Scholarships to Study in France for International Students

Scholarships to study in France for international students

France funds thousands of international students every year through government programs like Eiffel and Charpak, plus separate money from individual universities, regions, and the students’ own home countries. The two biggest national scholarships, Eiffel and Charpak, cover tuition, a monthly stipend, health insurance, and often a flight home. If you’re aiming for a master’s or PhD in France and don’t want to drain your savings, these programs are where to start looking.

France is one of the cheapest places in Western Europe to get a serious degree even without a scholarship. Public universities charge around 170 to 380 euros a year for a bachelor’s degree and 243 to 601 euros for a master’s, set by the government each year. That’s not a typo. Compare that to the UK, where international tuition alone can run 20,000 pounds a year, and France starts to look like a loophole nobody’s exploiting enough.

What are the main scholarships for international students in France?

The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Program, run by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is the flagship. It targets master’s and PhD students from outside the European Economic Area, in fields the government prioritizes: engineering, economics and management, law and political science. Eiffel pays 1,181 euros a month for master’s students and 1,700 euros a month for PhD candidates, plus round-trip airfare, health insurance, and sometimes cultural activities thrown in.

The catch: you can’t apply for Eiffel yourself. The French university or grande école has to nominate you after you’ve already applied and been accepted into their program. So the actual first step is applying to a participating school, not filling out an Eiffel form.

Charpak Scholarships work differently and only apply to Indian students. Run by the French Embassy in India through Campus France, Charpak covers tuition waivers or contributions plus a monthly stipend of around 700 euros for bachelor’s students and 860 euros for master’s students. Given how large the India-to-France student pipeline has become, this program alone moves hundreds of students a year.

Beyond those two, here’s what else is actually worth checking:

• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees: EU-funded, not France-specific, but many top joint master’s programs include a French university as one of the partner institutions. Funding covers tuition, travel, and a living allowance around 1,400 euros a month.
• Government scholarships from your home country: Countries like Vietnam, Brazil, and Indonesia run their own bilateral scholarship agreements with France. Check with your own ministry of education before assuming France is the only funder in the room.
• University-specific funding: Sciences Po offers need-based Emile Boutmy scholarships worth 5,000 to 12,000 euros a year for non-EU students. HEC Paris runs its own scholarship fund covering up to 100% of tuition for admitted MBA and master’s students based on financial need and merit.
• Regional council scholarships: Regions like Île-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes offer smaller grants, often a few thousand euros, aimed at students in specific fields tied to regional economic priorities.

How do you actually apply, and when

Timing matters more than most applicants realize, and missing a deadline by even a week can push your plans back an entire year. Eiffel nominations from universities typically close in early January for programs starting the following September, which means you need to have already applied to and heard back from your chosen French university months earlier, often by November.

Here’s a rough sequence that works for most scholarship-seekers:

1. Research programs 12-18 months ahead. Use Campus France’s country-specific website to find which French universities offer your field and which have a track record of Eiffel nominations. Some schools, like École Polytechnique and Sciences Po, nominate dozens of candidates annually; smaller schools might nominate one or none.
2. Apply to the university first. For Eiffel and most institutional scholarships, admission comes before scholarship consideration. Submit your university application by the school’s own deadline, which is often earlier than you’d expect, sometimes as early as December for a September start.
3. Ask your university about nomination. Once admitted, tell the international office you want to be considered for Eiffel or their internal scholarship funds. Some schools have an automatic process; others require you to specifically request it, so don’t assume it happens by default.
4. Submit separate national or bilateral applications. If your home country runs a joint program with France, like Charpak for Indian students, that application usually happens through Campus France’s local office and runs on its own separate timeline, often between January and March.
5. Prepare financial proof as a backup. Even if you’re chasing a scholarship, French student visas require proof of roughly 615 euros a month in available funds. Have this ready in case your scholarship decision comes late or falls through.

Which scholarship fits your situation?

Scholarship	Who it’s for	What it covers	Application route
Eiffel Excellence	Non-EEA master’s and PhD students in priority fields	1,181-1,700 euros/month, flights, health insurance	Nominated by your French university after admission
Charpak	Indian nationals, bachelor’s and master’s	Tuition support plus 700-860 euros/month	Apply through Campus France India
Erasmus Mundus	Any nationality, joint master’s programs	Full tuition, travel, ~1,400 euros/month	Apply directly through the joint degree consortium
Sciences Po Emile Boutmy	Non-EU undergrad and master’s applicants	5,000-12,000 euros/year	Automatic consideration upon admission application
Regional council grants	Students in region-specific priority fields	Varies, typically 1,000-4,000 euros	Apply through the regional council website

If you’re set on a specific field like engineering or public policy and open to any French city, Eiffel is the one to chase first, since it’s the largest and most prestigious. If you’re Indian and eyeing an undergraduate degree, Charpak is a more realistic target since Eiffel skips bachelor’s students entirely. If neither national program fits, the university-level scholarships at places like Sciences Po or HEC are worth pursuing directly, and they don’t require the university-nomination gymnastics that Eiffel does.

What do you need in your application to actually stand out

Grades matter, but they’re not the whole story. Eiffel’s selection committee explicitly looks for leadership potential and a clear connection between your proposed studies and your home country’s development needs, according to Campus France’s own program guidelines. A generic personal statement about “wanting to study in France” won’t cut it against applicants who write specifically about, say, how a master’s in renewable energy engineering connects to their country’s power grid challenges.

Recommendation letters carry real weight too, especially ones that speak to specific projects or research you’ve done rather than vague praise. If a professor writes “this student is hardworking and curious,” that’s forgettable. If they write “this student redesigned our lab’s data collection protocol and it’s still in use two years later,” that sticks.

Language requirements depend on the program. Many master’s programs in France, particularly in business and engineering schools, now teach entirely in English, so you won’t need French fluency for admission. But some scholarship committees give extra points for demonstrated French proficiency, usually a B1 or B2 level on the DELF or TCF exam, because it signals you’ll integrate into French life beyond the classroom.

Conclusion

Funding a degree in France doesn’t hinge on finding one perfect scholarship. It’s closer to stacking small wins: cheap public tuition, a nomination-based grant like Eiffel or Charpak, maybe a regional top-up, and part-time work once you’re there (international students can legally work up to 964 hours a year). Start the university application process at least a year out, ask directly about nomination once you’re admitted, and don’t rule out your own government’s bilateral programs just because Eiffel gets all the attention.

Frequently asked questions