DegreeStep
Menu
🇫🇷 France · Funding programme

Eiffel Excellence Scholarship

France's flagship scholarship for international master's and PhD students, funded by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It pays a monthly allowance plus travel, insurance and housing help — and because public-university tuition in France is modest, it can fund an entire degree.

Funding
Full Scholarship
Status
Due ≈ in 37 days
Typical deadline
University internal deadlines Oct–Nov · Campus France early JanNext: ≈ Nov 1, 2026 · varies by course or country
Study levels
Master's · PhD
Fields
Only certain fields are eligibleEligible: Engineering & Tech, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Law, Business & Economics
Who pays
An external award — you win the scholarship and take it to a university that admits you.
Official page on campusfrance.org Last verified Sep 24, 2026. Cycles shift each year — confirm dates on the official page.

What the funding covers

  • A monthly allowance of €1,200 at master's level and €2,100 at PhD level (rates from January 2026).
  • Additional services: international and national travel, health insurance, help finding housing and cultural activities.
  • Master's awards run for the length of the programme (up to 24 months); doctoral awards run for 12 to 36 months.

Who can apply

  • Non-French nationals applying to a master's or PhD at a French higher-education institution.
  • Age guidance: up to 29 at master's level and up to 35 at PhD level.
  • Priority is given to applicants who are likely to become future decision-makers, in the programme's priority fields.
  • You cannot apply yourself: only French institutions can submit candidates to Campus France.

How to apply

  1. Apply for admission to your chosen master's or PhD at a French institution, and ask its international office whether it nominates Eiffel candidates.
  2. Meet the institution's internal Eiffel deadline — usually October or November, well before Campus France's.
  3. The institution selects candidates and submits their files to Campus France. For the 2026 campaign, the call opened on 1 October 2025 and files were due by 8 January 2026.
  4. Results are published from late March.

Before you apply: things to know

  • Your real deadline is your university's internal one, often two months before the Campus France date.
  • The institution decides whom to nominate, so a strong admission file and early contact with the programme matter most.
  • The ages are guidance the programme 'encourages', but applicants well above them are rarely nominated.

A working timeline

Counting back from the next typical deadline (≈ Nov 1, 2026). Steps marked NOW are already due if you start today.

Aug 9, 2026 · NOWResearch the route in depth — confirm eligibility, costs and every required document
Aug 23, 2026 · NOWAsk your referees (for a PhD, email potential supervisors with a short, specific pitch)
Sep 6, 2026 · NOWWrite the first full draft of your motivation letter or statement of purpose
Sep 20, 2026 · NOWOrder transcripts and certified translations · book any language test
Oct 4, 2026Second draft — get feedback from someone who reads critically
Oct 18, 2026Finalise every document and complete the online form
Oct 25, 2026Submit — never on the last day
Nov 1, 2026Typical deadline

Related routes

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters
🇪🇺 EU-wide · Master's · Full Scholarship
Due ≈ in 112 daysDetails →
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
🇨🇭 Switzerland · PhD · Full Scholarship
Due ≈ in 36 daysDetails →
DAAD Scholarships (nationwide)
🇩🇪 Germany · Master's · PhD · Full Scholarship
Due ≈ in 6 daysDetails →
Chevening Scholarships
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Master's · Full Scholarship
Due in 11 daysDetails →

Sources

Page reviewed Sep 24, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the official source.