France Excellence Eiffel scholarship

At master's level: international student born after March 31^st 1997, 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 1991, 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.

*The "French history, language and civilization" field is exclusively centered on the French language.

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)

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: €1,200 per month, in addition to certain direct services.
• PhD level: €2,100 per month, in addition to certain direct services

To apply, please contact the coordinator of the master’s program you wish to apply for before November 26^th, 2026. You can do so by clicking on the link below their name on the description page of the master’s degree. 

The course catalogue is accessible through this link.  https://www.universite-paris-saclay.fr/en/education/deuxieme-cycle

Please describe your project as thoroughly as possible, indicating your current level of studies, the university and country where you are currently studying or where you graduated from, your academic results, your ranking in the class, your professional experience (including internships) and your project. Documents listed below can be requested by the master’s program coordinator. 

Only one application per student can be supported to the national jury of the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship. In case of multiple applications, you will be asked to choose which program you wish to compete for.

Please note that the engineering degrees of Polytech Paris-Saclay are not eligible to the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship.

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, from February 2027. 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. 

• Copy of passport or ID card
• Resume in French or English, 1 to 2 pages. The resume must explicitly indicate universities attended from the start of higher education and professional experiences in link to the program you studied and the one you are applying for (internships for example) with start and end dates (month + year). 
• Degrees (if already awarded)
• Official ranking certificate for the last degree awarded or last completed years (ex. : you are currently in 3rd year : attach ranking of 1^st and 2^nd year) 
• Transcript of records since first year of higher education (transcripts and degrees of secondary education are not requested)
• French language certificate if the program you are applying for is taught in French and if French is not the language in use either in your country or your university of origin 
• Professional project in French or English, 1 to 2 pages, describing your background, the choice of program and the choice of France as a study destination. This letter can be supported by a recommendation letter from a person external to your university of origin (an organization in which you completed an internship, for example). 

• October 1^st, 2026: publication of the 2027 call for applications for academic year 2027-28
• November 26^th, 2026: internal deadline to apply to Paris-Saclay University
• Review and selection of applications by Paris-Saclay University internal committee
• December 7^th, 2026 at the latest: publication of results to candidates
• Week of April 12^th, 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 international.scholarship@universite-paris-saclay.fr.

Please fill in the following application form: https://www.demarches-simplifiees.fr/commencer/eiffel-phd-universite-paris-saclay between October 1st and November 30th, 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.

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
• 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 following the example hereafter: 

• Resume in French or in English (1 or 2 pages) following the example hereafter: 

• Registration certificate for current year if applicant is currently studying
• 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 following the example hereafter: 

• Presentation of research project and advancement report, in French or in English (1 to 5 pages)
• 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) - this expert should not have done research or publications with the expected PhD supervisor

If preselected, the candidate will need to attach the following:

• Certificate of proficiency in the research language (if applicable)
• 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)
• Resume of the full professor or research director who provided the evaluation of the scientific quality of the PhD (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 10th, 2025 at the latest: 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, eligibility of applications and evaluation, you can contact the Maison du Doctorat through cotutelles.internationales@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.

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.