France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship - Implementation

Document

Eiffel program rules 2025

Fichier Pdf

286.52 KB

The Scholarship
Covered services
The Eiffel Alumni community
Obligations of scholarship recipients

I - THE SCHOLARSHIP

Campus France, the French Agency for the promotion of higher education, international student services and international mobility, is responsible for managing and monitoring your academic program in France. In order to become familiar with your rights and obligations, we invite you to read the following practical information.

Feel free to contact Campus France for further information. When contacting the Agency, make sure to communicate your file number.

Duration of the Eiffel scholarship

For both components of the Eiffel program, scholarships are awarded for the academic year corresponding to the year of the scholarship application. The study period must begin between September 1 and November 30 of the year the scholarship is awarded.
The start date of the scholarship cannot be postponed.
Only those parts of the study program occurring in France are funded by the scholarship, except for certain internship or exchange periods as set forth further on.
If a recipient is compelled to repeat a year owing to failure to meet academic requirements, the scholarship is suspended.

Master level :

• The Eiffel scholarship is granted to cover a predefined number of months in order to help the recipient follow the academic program for which his/her application has been granted. Students must comply with the academic requirements of each academic year in order to continue benefitting from the scholarship.
   
• Apart from language training, the scholarship shall not exceed 12 months for a Master’s 2 level, 24 months for a Master’s 1 level and 36 months for an engineering degree.
   
• Should the student wish to take an intensive language course beforehand, the Eiffel scholarship duration can be extended by a maximum of two months, if this is clearly indicated in the application. The Eiffel scholarship does not cover the cost of such language courses.

Internships and exchanges

Internship: That agreement is made an integral part of the academic program and, as such, becomes a degree requirement. The criteria for judging successful completion of the internship for purposes of earning the degree must be specified in the description of the academic program. Scholarship recipients must obtain the agreement of the faculty adviser responsible for their degree before entering into an internship. The internship is governed by an agreement that must be submitted to Campus France no later than one week before the internship begins.

International exchange or mobility: Academic exchange or mobility involving another campus, including a campus abroad, must be a fixed degree requirement as specified in the degree description. Holders of an Eiffel scholarship must notify Campus France of the dates of their mobility.
If a required internship or exchange is to take place abroad, maintenance of the scholarship is capped at one year, with the additional provision that the period spent abroad may not exceed the total time spent in France.

Required internship or exchange: Scholarship holders performing an internship or exchange retain the benefits of their scholarship only when the internship or exchange is a required component of the program for which the scholarship was awarded and takes place within the specified duration of the scholarship. The requirement must appear in the program description.
In all other cases, the scholarship is suspended for the duration of the internship or exchange.

Optional internship or exchange: Scholarship holders wishing to enhance their academic experience may elect to perform an internship or exchange not required by their program as specified in the program description. However, in such optional or elective cases the scholarship benefits are suspended for the duration of the experience. Such periods are deemed “gaps.” The rules that apply are described below.

Gap years

A gap year is defined as follows: A supervised gap year allows students to suspend their study program for a year. For various reasons students may wish to spend a year away from their program with the option of returning to it later. They may wish to complete another course, intern at a company or civic organization, do volunteer service, work in a business, or start a project.

Gap years are allowed but entail suspension of the scholarship, with the possibility of subsequent reinstatement.
Payments of allowances and the student’s status as a French government scholarship recipient are suspended during the gap period.

Requests to take a gap year must be submitted to Campus France no later than 2 months before the beginning of the proposed period. Requests must specify the period in question (starting and ending dates) and describe how the gap year fits in with the recipient’s academic plans.

Students must also notify Campus France 2 months prior to return from the gap. In all cases, returns must be announced no later than July 31 of the calendar year during which the return will take place. Reinstatement of the scholarship cannot be guaranteed unless proper notice of return is provided.

No more than one gap year is permitted during the scholarship period. The gap may last no less and no more than one year.

• In the event that an Eiffel scholarship recipient enters into a contract of apprenticeship or professional training, scholarship benefits shall automatically cease.
  When the scholarship ceases, no further services are provided. Recipients occupying student housing supplied by Campus France must vacate their housing as of the date the scholarship ceases.
• Recipients must have begun their program of study at their host institution in France in order to collect their first payment under the scholarship.

PhD level:

Eiffel scholarships are awarded for a period of 12, 18 or 36 months from September 1 of the award year.

• A 36-month scholarship is open only to new candidates enrolling in the first year of a doctoral program. The candidate’s program may not be converted to a dual-degree program. “New candidates” are those not already studying in France and not enrolled in a French institution of higher education. The purpose of these restrictions is to attract new students by offering them support from the French government for the entire period of their doctoral study.
• The scholarship holder’s stay may be split into several periods (except in the case of 36-month scholarships). However, the stay funded by the scholarship cannot last less than 6 months and cannot exceed 3 years.

Examples: In the case of an 18-month-scholarship, it is possible to split the scholarship into three 6-month stays. In the case of a 12-month-scholarship, it is possible to split the scholarship into two 6-month stays.

Splitting of doctoral scholarship: A schedule of the stays in France must be worked out and submitted to Campus France during the first stay. If the schedule is changed after the first stay, the new dates must be reported to Campus France at least 2 months before the start date of the next stay. Reinstatement of scholarship benefits cannot be guaranteed if these deadlines are not met.

Recipients must have begun their program of study at their host institution in France in order to collect their first payment under the scholarship.

II - COVERED SERVICES

1 - Living allowance

Master level: Eiffel scholarship recipients receive a monthly allowance of €1,181 in addition to certain direct services, as explained previously.
Doctoral level: Eiffel scholarship recipients receive a monthly allowance of €1,800 (since January 1, 2024) in addition to certain direct services, as explained previously.

Method of disbursement

As a general rule, payments are made by bank transfer to an account in France in the name of the recipient.

The first payment is sent to the recipient via Western Union.

2 - Tuition and fees

Recipients of French government scholarships are exempt from tuition charges for programs leading to a national diploma (master, doctorate) or accredited engineering degree in public institutions of a scientific, cultural, or professional nature overseen by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, in accordance with article R719-49 of the national education code.
Except as set forth above, program costs are not covered by the France Excellence Eiffel program.

3 - Travel and transportation expenses

Arrival

Airfare in the least-expensive class available is covered by the scholarship.
The coverage includes the cost of travel between the international airports closest to recipients’ home abroad and their academic location in France.
Upon submission of receipts, the cost of airfare incurred by recipients will be reimbursed in an amount not to exceed 50% of the maximum rate set by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for travel from the country concerned.
Recipients may also claim reimbursement of the cost of domestic travel to reach their academic location in France. Reimbursement will be based on the cost of second class train or bus travel from the arrival airport to the academic location.

Departure at end of program

Recipients have 12 months from the end of their scholarship to request their return ticket. Coverage of the return flight is dependent on receipt of the recipient’s academic results at the end of the final year of the scholarship. In the event that the return flight is not arranged at the end of the scholarship period, it is understood that the recipient no longer enjoys the status of a recipient of a French government scholarship, nor the guarantees linked to that status, during the period between the end of the scholarship and the recipient’s departure from France.
The scholarship covers return air travel in the least expensive class from recipients’ academic location to the international airport closest to their home abroad, including the cost of second-class train or bus travel to the airport from the recipient’s city of residence in France.
The cost of airfare incurred by recipients will be reimbursed, upon presentation of receipts, in an amount up to 50% of the maximum rate set by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for travel to the country concerned.

4 - Health (medical) insurance

Eiffel scholarship recipients are enrolled by Campus France in a temporary health insurance plan until their coverage by the French national scheme (Sécurité Sociale) takes effect. The national scheme is mandatory and free of charge for all students enrolled in a French institution of higher education. Students can enroll at the following site: https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr/#/.
Recipients must submit to Campus France proof of coverage under the national scheme within two months of their arrival in France. Upon receipt of proof of coverage, recipients will be enrolled in a supplemental health insurance scheme at no cost to the recipient (excluding accompanying family members), thus ensuring optimal coverage of medical expenses during their stay.
Scholarship recipients from member states of the European Union holding a European Health Insurance Card need take no action. They will have access to care in France and be reimbursed for a share of their medical expenses as if they were in their home country. All they need to do is to send Campus France a copy of their EHIC so that Campus France can enroll them in a supplemental health insurance plan (at no cost to them).
Important: Campus France is authorized to suspend payment of scholarship allowances and provision of related services if recipients do not provide proof of their enrollment in the French national health insurance scheme by the start of the third month of their scholarship.

5 - Housing

Campus France offers recipients a choice of housing in student dormitories managed by CROUS (the national student housing agency) or in private homes. Recipients may choose to decline Campus France’s offer and to make their own housing arrangements instead.
The Eiffel program encourages host institutions to help scholarship recipients find suitable housing.

6 - Recreation and leisure

Campus France offers weekend outings to allow recipients to relax for a few days and meet other Eiffel recipients:

1. Short getaways of 3–4 days allow scholarship recipients to make touristic or cultural discoveries in a friendly and relaxed fashion. Offerings include visits to French cities and regions and trips to European capitals.
2. Shorter activities include sporting events, shows, exhibits, and recreational activities.
3. Calendars of offerings are updated every six months in recipients’ personal space on Campus France’s Eiffel program website.

All events are offered at attractive prices set with student budgets in mind. The student services and hospitality office welcomes inquiries: AccueilPoleCulturel@campusfrance.org

III - THE EIFFEL ALUMNI COMMUNITY

Your selection for an Eiffel scholarship makes you a part of the community of previous recipients. By registering on the France Alumni website you will receive news and invitations of special interest to alumni: https://www.francealumni.fr/fr

IV - OBLIGATIONS OF SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

RECIPIENTS HAVE RIGHTS, BUT ALSO OBLIGATIONS

Eiffel scholarships are granted for a specific, predetermined program, both in subject matter and in duration.

The benefits of the scholarship come with the obligation to apply oneself to the academic program—in particular, to sit for all examinations and to follow the rules of the institution.

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs reserves the right to cease scholarship payments to recipients who engage in activities inconsistent with the objectives of the program.

Eiffel scholarship recipients must submit to Campus France a certificate of academic enrollment for the current year as soon as their scholarship program begins, as well as a certificate of enrollment in the national health insurance scheme.

Eiffel scholarship recipients must communicate with Campus France about their academic status, in particular by submitting data on academic progress twice yearly as requested by Campus France.

Eiffel scholarship recipients must inform Campus France in a timely manner (as set forth above) before beginning an internship, traveling abroad, or commencing a gap year.

Campus France is here to assist you during your stay. Do not hesitate to contact us.

We wish you success in your academic pursuits and a wonderful stay in France!