Eiffel Excellence Scholarship 2027

Overview

The France Excellence Eiffel scholarship is run by Campus France for the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It supports outstanding international students taking a master’s or PhD at a French university. The award is a monthly allowance plus benefits, and it is designed to attract strong students to French institutions. The call for 2027 opened on 2 October 2026. Students cannot apply directly: a French university must nominate them.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be non-French nationals. Age limits apply at the date of the call — 29 for master’s applicants and 35 for doctoral applicants in the 2027 call; confirm the current figures in the official call. Master’s applicants need a bachelor’s degree or be in the final year of one; doctoral applicants need a master’s degree. The university that nominates the student must be a French higher education institution, and the student must not already be receiving another French government scholarship. Many universities set their own internal deadlines in October and November 2026 to choose the candidates they will nominate, and several of those internal deadlines have already passed.

Available Fields

The programme covers seven broad fields: biology and health; ecological transition; mathematics and digital sciences; engineering sciences; history, French language and civilisation; law and political science; and economics and management. The nominating university must offer a programme in one of these fields.

Scholarship Benefits

Master’s students receive a monthly allowance of €1,200 and doctoral students receive €2,000 a month, paid for the funded period of the degree. The award also covers a return journey, health insurance and cultural activities. It does not cover tuition fees, so students still pay the university’s tuition, including the differentiated fees that apply to non-European students at public universities.

Required Documents

The nominating university prepares and sends the file. Applicants should expect to provide academic transcripts and diplomas, a CV, a motivation letter, a study or research plan, proof of language ability and recommendation letters. The exact list is set by the university that nominates the student.

Application Process

There are two steps. First, apply to a French university that takes part in the programme and ask to be put forward for Eiffel — the university selects the candidates it will nominate, usually by an internal deadline in October or November. Second, the university sends the selected files to Campus France. Students cannot send an application to Campus France themselves. Results are announced in the week of 12 April 2027.

Important Dates

French institutions must send their files to Campus France by 6 January 2027 — the official Campus France call states “Deadline for the reception of applications by Campus France: January 6, 2027 included”. Only French higher-education institutions may submit candidates — students cannot apply directly to Campus France. University internal deadlines mostly fell in October and November 2026. Results are announced in the week of 12 April 2027, and the funded study starts in September 2027.

FAQs

Can I apply for Eiffel myself? No — only a French university can nominate you, so the first step is to apply to a participating university.

Does Eiffel cover tuition? No — it pays a monthly allowance plus travel, insurance and cultural activities; tuition is still payable.

How much is the allowance? €1,200 a month for master’s students and €2,000 a month for doctoral students.

When are results announced? In the week of 12 April 2027.