General Terms & Conditions of Service

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These General Terms & Conditions of Service – a downloadable version of which is available on the ccfs-sorbonne.fr website (hereafter referred to as the “Website”) and also available upon request from the Customer Service Department – are the sole conditions (to the exclusion of any others) governing all contractual relations between the Robert de Sorbon Foundation – a public utility foundation situated at 214, boulevard Raspail, Paris (75014), registered in the trade & company register of Paris under the number 512 902 875 – and its Clients with regard to training courses in the French language (hereafter referred to as the “Courses”) provided to Students under the auspices of the independent higher education establishment “Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne” (the Sorbonne’s French Civilization Course – hereafter referred to as the “School”), to the exclusion of related services at the TCF, DELF-DALF and DFP exam centres.
The term “Client” or “Student” refers to any natural person aged over eighteen (18) years old for whom the Course(s) is/are provided. The General Terms & Conditions of Service are not intended to govern dealings between the School and any artificial person (universities, linguistic bodies, etc.) making use of the School’s Courses on behalf of their own pupils.
The term “Party” refers individually or collectively to the School and the Client and/or the Student.

2.1 When the Client confirms his/her participation in one of the School’s Courses, this entails his/her full and unreserved acceptance i) of these General Terms & Conditions of Service, ii) of the Internal Rules to which they refer, with the Student expressly committing himself/herself to ensuring scrupulous compliance with all terms thereof, in addition to, where applicable, iii) the special conditions shown in any detailed and costed proposal submitted to him/her beforehand by the School (the “Special Terms & Conditions of Service”), including in the case of customized courses. It is expressly agreed, including in the event of any contradiction between the General and Special Terms & Conditions of Service, that the clauses of the accepted Special Conditions will take precedence.
2.2 As the School reserves the possibility to modify these General Terms & Conditions of Service at any time through the publication of a new version on its Website, the General Terms & Conditions of Service applicable to the Clients will be those in force on the date they are published online with no possibility to apply these to previous registrations, which will continue to be governed by the version in force at the time they were concluded. The School therefore invites the Clients to attentively consult the General Terms & Conditions of Service in force at the time whenever they register.

3.1 Prior to registration, the School provides the Client with the possibility to familiarise himself/herself with the key characteristics of the services proposed, their prices in addition to the applicable conditions and steps to be followed by the Client when choosing to avail himself/herself of his/her right of withdrawal in the case of a contract concluded remotely.
3.2 All Course formulas (French language and civilisation course, Preparatory course for national exams, Specialised French course, Modules of improvement, Evening courses and Customized courses) are the subject of a general presentation on the Website (in the section “French courses – All of our formulas of courses”) listed by session date (January, June, July, August) and semester (Spring, Autumn), and for each Course formula (with the exception of Customized Courses) a detailed presentation in the form of an information sheet (hereafter referred to as the “Information Sheet”) specifying the following depending on the chosen training course:
 The reference of the training course (comprised of a letter and figures: for example, F010),
 The number of teaching hours per week (in ascending order: evening courses, French language courses, French language courses and lectures, intensive courses), with it being hereby specified that each hour of the course is only comprised of fifty-five minutes of teaching, with the remaining five minutes being the time required to enter and leave the classroom,
 The starting level and the target level (based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – CEFR),
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 The content of the proposed teaching (language course, phonetics with laboratory, courses or lectures in civilisation, improvers’ course) based on the chosen options (evening course, French language and intensive courses with or without the “civilisation” option, French language course with lectures with or without the enhanced language teaching option),
 The School’s registration deadlines,
 The start and end periods for the training,
 The requirement or otherwise to possess any visa,
 The total cost of the Tuition Fees, and
 The amount of the down payment to be paid in the case of registration online (hereafter referred to as the “Down payment”). This Down payment – equivalent to thirty per cent (30%) of the Tuition Fees for the chosen training course – may under no circumstances be considered a deposit. On this point, the parties are reminded that any order for Courses is legally binding upon the Client, as is the payment of the Down payment, which, unlike a deposit, constitutes an initial instalment towards the Tuition Fees and administration charges, with no possibility of retraction either on his/her part or that of the School
Each Information Sheet also presents:
 The objectives of the training course and the written and oral activities related to these objectives (in terms of production, interaction and understanding),
 The programme of teaching (language classes, phonetics with laboratory and civilisation lectures) in terms of content and organisation (total number of hours per week for each of the teaching types and details of how these are broken down throughout the training course) and
 The educational content (the educational approach, the media and teaching aids used and assessment of acquired skills).

4.1 Admission conditions required of all Students
4.1.1 Age requirements
In order to be admitted to any of the Courses run by the School, the Student must have attained the age of eighteen (18) years old.
4.1.2 Level of French required
The Courses are open to people of all abilities.
Any Student – regardless of his/her level, (even if he/she is able to present TCF results or those from another assessment), but with the exception however of a complete beginner with no prior knowledge, even rudimentary, of the French language – must undergo a placement test making it possible to organise classes of a uniform ability level based on the CEFR (A1 – beginner; A2 – elementary; B1 intermediate; B2 – advanced; C1 – higher 1; C2 – higher 2).
After this test, the School will notify the Student of the possible time slots for classes in his/her Course, adapted to his/her particular level.
4.1.3 Travel documents
All Students must be in possession of a travel document issued within the last ten (10) years (ID card or passport) which must be valid for at least three (3) months following the end date of the chosen training course.
4.2 Additional admission conditions required of Students who are not citizens of member states of the European Union
4.2.1 In the case of a Student who is a citizen of a third-party country subject to visa requirements, enrolling for a training course lasting less than ninety (90) days (the list of third-party countries whose citizens are dispensed of these requirements for short stays may be consulted at the following address www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/venir-en-France/formalités-d-entree-en-France/article/les-etrangers -titulaires-d-un-passeport-ordinaire-dispenses-de-l-obligation-de-visa)
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Under the terms of (EU) Rule 2016/399 of March 9, 2016, (Schengen Borders Code) and (EC) Rule number 810/2009 of July 13, 2009, (Visa Code) from the European Parliament and the Council, the conditions for entry into the Schengen area for citizens of third-party countries for a stay not exceeding ninety (90) days out of any one hundred and eighty (180) day period are as follows:
 Must be in possession of a travel document issued less than ten (10) years ago (generally a passport) the validity period of which must extend beyond the date on which the applicant plans to leave the territory of the Member States by at least three (3) months;
 Must be the holder of a currently valid uniform Schengen visa or must be the holder of a currently valid residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a Member State of the Schengen Area;
 Must provide proof of the purpose (registration certificate) and conditions for the envisaged stay (accommodation, proof of private accommodation, etc.). To this end, the Students are invited to register online. Upon receipt of the required documents, a registration certificate will be sent, making it possible to complete the visa application;
 Must possess sufficient means of subsistence (cash, travellers’ cheques, international payment cards, letters of guarantee, sponsorship declarations, etc.) both for the duration of the envisaged stay and for the return to the country of origin (French law requires a minimum of 615 euros per month, article R. 313-7 of the Code on the entry and stay of aliens and the right to asylum);
 Must provide proof of having taken out medical travel insurance (except for holders of diplomatic passports) guaranteeing a minimum cover of €30,000 covering any possible repatriation costs on medical grounds, emergency medical treatment and/or emergency hospital treatment or death occurring during the stay.
Applications for uniform visas are examined by the consular authorities (French consulate or embassy) in the country of residence.
4.2.2 In the case of registration for a training course lasting ninety (90) days or more
Any Student who is not a citizen of a Member State of the European Union, of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, wishing to undertake a course at the School lasting ninety (90) days or more, must:
 Must be the holder of a secondary school leaving certificate (equivalent to the French baccalaureate) or a university qualification, for which he/she must supply a copy to the School accompanied by a translation into French performed by a sworn organisation (with the said translation not being required however when the diploma is in English, Spanish, German or Portuguese) in order to obtain the issuing of a registration certificate enabling him/her to perform the necessary formalities to obtain the long-stay visa, either from the French consulate or embassy in his/her country of residence or via the Campus France website for countries included on the list displayed on the said website at the following address www.campusfrance.org/fr/page/a-partir-dun-pays-a-procedure-cef;
 Must be the holder of a “student” long stay visa or residence permit or any other residence permit valid for the whole duration of the Course(s) for which he/she is registered;
 Must provide proof of the purpose (registration certificate) and conditions for the envisaged stay (accommodation, proof of private accommodation, etc.).;
 Possess sufficient means of subsistence;
 Provide proof of social security cover, if he/she is aged under twenty-eight (28) years old at the time of registration. For further information, please consult the “Social Security” section of the Website or e-mail the following address contact@ccfs-sorbonne.fr.
4.3 For all questions concerning visas/residence permits and the related administrative formalities, the Students are invited to visit the website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/venir-en-france/formalites-d-entree-en-france/) in addition to the following section of the Website: “Coming to Paris – Administrative aspects and residence permit”. The School’s administrative assistance department is also on hand to assist Students, and may be contacted by e-mailing aide-prefecture@ccfs-sorbonne.fr, or by telephone (from Monday to Wednesday from 9 AM to half past noon and from 1:30 PM to 4 PM).
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4.4 However, the School may under no circumstances be considered liable for any difficulties in obtaining short or long-stay visas following presentation of a registration certificate for one of its Courses, as the provision of this certificate under no circumstances guarantees the granting of the said visas.
Important: The Client’s attention is drawn in particular to the time required to obtain and issue the administrative documents required to stay and study legally in France, which varies from one country to another. The Client must therefore make enquiries beforehand in order to be able to take full account of these times in relation to the start date of the Course(s) in which he/she wishes to participate. The Client/Student remains solely liable for the performance of these formalities.
4.5 By registering for one of the School’s Courses, the Client and/or the Student confirms that he/she has familiarised himself/herself beforehand with all of the necessary information, and in particular these General Terms & Conditions of Service in addition to the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by Campus France and by the Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration on the above-mentioned websites.

All Students arriving during the official registration period – who meet the age, qualification and visa conditions and who have paid all of the Tuition Fees, administration costs and, where applicable, the cost required to join the students’ social security scheme – are guaranteed (on condition that the minimum number of Students required by the School have registered) a place on the Course of their choice, adapted to their ability level, the time slots for which will be notified to them following the test to assess their linguistic skills (please see article 4.1.2 above).

5.1 General information
5.1.1 All Students have the possibility to register for Courses:
 Either by completing the online registration form available on the Website. The Student must finalise his/her registration application by sending the following to the School, either via his/her student portal (in the section “Boutique en ligne/mes pièces administratives à fournir”) or by post (Cour de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne, 214, boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris):
 A copy of his/her identity card or passport (the validity period of which must exceed the length of the chosen training course),
 A copy of the official translation of his/her secondary school leaving certificate (equivalent to the baccalaureate) for any application concerning a training course exceeding three (3) months from a Student subject to the requirement to obtain a long-stay visa (please see article 4.2.2 above), and
 A recent ID photo (in “.jpg) format).
 Or by post, by sending the duly completed scanned version, dated and signed, of the registration form available in the “Enrolment / Pre-registration request ‘paper version’” section by e-mail to contact@ccfs-sorbonne.fr at the latest three (3) weeks before the first session of the chosen Course -, accompanied by:
 A signed and dated copy of the General Terms & Conditions of Service,
 Proof of the bank transfer (with the Student’s name as a reference) concerning the payment of all Tuition Fees and administration charges related to the chosen Course,
 A copy of the identity card or passport (the validity period of which must exceed the length of the chosen training course),
 A recent ID photo (in “.jpg” format), and
 A copy of the official translation of his/her secondary school leaving certificate (equivalent to the baccalaureate) for any application concerning a training course lasting more than ninety (90) days from a Student subject to the requirement to obtain a long-stay visa (please see article 4.2.2 above),
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Unless affiliation conditions do not apply for the individual in question, the Client must also pay all costs for joining the students’ social security scheme (currently 217 euros for the 2017/2018 academic year) at the latest by the first day of the training course.
Or on-site, at the CCFS secretariat in the Raspail Centre located at, 214 boulevard Raspail in Paris (75014), from Monday to Friday (9:30 PM to half past noon and from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM), from the start of the official registration period for the chosen Course (as specified on the Website and in each of the Information Sheets).
To this end he/she must supply:
 A recent ID photograph (in “.jpg” format),
 An ID document (identity card or passport, the validity period of which must exceed the length of the chosen Course for citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, and for citizens of third-party countries for which these requirements are waived (in the case of a stay lasting less than ninety (90) days out of any one hundred and eighty (180) day period),
 The Schengen short-stay visa (in the case of a stay lasting less ninety (90) days out of any one hundred and eighty (180) day period, for citizens of third-party countries subject to these requirements) or the long-stay visa (for Students who are not citizens of the European Union, of the European Economic Area or of Switzerland wishing to stay in the Schengen area for more than ninety (90) days out of any one hundred and eighty (180) day period),
 A copy of the official translation of his/her secondary school leaving certificate (equivalent to the baccalaureate) for any application concerning a Course lasting more than ninety (90) days,
 Documents providing proof of social security cover (for a stay lasting more than ninety (90) days), or of travel medical insurance (for a stay lasting less than ninety (90) days).
The Tuition Fees and administration charges must also be paid by the Client in accordance with the requirements of article 6. Unless affiliation conditions do not apply for the individual in question, the Client must also pay all costs for joining the students’ social security scheme (currently 217 euros for the 2017/2018 academic year).
5.1.2 The information supplied by the Client at the time of registration is binding upon him/her and he/she remains solely liable for any consequences arising from an error concerning his/her contact details (including among others his/her last name, first name, date of birth, nationality, postal address and e-mail address), his/her selection of Courses and/or the dates of the training concerned.
5.1.3 Registration is only considered firm and final when the payment centres have issued their agreement. Should these centres issue a refusal, the registration is automatically cancelled and the Client will be informed either by an on-screen message from the payment centre in the case of an online order or by e-mail sent by the School in all other cases.
5.2 Registration online and registration by post: further information
5.2.1 Information concerning on-line registration
The Client will be presented with a summary of all information entered on the Website before being invited to confirm his/her choices. Thus, at each stage, the Client has the possibility to correct or modify his/her choices.
The Client is then invited to confirm his/her choice after having confirmed the accuracy of the information supplied and his/her acceptance of these General Terms & Conditions of Service.
At this stage, a withdrawal form is also made available to him/her pursuant to the legal and statutory provisions, enabling him/her, if this option is available, to exercise his/her right to withdrawal in accordance with the conditions and instructions mentioned in Article 7.
The Client is then redirected to the secure online payment site where he/she can pay either the total Tuition Fees (excluding administration charges) or the Down payment as specified in the Information Sheets for the Courses and restated during the data entry process, according to the choices he/she
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made before confirming his/her registration. In the event that the Client has only paid the Down payment, he/she must imperatively pay the balance at the latest one (1) month before the start of his/her Course(s).
5.2.2 Acknowledgement of receipt of a registration application submitted online or by post
Confirmation of the application for registration will be sent by the School to the Client by e-mail, summarising the key information from his/her order (order number, chosen Course, chosen session date, total sums paid) and will specify the address, username and password for his/her personal student portal enabling him/her to access and consult all aspects of his/her application.
The registration confirmation (which confirms the conclusion of the contract for services between the School and the Client) is accompanied by an invoice for the sums paid.
For online registrations, the confirmation also includes the list, deadlines and instructions for sending the documents required by the School in order for it to issue the registration certificate.
5.2.3 Issuing the registration certificate
Upon expiry of the cooling-off period (the withdrawal period) and upon receipt of all of the items required to issue it, the School will provide the Client with the registration certificate via his/her Student portal and by sending it to him/her by post upon request, this certificate summarising all of the terms of his/her order. This certificate is issued on an intuitu personae basis and may under no circumstances be transferred to another Student, including in the event of a visa being refused.
5.2.4 Issuing the student registration card
The Student must present himself/herself in person at the secretary’s office for the School’s courses, at the latest the day before the training Course for which he/she is registered begins, bringing with him/her:
 A copy of his/her registration certificate,
 The residence permit, which should be valid for the duration of the Course(s) for which he/she is registered,
 Items providing proof of his/her social security cover (for a stay of more than ninety (90) days), or his/her travel medical insurance (for a stay of less than ninety (90) days).
Unless affiliation conditions do not apply for the individual in question, the Client must also pay all costs for joining the students’ social security scheme (currently 217 euros for the 2017/2018 academic year).

6.1 The Client acknowledges that the placing of an order for a Course necessarily entails payment for this.
6.2 In order to participate in the educational services provided by the School, it is necessary to pay the following in full, in euros:
-The Tuition Fees: The level of the Tuition Fees varies according to the duration, the frequency and the type of Course chosen.
The Tuition Fees do not include the cost of educational aids. They do not include the cost of the social security cover which must be obligatorily be taken out for any course lasting more than ninety (90) days (please see article 4.2.2 above).
Please note that the Tuition Fees do not include the fees levied by third-party organisations which organise tests and/or exams.
The Tuition Fees are specified in each of the Course Information Sheets available on the Website (in the “All our formulas of courses” section) and are restated to the Client before confirming his/her order for a Course when registering online. Only the prices published on the Website at the
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moment of online registration or registration by post or on the date of registration on-site in person are considered valid.
-The administration charges:These are intended to cover the administrative costs for the Student’s Course at the School. They apply to all Courses undertaken at the School by the Student over a period of twelve (12) consecutive months as from the anniversary date of his/her initial registration. The level of these charges may be revised each year (60 euros in 2017). Unless the right of withdrawal is exercised by the Student when this is available to him/her, the administration charges are fixed and non-refundable.
-The bank charges: All exchange rates, commissions and other bank charges paid by the School will be assumed by the Client and will be re-invoiced to him/her, if necessary, euro for euro.
The Client is reminded that the educational activities dispensed by the School are exempt from value added tax in application of article 261-4-4° of the General Tax Code.
6.3 Tuition Fees and administration charges may be paid:
6.3.1 Online
 By bank card (Carte Bleue, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB),
6.3.2 In the case of registration by post:
By bank transfer to the account of the Fondation Robert de Sorbon: IBAN no: FR76 4255 9000 0541 0200 4471 451 BIC CCOPFRPPXXX
6.3.3 In the case of registration on-site at the CCFS secretariat in the Raspail Centre:
 By bank card (Carte Bleue, Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex),
 By standing order
 By bank cheque (French bank) made out to “Fondation Robert de Sorbon”,
 By money order established in any La Poste post office (Beneficiary: Fondation Robert de Sorbon – CCP number: 0101622; Letter: P; Centre: Paris),
 In cash, in accordance with the applicable regulations.
6.4 Payments made by the Client are only considered as final after the sums due have actually being cashed by the School. In the event of the non-payment in full of the Tuition Fees, administration charges and where applicable the charges related to the Student’s affiliation to the Student social security scheme at the latest when the registration is finalised, the School reserves the right to suspend the provision of its services.

7.1 The scope of the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal applies only to consumers (in other words natural persons acting for purposes which do not fall within the scope of their commercial, industrial, craft, freelance or agricultural activities, hereafter referred to as the “Client-Consumer”) and only applies to contracts concluded remotely (registration online or by post) or following telemarketing or off-premises prospection.
7.2 Deadlines and instructions to be observed when exercising the right of withdrawal
Pursuant to the provisions of articles L. 221-18 and following of the Consumer Code, the Client-Consumer is entitled to withdraw from the contract, with no requirement to provide any grounds for this or to pay any penalties, during a period of fourteen (14) days as from the date the distance contract for the provision of the service was concluded, i.e. as from the date on which the School sent the Student the confirmation of his/her order (please see article 5.2.2 above).
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To exercise his/her right of withdrawal, before expiry of the above-mentioned fourteen (14) day deadline the Client-Consumer must notify the School of his/her decision to withdraw, by sending the following to the e-mail address relationclients@ccfs-sorbonne.fr or by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt sent to “Fondation Robert de Sorbon, Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne, 214, boulevard Raspail – 75014 Paris”:
 Either the withdrawal form, a template for which is available online on the Website,
 Or any other clear and unambiguous declaration expressing his/her wish to withdraw.
7.3 Reimbursement
The School will proceed with the reimbursement – within the fourteen (14) days following the date on which it is informed of the Client-Consumer’s decision to withdraw – of all payments received from him/her.
The reimbursement will be made using the same payment method as that used by the Client-Consumer for the initial transaction, unless the latter expressly agrees to the use of another payment method and in as far as the reimbursement does not generate any expenses for him/her.
7.4 Renunciation of the right of withdrawal
If the Client-Consumer wishes the performance of the service agreement to begin before the end of the cooling-off period, he/she must expressly request this from the School, who will retain a copy of his/her request in paper form or on a durable medium. In this case, the Client-Consumer will retain his/her right of withdrawal but if he/she exercises it he/she must then pay the School an amount corresponding to the service supplied until the formal announcement of his/her decision to withdraw. This amount is proportionate to the total price agreed in the contract. The administration charges will be retained by the School.

8.1 Cancellation at the Client’s initiative
Any request for cancellation and for the reimbursement of the sums paid must reach the School in writing (registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt or e-mail).
For the purpose of this article, the term “Start of the Courses”, refers to the date of the first day of the training course chosen by the Client. This date is unique, regardless of the length of the Student’s presence in the School.
8.1.1 The cancellation of a registration before the Start of the Courses
Other than exercising the right of withdrawal within the legally specified deadlines, the Client may only cancel his/her registration and, when leaving, obtain reimbursement from the School of the sums he/she has paid, if a visa has been refused, in force majeure circumstances as stipulated in article 1218 of the Civil Code or on legitimate and pressing grounds.
To avail himself/herself of this right, the Student must obligatorily accompany his/her request for cancellation and reimbursement by all documents demonstrating that it is absolutely impossible for him/her to take the Course due to the refusal of a visa (stamp or letter confirming visa refusal), due to the force majeure event or the legitimate and pressing reasons concerned. In all cases, the administration charges will not be reimbursed.
In the event of cancellation for any reason other than those mentioned above, the Down payment paid during the pre-registration phase will be automatically retained by the School.
8.1.2 Cancellation of a registration after the Start of the Courses
Once the date of the Start of the Courses has passed, no request for cancellation and reimbursement will be accepted, unless this request for early termination of the contract is justified due to the Student’s absolute and definitive inability to take the Course due to a force majeure event or on legitimate and pressing grounds.
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In this case, the Student must accompany his/her request for cancellation with documents confirming this absolute and definitive inability. Upon presentation of the document, the School will proceed with a reimbursement of the Tuition Fees paid following the deduction of an amount corresponding to the service supplied up until the date on which the demand for termination accompanied by the said documents is received. The administration charges will be retained by the School.
In the event of cancellation on any grounds other than those mentioned above, all of the Tuition Fees and administration charges will be retained by the School as of right.
8.2 Cancellation and postponement at the School’s initiative
The Client is hereby informed that the School will not necessarily be in a position to provide certain Courses unless a minimum number of Students is reached – which will be determined by it according to its imperative organisational requirements and the availability of teachers – with the Client expressly declaring that he/she accepts this eventuality.
The School will make every effort to reschedule the cancelled services.
If a Course cannot be provided as initially envisaged, the School will inform the Client of this at the latest forty-eight (48) hours before the start date of the Course and will propose to either postpone the date of the cancelled services or for him/her to participate in another Course. If the Client refuses the postponement or the replacement service proposed, the price initially paid to the School will be refunded to him/her.
In all cases, the cancellation or postponement of the services may not give rise to the payment of damages by the School, on any grounds.

The Student agrees to scrupulously comply with the Internal Rules included as an appendix to these General Terms & Conditions of Service. A Student failing to attend a lesson or lessons may claim neither reimbursement, nor adjustment, nor compensation, nor the postponement of the said lessons. Furthermore, in the case of unjustified absences, the School will be unable to issue the Student with a certificate of attendance at the end of the session.
In the case of a serious failure by the Student to abide by the Internal Rules, the School reserves the right to definitively expel the blameworthy Student, without notice and without reimbursement. Such behaviour includes among other things inappropriate conduct or unacceptable behaviour on the part of the Student (theft, the consumption of drugs or alcohol, physical violence or verbal abuse, etc.).

The data recorded by the School using the Website’s automatic recording systems or by its Customer Relations Department in addition to any e-mails exchanged between the School and the Client will be considered as constituting proof of the nature, the content and the date of the transaction in the event of any dispute between the Parties and will be retained by the School for the whole period necessary with regard to the statutory rules on time limitations (expiry).

The Student and/or the Client agree to the use by the School of the personal data collected during the registration process, with this information being vital for the processing and administrative management of the Student’s syllabus and the establishment of invoices. This data will only be supplied by the School to those persons involved within the School in the provision and monitoring of the educational services.
Pursuant to the provisions of law number 78-17 of January 6, 1978, concerning information technology, computer files and personal liberty (the French data protection act), the School has
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declared the database containing personal data to the Commission Nationale Informatique et Libertés (French data protection authority).
At all times, the Student has a right to access, rectify, oppose or delete personal data concerning him. These rights may be exercised by the Student by writing to the following address: Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne, 214, boulevard Raspail – 75014 Paris, stating his/her last names, first names and e-mail address.
The request, which should specify the address to which the reply must be sent, must be signed by the Student and accompanied by a photocopy of an identity document bearing his/her signature.

The School is liable vis-a-vis the Client for the satisfactory fulfilment of the obligations resulting from the contract, whether these obligations are fulfilled by itself or by other service providers, without prejudice to its right to initiate proceedings against them. However, the School may not be considered wholly or partially liable for the non-performance or unsatisfactory performance of its obligations when this is the fault of the Client and/or the Student or in Force Majeure circumstances.
Thus, the School may not be considered liable for the cancellation of the Courses or any failings vis-a-vis any of its obligations, if this cancellation or these failings are due to a case of Force Majeure in the terms of article 1218 of the Civil Code. The term “Force Majeure” refers to any event outside the School’s control, which could not be reasonably foreseen at the time the contract was concluded, and of which the effects could not be avoided through appropriate measures, making it totally or partially impossible to provide the services incumbent upon it. Among others, the following are considered as Force Majeure circumstances: fires, general strikes, wars or natural disasters. The School will therefore bear no liability for the direct or indirect consequences of any failure to perform its obligations in cases involving war, revolution, civil and political strife, riots, strikes, epidemics, pandemics, quarantine or natural disasters.

The School declines all liability in the event that Students’ personal belongings are lost, stolen or damaged on its premises
Sickness, accident and civil liability insurance should be taken out by the Client/Student himself/herself.

In the hypothesis that it finds it necessary to take photographs of the Students with a view to using these to illustrate its promotional material (brochures, Website, etc.), the School will request their written consent beforehand.

These General Terms & Conditions of Service in addition to all dealings and services between Parties are governed by and subject to French law.

16.1 For all disputes concerning the validity, and/or the interpretation, and/or the performance, and/or the non-performance and/or the termination of the service contract concluded between the School and a Client-Consumer (hereafter referred to as the “Dispute”), before taking any legal action the latter is invited to contact the School as a priority by submitting a detailed complaint by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt (drafted in French or English) to the Customer Relations Department, with the Parties agreeing to seek an amicable resolution to their dispute within a maximum period of three (3) months as from the date on which the said complaint is received.
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16.2 The Clients-Consumers (as defined in article 7.1) are hereby reminded that they are entitled to use the services of an ombudsman free of charge (hereafter referred to as the “Ombudsman”) to achieve an amicable settlement to their Dispute with the School (article L. 612-1 of the Consumer Code), with this use of an ombudsman (médiateur de la consommation) being however simply an option available to them (article L. 612-4 of the Consumer Code).
Thus, any Dispute may be submitted by the Client-Consumer to the following ombudsman for mediation purposes:
Mediation-net
To this end, the Client-Consumer may:
 Complete the form on the Ombudsman’s website, which they will find at the following address: www.mediation-net.com, or
 Send their request by standard or registered letter post to 3, rue des Morillons 75015 Paris, or
 Send an e-mail to mediation.conso@mediation-net.com.
Regardless of the means used to refer the matter to the Ombudsman, the Client-Consumer’s request must contain the following information in order to be processed rapidly: his/her postal and e-mail addresses and telephone numbers, in addition to the complete name and address of the School, a brief description of the facts and proof of the prior attempts made to resolve the matter with the School.
16.3 Pursuant to the provisions of article L. 612-2 of the Consumer Code, the Dispute cannot be examined by the Ombudsman if:
 The Client-Consumer is unable to provide proof that he/she has previously attempted to resolve his/her Dispute directly with the School by means of a written complaint in accordance with the instructions provided, where applicable, in these General Terms & Conditions of Service;
 The request for mediation is clearly unfounded or abusive;
 The Dispute has previously been examined or is currently being examined by another ombudsman or by a court;
 The Client-Consumer has submitted his/her request to the Ombudsman within a period exceeding one (1) year as from the date on which he/she submitted his/her written complaint to the School;
 The Dispute does not fall within the scope of the Ombudsman’s brief.
16.4 In application of the provisions of article 2238 of the Civil Code, the limitation (expiry) requirements are suspended as from the day on which, after the occurrence of a Dispute, the Parties agree to use mediation or conciliation, or, in the absence of any written agreement, as from the date of the first mediation or conciliation meeting.
The limitation period will recommence, for a period which may not be less than six (6) months, as from the date on which one of the Parties, or both, or the ombudsman or the arbitrator declare that the mediation and conciliation process is over.
16.5 Notwithstanding the above, and pursuant to the provisions of article R. 631-3 of the Consumer Code, in the event of a Dispute, the Client-Consumer, may refer the matter to one of the courts possessing territorial jurisdiction under the terms of the Code of Civil Procedure, or to the courts for the area in which he/she resided at the time the contract was concluded or at the time the loss-generating incident occurred.

For any further information, the Client is invited to contact the Customer Service Department, either by e-mail by writing to the address relationclients@ccfs-sorbonne.fr, or by post by writing to the following postal address: Fondation Robert de Sorbon, Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne – 214, boulevard Raspail – 75014 Paris.

The School’ s Internal Rules attached as an appendix to this document are considered an integral part of the General Terms & Conditions of Service.

Corporate name: Fondation Robert de Sorbon, a public utility foundation managed by an Executive Board operating under the supervision of a Supervisory Board
President of the Executive Board: Mr Jean SARRAZIN
Address: 214, boulevard Raspail, Paris (75014)
Siren number: RCS Paris 512 902 875
Customer Relations Department: Tel.: +33 (0)1 4410 7700
E-mail: relationclients@ccfs-sorbonne.fr
Administrative/client reception services: Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne – 214, boulevard Raspail – 75014 Paris
VAT number: VAT exempt (Article 261-4-4° of the General Taxation Code)