Eiffel Scholarships in France for International Students

The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Program has been established by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to enable French higher education institutions to attract top foreign students to enroll in their masters and Ph.D. programs. It gives the opportunity to the future foreign decision-makers of the private and public sectors, in priority areas of study, and encourages applicants from developing countries at the master’s level, and from developing and industrialized countries at the Ph.D. level.

Eligibility Criteria/ Scholarship Guidelines

Nationality: This program is only for candidates of non-French nationality. Candidates with two nationalities, one of which is French, are ineligible

Age: For master’s level, candidates must not be older than 30 on the date of the 2019 Campaign, that is, students born after March. At Ph.D. level, candidates must not be older than 35 on the date of the 2019 Campaign, that is, students born after March.

Origin of applications: Only applications submitted by French educational establishments are accepted. These establishments undertake to enroll scholarship holders on the course for which they have been selected. Applications that are submitted by any other means shall not be considered. Furthermore, if any candidate has been nominated by more than one establishment, he/she shall be disqualified.

Courses of study: Scholarships are for students wishing to enroll on a master’s course, including at an engineering school, and for Ph.D. students. The Eiffel Programme does not apply to French-run master’s courses abroad. It does not apply to train under an apprenticeship contract or a professional training contract either.

Combination with other scholarships: Foreign students who, at the time of application, have already been awarded a French government scholarship under another program are ineligible, even if the scholarship in question does not include social security cover.

For Eiffel Master Scholarship:  No application will be accepted for any student who applied previously but was rejected, even if the application is submitted by a different establishment or in another field of study. Students who have already been awarded an Eiffel scholarship at the master’s level are not eligible to re-apply at the master’s level.

For Eiffel Ph.D. Scholarship: Establishments may nominate a candidate who was previously awarded an Eiffel scholarship at the master’s level for a scholarship at the Ph.D. level. Candidates who have previously been awarded an Eiffel scholarship once during their Ph.D. cannot be awarded it for a second time. An application will not be accepted for any student who applied previously but was rejected, even if the application is submitted by a different establishment or in another field of study.

Language skills: When pre-selecting non-French-speaking candidates, establishments must make sure that their language skills meet the requirements of the relevant course of study.

Students undertaking a course of study abroad are given priority over those already living in France.

Value
For Master’s level studies, the Eiffel scholarship includes an allowance of €1,181 per month (a maintenance allowance of €1,031 and a monthly stipend of €150) and can be awarded for 12-36 months.

Deadline
January 11

Validity
Awarded for a maximum of 12 months.