Tarn

The Tarn department is located in southern France, in the Occitanie region, with its capital in Albi, whose massive brick cathedral and historic urban fabric are listed as UNESCO World Heritage. The department is the birthplace of the famous painter Toulouse-Lautrec, and its landscape combines vineyard plains, rocky plateaus and small mountain ranges. Its economy blends agriculture, traditional textile industries (Castres) and heritage tourism. The cost of living in the department is low, and the climate is a mild Mediterranean-Atlantic blend.

Albi, Castres, Gaillac

• Institut National Universitaire Champollion (INU Champollion) - A university campus offering programs in sciences, engineering, humanities and management.
• IUT de Castres – Université Toulouse - An IUT (university institute of technology) with technical and vocational tracks.

Albi and Castres are medium-sized, relatively safe cities. Albi's historic center is calm and touristy. The industrial suburban neighborhoods of Castres are busier, but are fine for students who take normal precautions.

TER Occitanie trains connect Albi and Castres to Toulouse and surrounding towns. Albi has a city bus network, and regional buses serve the department. It is possible to live without a car, but for the villages and countryside, a car is useful.