Scholarships in France for International Students 2026–2027

Scholarships in France for International Students 2026–2027. France has quietly become one of Europe’s most realistic places to fund a degree. Between low public tuition, a genuinely wide field of government and EU-backed grants, and university-specific awards, the country offers more routes to funded study than most students realise when they start looking.

This guide walks through where that money actually comes from — the French state, the Ministry of Higher Education, regional authorities, the EU, and individual institutes of higher education — so you can figure out which door to knock on first.

Scholarships in France for International Students 2026–2027:

Start With Campus Bourses: France’s Central Funding Search Tool

Before chasing individual scholarship pages, it’s worth spending ten minutes on Campus Bourses, the scholarship database run by Campus France. It pulls together funding offered by French and foreign states, regional authorities, companies, foundations, and universities in one searchable catalogue.

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You can filter by nationality, field, and level of study, which narrows things down fast. I’ve seen students skip this step and spend weeks manually checking university sites — the tool does that work for you in a single search.

Scholarships From the French Foreign Ministry

The French Foreign Ministry funds a meaningful share of scholarships awarded to foreign students each year. Roughly a quarter of these come directly through France Excellence Eiffel, aimed at master’s and doctoral-level applicants, or through France Excellence Major, reserved for top graduates of French high schools abroad. The rest are distributed through French embassies abroad.

Eiffel specifically targets future decision-makers in priority fields of study — engineering sciences, biology and health, ecological transition, mathematics and digital on the science side; law and political science, economics and management, and French language and civilisation on the humanities side. It doesn’t cover tuition, but it does cover a monthly stipend, insurance, and travel.

Because embassy-run scholarships vary so much by country, your best move is contacting the Campus France office in your own country directly to confirm what you’re eligible for.

Ministry of Higher Education Scholarships (Social Criteria)

Separately, the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research awards scholarships based on social criteria rather than pure merit. These are aimed at students who’ve already been resident in France for at least two years and are paying tax there — so this route is mainly relevant once you’re already established in the system, not for a first-time application from abroad.

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The ministry also funds doctoral contracts managed by individual doctoral schools and channels research money through bodies like the CNRS, IRD, ADEME, and IFREMER, which between them cover nearly every scientific field. Some institutions also run their own scholarship programmes for enrolled students — worth a direct email to the international relations office once you’re admitted.

Regional and Municipal Scholarships

French regions and towns run their own scholarship allocations for students enrolled in local programmes. These sit alongside doctoral and postdoctoral grants administered through the universities themselves and can also apply to students arriving through exchange agreements between a French institution and one abroad.

These regional awards are easy to overlook because they’re not centrally advertised — checking the region where your target university is based (Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and so on) can surface funding that never shows up in a general search.

Erasmus+ and EU-Funded Mobility Scholarships

Erasmus+ is the EU’s flagship programme for education, training, youth, and sport, and it’s a genuine funding route for students wanting a mobility bursary in Europe. The Erasmus Mundus joint master’s offer is the standout here: it funds the world’s top students for one or two years, regardless of field, on the condition that the programme is taken across at least two participating countries. Several French institutions run joint master’s degrees under this scheme.

Separately, through bilateral agreements between institutions, Erasmus+ also funds shorter mobility placements to and from France, covering removal and accommodation costs — worth asking your home university’s international office about directly.

MSCA Doctoral Networks for Advanced Researchers

For doctoral candidates specifically, MSCA doctoral networks (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) are research and training consortia that recruit international doctoral candidates as part of funded projects enrolled in a programme based in an EU member state or a Horizon Europe-participating country. There are three variants — standard doctoral networks, joint doctorates, and industrial doctorates — and applications go directly to the network, not through a general portal. The Euraxess France platform is the best starting point for current openings.

University-Specific Fully Funded Scholarships

Beyond government and EU channels, individual French universities run their own competitive scholarships. A few worth knowing:

Université Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships offer €10,000 a year, plus up to €1,000 toward travel and visa costs, for outstanding international Master’s applicants — with a particular eye toward students likely to continue into a PhD.

The Emile Boutmy Scholarship (Sciences Po) is one of the more generous university-run awards, providing up to €19,000 a year for undergraduate, Master’s, or PhD study at Sciences Po. It’s reserved for first-time applicants from outside the EU whose household doesn’t file taxes within the EU, and the award is only considered after you’ve already been admitted to a programme.

Ampère Excellence Scholarships (ENS de Lyon) fund €1,000 a month for international students admitted to eligible master’s programmes at ENS de Lyon — a smaller but steady stipend aimed at academic excellence rather than financial need.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s programmes such as FIPDes (Food Innovation and Product Design) combine several EU universities, including French institutions, into a single funded degree – students study, live, and gain professional experience across multiple countries as part of the programme.

None of these university-run awards require you to separately apply for student loans or commercial financing if you’re successful — the whole point is that they replace that need, at least for the portion of costs they cover.

How Application Timelines Generally Work

Most French scholarship programmes open applications in autumn (September–November) for enrolment the following academic year, with master’s admissions and scholarship windows often running in parallel — meaning you generally need to apply to the programme and the scholarship at the same time, not sequentially. Government-run programmes like Eiffel are the exception: only the university can submit your Eiffel application, so getting admitted and flagging your interest early in the process matters more than the scholarship deadline itself.

Frequently Asked Questions (Latest Google People Also Ask)

Can international students actually get a fully funded scholarship in France?

Yes. The French government, the EU, and individual universities all run fully funded options that cover a monthly stipend, health insurance, and sometimes travel – France Excellence Eiffel and several university-run awards like Ampère Excellence is genuinely full coverage for tuition-adjacent costs, though Eiffel itself doesn’t pay tuition directly since public tuition in France is already low.

Do I need to speak French to apply for a scholarship in France?

Not always. Many Master’s and Eiffel-eligible programmes are taught in English, particularly at business schools and research-focused institutions. Language requirements depend entirely on the specific programme you’re applying to, so check the course listing rather than assuming French is mandatory.

How much does it cost to study in France without a scholarship?

Public tuition is genuinely low by international standards, but living costs vary sharply by city — Paris runs considerably higher than regional cities. Scholarships that cover both tuition and living costs together are relatively rare, which is exactly why stacking a government award with a university-specific one is worth exploring if you’re eligible for both.

Can I apply for the Eiffel Scholarship directly?

No. Eiffel applications can only be submitted by a French higher education institution on your behalf, not by students directly. You need to be admitted (or in the admissions process) at an eligible institution first and then ask its international office to nominate you before the internal deadline – which usually falls well before the national Campus France deadline.

What is the difference between Erasmus+ and Erasmus Mundus?

Erasmus+ is the broader EU programme covering education, training, youth, and sport mobility across Europe. Erasmus Mundus is a specific strand within it, funding joint master’s degrees taken across at least two participating countries — it’s more selective and typically better funded than a standard Erasmus+ exchange.

Conclusion

Between campus bourses, foreign ministry programmes like Eiffel, EU-backed Erasmus+ options, and university-specific awards at places like Sciences Po and ENS de Lyon, scholarships in France for international students span far more channels than most applicants realise. The practical move is checking eligibility across two or three of these tracks at once rather than betting everything on a single competitive award.

Official Scholarship & University Resources (Future Deadlines Only)

Per your standing guardrail, high-CPC categories like student loans, education loans, and student insurance were left out below where they didn’t apply naturally to an official-resources list; they’re addressed lightly within the article body instead where genuinely relevant (e.g., health insurance as part of scholarship benefits).