France Excellence Eiffel scholarship

At master's level: international student born after March 31^st 1998, in the following fields :
- Science and techniques : Biology and health, Ecological transition, Mathematics and digital, Science and engineering
- Human and social sciences : French history, language and civilization, Law and political sciences, Economics and management
Only candidates applying for the first time and from one educational institution are eligible. The France Excellence Eiffel cannot be cumulated with any other French government scholarship. Candidates already studying in France are ineligible.

At PhD level : international PhD student born after March 31^st 1993, for a PhD program in the following fields :
- Science and techniques : Biology and health, Ecological transition, Mathematics and digital, Science and engineering
- Human and social sciences : French history, language and civilization, Law and political sciences, Economics and management
Only candidates applying for the first time at the PhD level and from one educational institution are eligible. The France Excellence Eiffel cannot be cumulated with any other French government scholarship.

Master's program: the scholarship is allocated for :

• 12 months for a Master 2 enrollment (Year 2 of the Master's degree)
• 24 months for a Master 1 enrollment (Year 1 of the Master's degree)
• 12, 24 or 36 months for the preparation of an engineering degree, depending on the year of admission in the Engineering program

PhD program: The scholarship duration will be awarded based on the following conditions :

• 36 months, on condition of enrollment in the 1st year of the PhD (co-supervision is not allowed) for newly arriving students only (students who are not currently studying in France and/or do not have ongoing enrollment in a French institution)
• 12 or 18 months depending on the year of enrollment, for all candidates, including those already pursuing a PhD under co-supervision or co-direction programs :
  • 12 months for enrollment in the 2nd or 3rd year of the PhD
  • 18 months for enrollment in the 1st or 2nd year of the PhD

• Master's level: €1,181 per month, in addition to certain direct services.
• PhD level: €1,800 per month, in addition to certain direct services

To apply, please fill in the following form : [link tba] between October 1^st and November 9^th, 2025.

Attenion, you can only apply to one program at Paris-Saclay University. In order to select a program, please use the master's program search engine or the Polytech Paris-Saclay website, under the tab "Formation" for the engineering curriculum. The list of eligible master's and engineering degrees is available here (updated in July 2025): 

NB: students applying to the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship through this procedure must still apply through the regular procedure, whether preselected or not by Paris-Saclay University. More information can be found on the page International students: applying for a Master's degree, as well as on each master's description page. 

You must attach the following documents, in French or in English (combined in one single pdf for each category):

• Copy of passport (ID page) or national ID
• Resume in French or English (1 or 2 pages), following the example hereafter: 

• Copy of all higher education transcripts of records
• Documents showing your excellence: ranking, Dean's list, prizes, merit scholarship, etc. (optional)
• Higher education degrees
• Registration certificate for academic year 2025/2026 if currently studying at university
• Certificate of proficiency in the teaching language of the selected master's degree if different from native language or certificate indicating that it was the teaching language at the previous higher education institution
• Motivation letter/professional project in French or English (1 or 2 pages), detailing the coherence between previous education, the selected program and the candidate's professional goals, following the example hereafter: 

• Recommendation letters from academic and/or professional references (3 letters maximum)  

• October 1^st, 2025: publication of the 2026 call for applications for academic year 2026-27
• November 9^th, 2025: internal deadline to apply to Paris-Saclay University
• Review and selection of applications by Paris-Saclay University internal committee
• December 1^st, 2025: publication of results to candidates
• April 2026: publication of results to laureates and higher education institutions 

For any additional question, you may contact the Department of International and European Affairs at bourse.eiffel @ universite-paris-saclay.fr.

Please fill in the following application form [link tba] between October 1st and November 9th, 2025.

For 12- and 18-month scholarships, your PhD must be in cotutelle or co-supervision. You must submit the cotutelle agreement or the co-supervision certificate signed by both the French and foreign parties, or any other supporting document confirming the cotutelle/co-supervision.

To check eligibility, candidates should submit the following documents: 

• Copy of passport (ID page) or national ID
• Cotutelle agreement or co-supervision certificate signed by both French and foreign parties or any other document confirming the cotutelle/co-supervision for 12- or 18-month scholarships
• Overall financing scheme of the PhD
   

Once eligibility is confirmed, candidates will additionally have to submit the following documents: 

• Resume in French or in English (1 or 2 pages)
• Copy of last 3 years' transcripts of records + higher education degrees
• Motivation letter / PROFESSIONAL PROJECT, in French or in English (1 or 2 pages) detailing the coherence between previous education and the candidate's professional goals + recommendation letters from academic and professional references (3 letters maximum)
• Certificate of proficiency in the teaching language (if applicable)
• Presentation of RESEARCH PROJECT and advancement report, in French or in English (1 to 5 pages). Whenever possible, proof of communication in at least one conference (cite references, attach an extract).
• Paris-Saclay University PhD supervisor's evaluation of the candidate's excellence and of the coherence, pertinence and innovation aspect of the PhD project (copy/paste in the application form)
• Paris-Saclay University host laboratory's evaluation (copy/paste in the application form)
• Paris-Saclay University doctoral school's director evaluation (copy/paste in the application form)
• Evaluation of a full professor or research director, expert of the research field, of the scientific quality of the PhD project (complying with ethics regulations)
• Resume of the said full professor or research director (2 pages maximum)
   

• October 1st, 2025: publication of the 2026 call for applications for academic year 2026-27
• November 9th, 2025: internal deadline to apply to Paris-Saclay University
• Review and selection of applications by Paris-Saclay University internal committee
• December 12th, 2025: publication of results to candidates
• April 2026: publication of results to laureates and higher education institutions 

For any question regarding PhD admission, international co-supervision or cotutelle, evaluation of Eiffel applications, you can contact the Maison du Doctorat through cotutelles.internationales@universite-paris-saclay.fr.

For any question regarding eligibility of applications and the use of the Campus France platform, you can contact the Department of International and European Affairs through bourse.eiffel@universite-paris-saclay.fr.

The France Excellence Eiffel scholarship is reserved to international applicants. Dual citizens with French nationality are not eligible. You can find other scholarship programs on the Campus France website.

Master's level: Foreign students currently studying in France are not eligible. 

PhD level: Foreign students currently studying in France are eligible. Foreign students currently studying abroad have priority over those studying in France.

If you are currently in your first year, you may apply to 1st (M1) or 2nd (M2) year.

If you are currently in your second year, you may apply to 1st (M1) or 2nd (M2) year, but your application will not have priority.

If you hold a 5-year or more postgraduate degree in engineering, medicine, journalism, etc. from a foreign higher education institution, you can apply to M1 or M2.

You can find PhD offers on ADUM. 

For the 36-month scholarship, it is not necessary to find additionnal funding. 

For the 12- or 18-month scholarship, you should secure another source/other sources of funding, so that the entire duration of the PhD is financed.

You can use our PhD funding scheme template here: 

You can use our template of international co-supervision certificate here:

In order to obtain such agreement, you must be admitted by one of the doctoral schools of Paris-Saclay University first. Your PhD supervisor in France must also have filled in the cotutelle request online. More information on this page.