The Catholic University of Paris, or the "Catho", founded in 1875, is located in the heart of Paris. With only 6,000 students in attendance, students are enrolled in smaller classes, enabling better ratio of student to teacher interaction. While the Catho is a historically catholic university, its curriculum, campus life, and student activities are secular in nature. The student body is comprised of people from all religious backgrounds and diversity is embraced. The language division, or the Institut de Langue et de Cultures Françaises (ILCF), founded in 1948, is the primary place of study for international students. Every year the department welcomes over 2,000 students from around the world. The ILCF has upwards of 45 professors specialized in teaching French as a foreign language and qualified to prepare each student for certification at every level. In addition, other departments at the university have opened their doors to international students, allowing a challenging curriculum in a multitude of subjects and the opportunity to study with local French students. The challenges and variety offered by the Catholic University of Paris makes for an ideal setting for study abroad students.