A city for students and businesses
First and foremost, Clermont-Ferrand is a renowned city for students from all over the world. In 2024, the metropolis welcomed 40,000 students, including 6,000 from other countries. Thus, the University of Clermont Auvergne (UCA) offers nearly 165 courses aiming for excellence in diverse fields like economics, engineering sciences, medicine, psychology, languages and literature. Around 7,000 researchers work in certified research centers and teams and therefore guarantee the quality of education. With 550 bilateral agreements and Erasmus grants and I-Site certification, the UCA has an international outreach. As the first French city to be included in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, Clermont-Ferrand stems as a non-negligible town for education, science, and culture.
Furthermore, Clermont-Ferrand is fertile ground for entrepreneurs. Armed with the French Tech label, a burgeoning digital neighborhood, the Bivouac, and many business incubators, the city has risen to the digital challenge with drive and determination.
In addition, the headquarters of the Michelin group are established in Clermont-Ferrand along with the administration department of the International Network of Michelin Cities.
Culture and sports
Clermont-Ferrand is a city with a rich culture. Its International Short Film Festival, the largest of the sort worldwide, makes the city iconic. It also gains attractivity with the Europavox Festival each summer and the varied collections in museums. Clermont-Ferrand continues to consolidate its status as a cultural hub and mobilized the entire territory of the Massif Central with its candidacy for the title of European Capital of Culture (finalist).
For sports enthusiasts, the city has all the facilities needed to make sports accessible to all. Clermont is home to many champions, such as the rugby team of the ASM, the Clermont Foot soccer team, Renaud Lavillenie in pole-vault, and figure skating dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron.
With a population exceeding 290,000 in the urban center, Clermont-Ferrand is the western metropolis of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, the second largest in France. It is a modern and dynamic city imbued with a strong desire to align the city's programs with the citizens' life plans.
