Scholarships offered by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
The French Foreign Ministry awards many different scholarships to foreign students. 25% of these scholarships are directly financed by the Ministry in the framework of Eiffel (for Master's or Doctoral level studies) or Major programmes (for the best foreign students who have graduated from French high schools abroad). The rest are provided by France embassies abroad.
Find out directly from the Campus France office for your country to learn which scholarship programmes you are eligible for.
Scholarships available at French embassies abroad
French government scholarships are allocated by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for studies, training courses and language courses in France. The majority of scholarships are awarded by the Cooperation and Cultural Action Departments (SCACs) in French embassies and consulates general abroad. Whatever their country of residence, applicants should therefore directly contact the SCAC in their country of origin, before their departure and sufficiently in advance, to obtain comprehensive scholarship information regarding eligibility criteria, the selection timetable and the required application materials.
For further information, contact the SCAC of the French Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence.
There are several categories of scholarships: study scholarships, training grants and high-level science scholarships.
Specific programmes
The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs also awards scholarships under specific programmes directly operated by its services in Paris (Directorate-General of Globalization, Education and International Development, Sub-Directorate for Higher Education and Research).
Eiffel Excellence Scholarships
The Master component of the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship programme was launched by the French Ministry in January 1999. It is intended to support international student recruitment by French higher education institutions amid growing competition among developed countries to attract the academic elite from around the world.
This scheme was supplemented in 2005 with the Doctorate component for high-level doctoral students.
With a view to enhanced clarity, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has decided to merge the Programme’s two components under a single call for proposals. There is, however, a separate application form for both components.
The Eiffel scholarship programme provides funding for:
- Master level courses,
- a ten-month mobility programme under dual enrolment or joint thesis supervision (preferably in the second or third doctoral year).
The objectives of the French Ministry’s Eiffel Excellence Programme are as follows:
- to train in French higher education institutions aspiring foreign policy-makers of the private and public sectors in three priority study areas: science, economics and management, and law and political science;
- to encourage applications by students from emerging countries, especially from Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the new EU Member States and, at doctoral level, from industrialized countries.
The Eiffel Programme is a tool open to French higher education institutions in their search for the best foreign students. Applications are submitted solely by French institutions.