The French government's flagship excellence scholarship for outstanding international students — Master's and PhD — in seven priority fields. You can't apply to it directly: a French university must choose to nominate you, which means the real battle is winning the university's internal selection first.
Why it is notable: the deadline everyone quotes (January 2027) is the NATIONAL submission deadline for institutions — the REAL applicant deadlines are university-internal and mostly fall in NOVEMBER 2026 (examples below). Aggregators that only list "January 2027" actively mislead applicants into missing their shot.
PhD: ~€2,000–2,100/month (up to 36 months). Plus: international + domestic travel, health insurance, housing assistance, cultural activities. Tuition NOT paid directly — but recipients at French public institutions may get tuition exemptions for qualifying diplomas
Eligibility criteria
Qualification Required
Graduationfor MastersMasters/MPhilfor PhD
This scholarship is offered for Masters and PhD programs.
Who can apply
foreign nationals only (no French citizenship); Master's applicants: bachelor's degree holders, age 29 or younger at the time of the 2027 campaign; PhD applicants: master's degree holders, age 35 or younger (age limits verified on the official Campus France Eiffel page, 2026-10-15). Master's: priority to emerging countries; PhD: emerging + industrialized countries.
Experience
No experience required
Language Certificate
programme-dependent (many programmes taught in French; some in English) — unverified specifics; confirm per programme
Other Certificates
Degree certificates & transcripts
Age Limit
29 (Master's) / 35 (PhD) — hard cut-offs (verified on the official Campus France page).
Check your eligibility
Run all three quick checks before reviewing your chosen course's full entry requirements.
1
Country checker
foreign nationals only (no French citizenship); Master's applicants: bachelor's degree holders, age 29 or younger at the time of the 2027 campaign; PhD…
2
Last degree checker
Choose your highest completed qualification to see which degree level may fit.
3
Course checker
Pick a course to see whether it falls inside this scholarship's scope.
Complete all three checks
Your combined result will appear here.
Based on published eligibility — always confirm on the official page before applying.
Application essentials
Requirements
Review each requirement before you begin the application.
01
Language
programme-dependent (many programmes taught in French; some in English) — unverified specifics; confirm per programme
02
Qualification
foreign nationals only (no French citizenship); Master's applicants: bachelor's degree holders, age 29 or younger at the time of the 2027 campaign; PhD applicants: master's degree holders, age 35 or y
03
Documents
institution-specific — confirm per institution before publishing.
Document checklist
01institution-specific — confirm per institution before publishing.
Application fee
No fee — completely free
No separate scholarship application fee is published; confirm on the official page.
Visa, kept concise: Master's: long-stay student visa (VLS-TS étudiant) via the Etudes en France / Campus France procedure + consulate.
Application Procedure
5 steps — follow in order. Each stage prepares the next.
01
Choose an eligible French programme in a
priority field.
→
02
Contact the institution NOW and ask for
its Eiffel nomination procedure + INTERNAL deadline (this is the date that matters).
→
03
Prepare the institution's required file (academic evidence
transcripts, motivation, references — varies by institution).
↓
05
Results: week of 12 April 2027. Award-year
stay must begin between 1 September and 30 November 2027; no deferral.
←
04
The institution selects and nominates candidates
it submits nominations to Campus France by 6 January 2027, 23:59 CET.
Application milestones
6 Jan 2027
Application deadline
2027
Intake year
Ready to apply?
Continue on the official French higher education institutions platform.
6 Jan 2027 — national (institutional submission to Campus France); APPLICANT deadlines are institution-internal —…
Who can apply?
foreign nationals only (no French citizenship); Master's applicants: bachelor's degree holders, age 29 or younger at the time of the 2027 campaign; PhD applicants: master's degree holders, age 35 or younger (age limits verified on the official Campus France Eiffel page, 2026-10-15). Master's: priority to emerging countries; PhD: emerging + industrialized countries.
What does the scholarship cover?
Master's: €1,200/month (12–24 months depending on programme: M1 24 months, M2 12 months, engineering 36 months); PhD: ~€2,000–2,100/month (up to 36 months). Plus: international + domestic travel, health insurance, housing assistance, cultural activities. Tuition NOT paid directly — but recipients at French public institutions may get tuition exemptions for qualifying diplomas
Where do I apply?
Through the official application portal linked in the Official links section on this page.
Need document or attestation help?
Detailed attestation guidance stays in Opplore's standalone Guides section, not inside this scholarship page.
France · French higher education institutions