Foreign students who come from outside of the European Union and who are registering for the first time in a French university, must have a visa allowing them to stay in France for more than 3 months and not more than one year, and bearing the mention "student".

As soon as you arrive in France, you will need to apply to the OFII (the immigration department). You must do this within 3 months of your arrival in France so that you have "legal alien" status in France until the end of your student visa.

You will also need to take out insurance to cover your apartment and liability insurance.