The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship: A Complete Guide for Prospective Applicants

What Is the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship?

Named after Gustave Eiffel, the programme exists to help French universities and Grandes Écoles recruit strong international talent into priority academic fields, with the broader goal of training future decision-makers in the private and public sectors who go on to have a lasting relationship with France. It runs across two levels of study, each with its own funding structure and duration.

Who Is Eligible for the Eiffel Scholarship?

According to Campus France's official programme rules:

• Nationality: open only to non-French nationals. Dual nationals holding French citizenship are not eligible
• Age for Master's level: must be 29 years old or younger at the time of application (born after 31 March 1996 for the 2026 cycle)
• Age for PhD level: must be 35 years old or younger at the time of application (born after 31 March 1990 for the 2026 cycle)
• Academic excellence: a coherent study path and strong academic record, evaluated relative to your peers
• Language proficiency: must meet the requirements set by your specific chosen programme, French or English depending on the language of instruction
• Field of study: your programme must fall within one of Eiffel's priority fields, which include science and technology, engineering, economics and management, and law and political science, among others set by the programme each cycle

What Does the Eiffel Scholarship Cover?

• A monthly allowance of €1,200 for Master's scholars, and €2,100 for PhD scholars, both figures effective from January 2026
• International transportation, including a round-trip ticket to and from France
• National transportation within France to your place of study
• Health insurance
• Housing search assistance
• Cultural activities, organised as part of the scholar experience

Tuition fees are explicitly not covered by the Eiffel programme itself. However, French government scholarship holders are generally exempt from tuition charges at public institutions for programmes leading to a national diploma, so the practical impact of this gap is often smaller than it first appears, worth confirming directly with your specific institution.

What Is the Duration of the Scholarship?

• Master's track: funding can cover up to 12 months for a second year Master's (M2), up to 24 months if starting from the first year (M1), and up to 36 months for an engineering degree
• PhD track: funding runs for a total of 12 to 36 months

How Do I Apply for the Eiffel Scholarship?

Because students cannot apply to Campus France directly, the process runs through your chosen institution:

1. Apply for admission to your chosen French institution through its standard admissions process. Many institutions set their own internal deadline in October or November, well ahead of the main Campus France deadline
2. Request Eiffel nomination from the institution, providing your CV, transcripts, motivation letter, and any other documents that institution's selection committee requires
3. Wait for the institution's decision on whether to nominate you. Only nominated candidates move forward, the institution's own selection committee decides who to put forward
4. If nominated, the institution submits your complete file to Campus France by the national deadline, you do not submit anything to Campus France yourself
5. Await evaluation by the Campus France selection committee, an independent panel of academic experts who assess nominations for academic excellence, quality of the study or research project, and fit with the programme's priority fields

For the 2026-2027 cycle, the call for applications opened 1 October 2025 and the deadline for institutions to submit nominations to Campus France was 8 January 2026, with results published from 30 March 2026. Because institutional internal deadlines typically fall two to three months before that final Campus France date, starting the process with your target institution at least 6 to 9 months ahead of the overall cycle deadline is genuinely necessary here.

Can I Reapply If I'm Not Selected?

Policies on reapplying can vary by institution and by the specific reason for non-selection, so this is worth confirming directly with Campus France or your target institution rather than assuming a blanket rule applies.

FAQs About the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship

Can I apply for the Eiffel Scholarship directly through Campus France?

No. Only French higher education institutions can submit nominations. You must first secure admission and institutional support before you can be considered.

Does the Eiffel Scholarship cover tuition fees?

Not directly through the programme itself, though French government scholarship holders are generally exempt from tuition at public institutions for national diploma programmes, worth confirming with your specific institution.

What's the age limit for the Eiffel Scholarship?

29 or younger for Master's level, and 35 or younger for PhD level, based on the current cycle's rules.

Do I need to speak French to apply?

Not necessarily. If your chosen programme is taught in English, French proficiency isn't mandatory, though it's worth checking your specific institution's own language requirements.

Can students from any country apply?

Yes, the programme is open to non-French nationals from any country, though dual nationals holding French citizenship are not eligible.

Apply Now

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Sources: Official Campus France website (campusfrance.org), including the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship programme page, and institutional guidance from Sciences Po and Institut Français du Canada.