Masters and PhD Scholarships in Eiffel Excellence awarded by the French Government to Developing Countries 2024–2025

For students from developing nations pursuing degrees in engineering, sciences, economics and management, law, and political science in 2024–2025, there are master’s and doctoral scholarships offered by the Eiffel Excellence program in France.

Deadline to Apply: January 10, 2024

Annually available? Yes.

Developing nations are eligible.

To be held in France

Subjects Accepted: There are three primary areas in which Eiffel scholarships are offered:

engineering science graduate program, engineering science, exact sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, and life sciences), nano- and biotechnology, earth sciences, sciences of the universe, environmental sciences, information and communication science and technology, and science in the broadest sense at the PhD level;

management and economics;

political science and law.

Concerning the Award:

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development launched the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Programme to help French universities recruit top international candidates for master’s and doctoral programs.

It supports applications from emerging countries at the master’s degree and from emerging and industrialized countries at the Ph.D. level, helping to mold the future foreign decision-makers of the public and private sectors in priority areas of study.

Type: PhD, Masters

Qualifications

1. The French Government only accepts applications from foreign nationals for scholarships.
2. French nationals are not eligible in the case of dual nationality applicants.
3. When the selection committee meets, for master’s programs, candidates cannot be older than 30; similarly, for Ph.D. programs, candidates cannot be older than 35 on the same date.
4. Only applications from French-language learning institutions are accepted. These organizations promise to enroll scholarship recipients in the program for which they have been chosen. Other methods of submitting applications will not be taken into consideration. Additionally, a candidate nominated by more than one establishment will be excluded from consideration.
5. Scholarships are available to students wishing to enroll in Ph.D. and master’s programs, including those offered by engineering schools. Because non-PhD scholarship holders should complete at least 75% of their course in France, the Eiffel Programme does not apply to master’s programs run by the French government abroad. It also doesn’t apply to training received through professional training agreements or apprenticeships.
6. Educational institutions that select non-French speaking candidates for a shortlist must make sure that the candidates’ proficiency in the language is adequate for them to successfully integrate into the planned course.
7. Combination with other scholarships: foreign applicants who are not eligible at the time of application are those who have already received a French government scholarship through another program, even if that scholarship does not include social security coverage.
8. Eiffel PhD scholarships: Organizations may recommend a candidate for a PhD scholarship if they have previously received an Eiffel master’s scholarship. Candidates cannot receive the Eiffel scholarship twice while pursuing a PhD. No application from a student who has already applied and been denied will be accepted, regardless of whether the application is made through a different organization or in a different subject area.
9. Eiffel Master’s Scholarships: No application from a student who has previously applied and been rejected will be accepted, regardless of whether the application was made through a different organization or in a different subject area. Reapplications at the master’s level are not permitted for students who have previously received an Eiffel scholarship.
10. Language proficiency: When pre-selecting candidates who do not speak French, employers must ensure that their proficiency in the language matches the requirements of the relevant course of study.

Selection Standards: The following are the selection criteria:

1. The student’s excellence as evidenced by their academic record thus far and the novelty of their research topic.
2. The organization’s foreign policy, its presence in the relevant region, the caliber of the host department, its suitability for the candidate being nominated, its campaigns to promote the Eiffel Programme, and its ongoing assistance to recipients of scholarships, particularly through collaboration with France Alumni (https://www.francealumni.fr/en);
3. The foreign policy of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development regarding cooperation and partnerships, especially the importance placed on specific nations within this program.

The committee assigns a score out of 50 to each candidate based on these three criteria. It establishes a minimal requirement for eligibility and, based on the quantity available, awards the scholarships in the following ways:

       4. The applicants with the highest scores receive at least 70% of the scholarships;

      5. For applicants who met the minimum score requirements, the remaining scholarships are given to the                 institutions that did not receive one.

These selected applications constitute the final list of qualified candidates.

The amount of the French Government’s Eiffel Excellence Scholarship

Master’s degree:

1. A monthly stipend of €150 and a maintenance allowance of €1,031 make up the €1,181 monthly allowance provided by the Eiffel scholarship.
2. Furthermore, the following costs are directly reimbursed: – cultural events; – social security coverage; – one international return trip. Under certain circumstances, recipients of scholarships may also be eligible for an additional housing allowance.

PhD level:

1. The monthly stipend for the Eiffel scholarship is €1,400.
2. Furthermore, the following costs are directly covered: – one return international trip (only one return trip will be paid for students studying law or political science, who may take multiple trips); – social security coverage; – cultural events. Under certain circumstances, recipients of scholarships may also be eligible for an additional housing allowance.

Duration: The scholarship is given for:

           twelve months at the M2 level,

           twenty-four months at the M1 level, 

           and thirty-six months for an engineering degree, respectively, are the maximum timelines for entry.

two months of intensive, preliminary language instruction. The educational institution must make it very evident on the application form how long the course will take in total, including any required work experience or internships in France or overseas. Elective placements are not covered by the award.

For PhD candidates: The maximum duration of the Eiffel scholarship is ten months. There is no language course offered for scientific and economic disciplines, and the scholarship cannot be broken up into different terms. With the approval of the selection committee, law students may divide their ten-month scholarship into two or three stays in France, lasting three or four months each. The duration of these stays cannot exceed three calendar years. The only students who can choose to take French lessons in addition to their studies are law students. This needs to be specified in the application clearly.

How to Apply: Only applications from higher education institutions in France will be considered.

Visit the Scholarship Webpage for details to apply