I – THE SCHOLARSHIP
The Eiffel Scholarship Program was established by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help French institutions of higher education attract top international students to their master’s and doctoral programs. Its purpose is to train future foreign decision-makers in the private and public spheres in priority areas of study.
Campus France, the French Agency for the promotion of higher education, international student services and international mobility, is responsible for managing and monitoring your academic program in France. In order to become familiar with your rights and obligations, we invite you to read the following practical information.
Fields of Study for Master’s and Doctorate degrees:
The two broad disciplines of the Eiffel Scholarship Program embrace the following fields of study:
Science and technology
Biology and health
Ecological transition
Mathematics and digital sciences
Engineering
Humanities and social sciences
French history, language, and civilization
Law and political science
Economics and management
1 – Duration of the Eiffel scholarship
Master’s level :
- The Eiffel scholarship is granted to cover a predefined number of months in order to help the recipient follow the academic program for which his/her application has been granted. Students must comply with the academic requirements of each academic year in order to continue benefitting from the scholarship.
- Apart from language training, the scholarship shall not exceed 12 months for a Master’s 2 level, 24 months for a Master’s 1 level and 36 months for an engineering degree.
- Should the student wish to take an intensive language course beforehand, the Eiffel scholarship duration can be extended by a maximum of two months, if this is clearly indicated in the application. The Eiffel scholarship does not cover the cost of such language courses.
- The scholarship may cover internship periods of no more than 25% of the total duration of the master program (please see “duration of the scholarship” at page 4 of the application file)
- The internship period must be an integral part of the course and be referred as mandatory in the higher education institution curriculum. If the internship is not mandatory or exceeds the 25% of the master duration, the scholarship will be interrupted.
- The academic program is only covered by the Eiffel scholarship for periods taking place in France.
- If the academic program includes an international academic exchange, in a different institution, the scholarship shall be suspended for period spent abroad, with deferral of the scholarship.
- If the academic program includes an international academic exchange in the same institution, the scholarship shall be suspended during the period spent abroad, without deferral of the scholarship.
- Gap years are allowed, but not financed.
- If the student signs an apprenticeship contract or a professional training contract, the scholarship shall be automatically terminated.
PhD level:
- Eiffel scholarships are awarded for a period of 6 to 36 months from September 1 of the award year.
- The scholarship duration will be determined according to the following terms :
A scholarship of 36 months is subjected to a registration in year one.
A scholarship of 6 to 18 months is determined according to the enrolment year, for all candidates, especially for those who are already engaged in a joint doctoral program (joint supervision of dissertation and/or dual degree), in partnership with an institution of higher education abroad:
– A maximum of 6 months for awardees entering the third year of a doctorate program
– A maximum of 12 months for awardees entering the second year of a doctorate program
– A maximum of 18 months for awardees entering the first year of a doctorate program
- With the approval of the Selection Committee, the stay can be split into several periods. However, the stay financed by the scholarship cannot last less than 6 months and cannot exceed 3 years.
Examples: In the case of an 18-months-scholarship, it can be split into three stays of 6 months. In the case of a 12-months-scholarship, it can be split into two stays of 6 months.
In order to receive the first instalment of the monthly allowance, students must have started their academic program at the host institution in France.
Higher education institutions have to inform Campus France immediately of any relevant event that may delay the student’s graduation.
2 – Benefits of the scholarship
- Tuition fees are not covered by the Eiffel Program. Educational institutions are expected to provide students the best financial support..
- Students admitted to public educational institutions are, as French government scholarship holders, exempted from enrolment fees.
- Master’s level : Eiff The Eiffel scholarship consist of a monthly allowance of €1,181 (a maintenance allowance of €1,031 and a monthly stipend of €150). In addition, the program covers various benefits including a round-trip international ticket, Health insurance and cultural activities.
- PhD level : The Eiffel scholarship includes a monthly allowance of €1,800 (since 1st of January 2024). In addition, the program covers various benefits including a round-trip international ticket, Health insurance and cultural activities.
Payment modalities : The scholarship is paid monthly by wire-transfer on a French account that the student will open at the start of the academic program.
The bank account number (IBAN, BIC) must be communicated to Campus France.
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II – OTHER SERVICES
1- Accommodation
You may ask Campus France to help you find accommodation in CROUS; or private student residences (Île-de-France region only).
2 – Housing allowance (subject to revision on January 1st, 2025)
- Private housing: If you are not living in a university residence but in private housing, you can benefit, at your request, from an additional housing allowance. You just need to send the receipt of the first rent payment mentioning your name and address and a copy of the housing contract within the 3 months following signature of the housing contract.
- Housing allowance amount: The amount of allowance, regardless of the location, is €115 per month.
- Special case of students in Paris and the Paris region: since October 1st, 2003, students housed by Campus France in France in a regulated residence cannot benefit from the €115 housing allowance. The rent is already partly subsidized by the Eiffel program.
The amount of the subsidy depends on the residence.
- Termination of the housing allowance: If you decide to leave France during your studies or internships and leave your housing in France, the housing allowance will be suspended.
- During a gap year, the housing allowance will also be suspended.
3 – Travel
- The international flight ticket to France is covered by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs only for scholarship recipients living out of France at the time of their selection. Campus France is in charge of providing the flight ticket.
- Special case: For PhD students who are allowed to divide their scholarship in several stays or periods, only one round trip will be provided.
The travel benefit is provided as follows:
- International transport: a round-trip international ticket Country of origin – France;
- National transport: a train ticket to the first study location; a train ticket from the last study location to the airport for the return to the country of origin;
The student has a maximum of one year after the end of the scholarship to assert this right to repatriation.
Airfare in the least expensive class available is covered by the scholarship.
The coverage includes the cost of travel between the international airports closest to recipients’ home abroad and their academic location in France.
The cost of airfare incurred by recipients will be reimbursed in an amount up to 50% of the rate determined by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for travel from the country concerned.
Recipients may also claim reimbursement of the cost of domestic travel to reach their academic location in France. Reimbursement will be based on the cost of second class train or bus travel from the arrival airport to the academic location.
III – HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE
Campus France provides its own Health insurance for the time needed to register to French Social Security, what is mandatory. In order to be insured from the very first day of your mobility, you must let us know on your day of arrival, by sending us an email with the proof of arrival (copy of your passport and your stamped Visa, boarding pass…..).
Warning : without your confirmation email, you will not be covered and all your medical expenses will remain at your own charge.
Upon receipt of your email, Campus France will subscribe on your behalf a temporary insurance, to give you time to complete your registration with French Social Security.
This registration is free and mandatory for all students enrolled in a French Higher Education Institution. You can register by logging on to the following website : https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr/#/. You must send us your insurance certificate to Social Security within the first two months following your arrival date.
As soon as we receive this insurance certificate, we will subscribe on your behalf a supplementary health insurance without any additional cost for you, which will give you a better coverage for your health expenses.
European students with a European Health Insurance Card do not need to do anything else. They continue to have access to healthcare in France and their medical expenses can be partly reimbursed as if they were in their home country. All they havo to do is send us a copy of the European Health Insurance Card so that we can take out a supplementary health insurance (without any additional cost).
Specificity for students who have already stayed in France and have been registered with French Social Security (after a gap year for exemple):
You must send us soon as possible your updated insurance certificate that you can obtain by getting in touch with your local CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie) branch. Upon receipt of your certificate, we will subscribe on your behalf a supplementary health insurance free of charge for you.
APPLYING FOR AN EIFFEL SCHOLARSHIP
Step 1
Contact the Campus France office in your country of origin or the Cooperation and Culture Office
of the French Embassy; both can advise you about your study plans.
Contact the French educational institution or research organization by visiting its website or by emailing or telephoning its office of international relations to learn how to apply for admission (including the date by which your application must be received). Inform them of your wish to be considered for an Eiffel scholarship.
It is your responsibility to choose the school or university that best suits your plans to study or conduct research in France.
All French institutions of higher education can nominate candidates for Eiffel scholarships.
Step 2
The educational institution accepts and supports your application for the Eiffel scholarship.
The institution files your application online using Campus France’s dedicated website.
Applications submitted directly by students or by institutions outside France will not be accepted.
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