France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship Programme

Who can apply

Only applications submitted by French higher education institutions are accepted
Applicants up to 29 years old at master's level and up to 35 years old at PhD level
Reserved for international students. Candidates with dual nationality, one of which is French, are not eligible
Candidates currently studying in France are ineligible at master's level. At PhD level, students currently studying abroad are given priority over those resident in France
Students who are currently recipients of a French government scholarship are not eligible
Only programmes conferring a nationally accredited French degree qualify. French programmes located abroad and apprenticeship contracts are excluded
At doctoral level specifically, French institutions submit candidates only for a joint doctoral programme, meaning joint supervision of the dissertation and/or a dual degree, in partnership with a partner institution abroad; a standard PhD with no foreign co-supervision arrangement does not qualify
Duration caps depend on the enrolment type: up to 12 months for an M2, up to 24 months for an M1, up to 36 months for an engineering degree, and 12 to 36 months for a doctorate, starting 1 September of the award year

You don’t apply; your institution does

The single most important fact about Eiffel is that you do not apply. A French higher education institution applies for you, and Campus France will not accept anything sent directly by a student. In practice this means your real deadline is whatever internal date your chosen French university sets for its Eiffel shortlist, which is normally months before the Campus France date and is rarely advertised widely. Contact the international office of the institution you want to attend and ask when their Eiffel selection closes.

A real gap most applicants miss: doctoral funding requires a joint programme

A detail easy to miss entirely: at doctoral level, Eiffel isn’t available for just any PhD in France. Campus France’s own student page states institutions submit doctoral candidates specifically for a joint doctoral programme, meaning joint supervision of the dissertation and/or a dual degree, in partnership with a partner institution abroad. If your planned PhD doesn’t already involve co-supervision with an institution outside France, it likely doesn’t qualify for Eiffel funding at all, regardless of how strong the rest of your application is.

Not full funding, and two details worth reading carefully

Do not describe this as full funding. Campus France writes on its own student page that tuition fees are not covered by the France Excellence Eiffel programme. What you get at master’s level is a monthly allowance of €1,200, transport, insurance and some practical support. Because Eiffel holders count as French government scholarship recipients they are exempt from tuition at public institutions on a national diploma, but that is a separate exemption under the education code and not part of the award. Two smaller details are worth reading carefully. The listed benefit is help with searching for housing, not a housing allowance, so budget for rent yourself. And travel is not simply paid: Campus France reimburses airfare on receipts up to 50 per cent of a ceiling the Ministry sets for your country, in each direction.

Duration limits vary by exactly what you’re enrolling in

How long the scholarship runs depends on precisely what you’re enrolling in, not a flat duration for every Master’s or PhD. At Master’s level: up to 12 months if you’re entering directly at M2, up to 24 months if you’re entering at M1, and up to 36 months for an engineering degree specifically. At doctoral level, funding runs 12 to 36 months, starting 1 September of the year the scholarship is awarded.

One inconsistency worth flagging

One inconsistency worth flagging. The Campus France implementation page gives the doctoral monthly allowance as €2,000 from January 2026, while the student-facing Eiffel page on the same site, re-confirmed on this check, gives €2,100 from January 2026. Both are official pages and both were reading that way when this entry was written. Until the 2027 regulations are published, treat the doctoral figure as approximate and confirm it against the regulations document for the session you are applying to. For the wider cost picture of living and studying in France beyond what Eiffel covers, see the guide to studying in France.