As one of the most remarkable countries in Europe, France has an excellent reputation in the sphere of education and research. It caters to international students with a variety of scholarships, which undoubtedly cover all the needed means to flourish in their academic journey. France is more than just a romantic destination, it is a large that offers opportunities to succeed, by providing scholarship opportunities for ambitious students
The crème de la crème of most of the France scholarships for international students is that they cover the study expenses, starting from tuition fees to health insurance. As a multicultural country, France offers scholarships to all the existing nationalities. Thus inferring that anyone can find themself studying in French higher education institutions, once they meet the admission criteria. Fully funded scholarships are available to students of three cycle degrees, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral.
Here are some of the French scholarships for international students:
Eiffel Excellence Scholarships
Offered by: French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
One of the best scholarships programs created by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is the Eiffel Excellence Scholarships Program which has been supporting international students since its inauguration in 1999. Annually, higher education institutions of France get the best from this program. All the international students who want to pursue a second-cycle degree or a PhD degree are entitled to all the scholarships of this program. The procedure of applying for such scholarships is quite simple. Firstly, the student has to be admitted in order to submit the application by the French institution.
The main focus of this program is to promote applications from students coming from growing nations, including Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, future EU member states, as well as from students from industrialized countries at the doctorate level. This program’s product has a beneficial influence on French higher education institutions as it aspires commercial and public sector international policymakers in three specific study areas such as science, economics and management, and law and political science.
The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs has chosen to combine the program’s two components under a single call for ideas in order to improve clarity.
- The first component which is the second cycle of studies provides financing for 12 to 36 months to allow scholarship recipients to acquire a master’s degree.
- The doctorate component provides funding for up to 12 months of doctoral study, serving as a part of a joint doctorate program in France.
Serge Bellanger French American Business Scholarship
Offered by: The French-American Chamber of Commerce Foundation – FACC Foundation
This sort of scholarship is quite broad because it helps native students as well as international ones. French students who aim to get a degree in MBA in the United States will get financial support from the French-American Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Part of the FACC Foundation’s mission is to also assure financial support to American students who want to study in France for an MBA, master’s degree, or mastère specialisé in a business-related subject. By assuring and catering such scholarships, the FACC Foundation is trying to produce and shape exceptional leaders of the business world.
For the merit-based scholarships which are numerous, students can apply annually and pursue their dream careers. France has many exceptional business schools in which international students might freely choose various programs. The total amount of money that this scholarship offers is $10,000. It eases the study process even more since it also covers academic tuition fees. Up until today, the French-American Chamber of Commerce Foundation has been awarding nearly 1 million scholarships. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for French and American students to receive substantial financial support as well as the chance to join a select group of former scholarship recipients.
To be eligible for this scholarship, the student must:
- Gain admission to a graduate-level business school program.
- Demonstrate academic and professional success.
- Be ready to move to another country to pursue a degree.
École Normale Supérieure International Selection
Offered by: École Normale Supérieure
The École Normale Supérieure (ENS) is not only known as a higher education institution in France that offers pre-doctoral and doctoral studies but also as a top-tier research center. ENS is quite broad, with fifteen departments for teaching and research, encompassing the major humanities and sciences areas. In the international rankings, this French institution holds a firm and solid position for many years and it is one of the top choices among many international students. The ENS organizes an international selection process every year, in which after the detailed examination, thirty students are selected and honored with a scholarship.
This scholarship promises to an international student a two or three-year course at École Normale Supérieure, assuring a monthly payment of €1,000 for these two or three academic years. This scholarship is specifically intended for students who wish to pursue a master’s degree in France at ENS or one of ENS’ Partner Science or Arts and Humanities Institutions. Joining the ENS by means of an international competition test offers you access to training in an excellent research environment through contact with great researchers. The main aim of the École Normale Supérieure is to empower international students and engage them in the French educational system to better and deepen their knowledge in both Art & Humanities or Scientific studies.
There are two stages that international students must undergo to get the scholarship:
- Successfully submit the application.
- Successfully pass the oral and written exams (Arts and Humanities) or oral exams only (Sciences) for pre-approved candidates.
MIEM Excellence Scholarship
Offered by: IdEx Université de Paris
The MIEM Excellence Scholarship program is bankrolled by the IdEx Université de Paris which annually awards almost a hundred scholarships to international students who wish to expand their knowledge and pursue studies at the master level. The main purpose of this program is to encourage the internationalization of master’s programs and to assist in attracting the top international students in order to form an exceptional framework for prospective PhD students. Numberless training and educational courses which are part of the MIEM program benefit international professionals in their disciplines, as well as future academics or senior executives in their own countries or in France.
MIEM scholarships are for international students who want to study at Université de Paris in one of the master’s programs that the Faculties of Sciences, Health, Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and IPGP have pre-selected (Institut de Physique du Globe). The financial support and the number of scholarships of the Science Faculty and the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty, is equivalent, counting 35 with €8,000 for each. There is a distinction among these scholarships, which falls on the Faculty of Health. The number of scholarships for this faculty is lower, counting 28; however, the financial support is higher, €10,000 for each.
Students who are eligible for this award must meet the following criteria:
- Be of foreign background and a first-year student at a French university.
- Foreign bachelor or National Diploma Certifying High School completion (that is ISCED/ISCED level 3 internationally).
Université Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships
Offered by: Universite Paris-Saclay
Université Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships is another valuable option for international students to win scholarships and study abroad. The Universite Paris-Saclay as a higher education institution in France has a clear vision on enhancing and improving its students by offering them the needed facilities to specialize and advance in their chosen field. The master’s scholarships can be utilized for various programs found at this university. The main purpose of the scholarship program of Paris-Saclay Université is to encourage students and offer them easy access to its master’s programs, which provide the chance to cooperate with partner institutions of this university as well as other associated universities.
Those who seek to build a research project through doctorate research and are extremely skilled will find these scholarships more than ideal. These studentships are issued to students who are enrolled in a master’s program at the Université Paris-Saclay, depending on their entry-level (M1 or M2), after the completion of a number of credits needed for the following year of studies. The admission panel will choose candidates who qualify for an undergraduate studentship from the Université Paris-Saclay IDEX, who are admitted to a Masters’ program at the University of Paris-Saclay. Applications may only be submitted by students who get an e-mail from Université Paris-Saclay encouraging them to apply for a Paris-Saclay IDEX bursary.
To be eligible for this scholarship, you must belong to one of the following categories:
- Students issued by any of the following institutions: ENS Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, IOGS, UEVE, CentraleSupelec, UPSaclay, UVSQ or NSTN-CEA.
- Students of foreign nationality who have been residing in French territory for less than a year, previously or now participating in a training or internship that is not certified.
- Students who have been part of the Mobility Program in France (e.g., Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, Exchange Program …), which has not resulted in a certification.
- International students who have just arrived and are under the age of 30 during the selection year.
