to find your classrooms and buildings (for example, try to find without help the classroom NiBSM.008.Kwolek on your first day, that’s a real classroom name from my timetable!).

As for restaurants, unfortunately Mons mainly have snack, pizza, and poké bowls. (I said I am picky !) And please don’t go to Mons for the fries, it’s not worth it ! Try the fast-food place nearest to where you’re coming from, or better yet visit one of Brussels’ famous fry shops though be ready to wait in line !
Also, be aware that everything closes quite early imo, around 18h for shops, 22h for restaurants, and midnight for students parties ! And almost everything is closed on Sundays !
Last but not least, the city of Mons regularly organizes great local events like les fêtes de Wallonie, la Nuit des Musées, Mons en Lumières, etc.

5. IN CONCLUSION

I hope I’ve made you interested in experiencing Erasmus in Mons, I think it’s a great choice to do your first international journey !
If you need any other information or advice, feel free to contact me, I’ll be glad to help: alexandre.boyer2@alumni.univ-avignon.fr