Since 1925, it has provided general and public services, including the maintenance of several dozen residences housing around 6,000 students and visiting academics in the Île-de-France region.

Officially recognized as a foundation of public interest, the CIUP promotes exchanges between students from around the world in a spirit of tolerance.

[2] The Cité internationale universitaire de Paris was established after World War I by André Honnorat, rector at the Sorbonne, in cooperation with Émile Deutsch de la Meurthe, in order to create a meeting place for students, researchers and intellectuals from around the world in a spirit of peace, unity and friendly cooperation.

The CIUP was originally built for the University of Paris, hence its name appears in several of its buildings, notably the Maison Internationale.

[3] Several CIUP structures have been designed by architects of note, such as Le Corbusier, Willem Marinus Dudok, Heydar Ghiai and Claude Parent.