Grants issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 

- Grants issued by French Embassies abroad

French government grants are delivered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for studies, training courses or language courses in France. Most of them are issued by the Department of Cultural Initiatives and Cooperation of France’s Embassies and consulates abroad. Whatever their country of residence may be, candidates must, before their departure and sufficiently in advance, apply directly to this Department located in their country of origin in order to obtain complete information on these grants: granting conditions, selection schedule, and application documents to be handed over.

For more information

Apply to the Department of Cultural Initiatives and Cooperation from your country of residence’s French Embassy or French consulate

There are various categories of grants: study grants, training course grants, high-level scientific course grants.

- Specific programmes

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also delivers grants within the framework of specific programmes that directly depend upon its Paris services (Direction Générale de la Coopération Internationale et du Développement, Direction de la Coopération scientifique et universitaire, Sous-Direction de la Coopération universitaire et de la formation professionnelle, Bureau de la mobilité étudiante).

  • Eiffel excellence grants

The “Eiffel excellence grant” programme, which was created in 1999 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is intended for the best foreign students who wish to pursue their higher education in France for the final three years of their degree course or for their postgraduate studies, in three great fields: engineering science, economy-management, law-political science.

Applications must absolutely be submitted by a French school in which their registration has already been accepted.

This programme is also devised to support French schools’ international initiatives, giving them a particularly attractive tool for identifying and selecting the best students who enrol for their courses.

EGIDE manages the Eiffel programme.

-* PhD Eiffel excellence grants

In 2005, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs created a new programme, PhD Eiffel, in order to complete the already existing Eiffel system by extending its scope to doctoral education, in accordance with the directions chosen by the Prime Minister.

This programme’s aim is to encourage PhD students who are in co-supervision or co-tutoring to come to France by ensuring the continuity of the Eiffel programme.

Applications from students who live in emerging countries (Asia, Latin America, new EU member states, Russia) but also in countries with a high scientific and academic potential are encouraged.

The PhD Eiffel programme makes it possible to offer foreign PhD students the possibility of spending one year in France (preferably the 2nd or 3rd year of their thesis).

EGIDE manages this programme.

  • Major excellence grants

In September 2000, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs created the Major grant programme to add to the programme of excellence grants given by the AEFE (Agence pour l’Enseignement Français à l’Etranger), which targets former foreign students in French lycées abroad.

The Major grant programme makes it possible for students whose excellence grant from the AEFE is coming to an end to pursue their higher education in France after the first cycle of university courses. On certain conditions, it indeed allocates them an additional three-year grant to study in the grandes écoles (prestigious higher education schools) or in university during the final three years leading to a master’s degree (bac + 5).

The CNOUS manages this programme.

  • Grants for theological studies

The grant programme for theological studies concerns students who wish to follow theology courses in French colleges. It gives grants to French-speaking postgraduate students, those studying religions coming first, or eventually to students doing the final three years of a degree course when they are from a country that does not have the required infrastructures.

The CNOUS manages this programme.

  • Charcot grant programme

In partnership with 5 French university-hospital centres (Strasbourg, Lyons, Paris, Marseilles, Bordeaux), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers one-year grants every year for education through clinical research in hospital services. Applicants must be less than 40 years old, French-speaking or English-speaking and of teacher and researcher level (or future teacher and researcher level) in their country of residence abroad.

Excellence grant programme in the medical field

The CNOUS manages this programme.

  • Partnership agreement with the THALES company for welcoming and supporting the best foreign students

New: the minister of Foreign Affairs and the chairman and managing director of the THALES Group, Mr Denis Ranque, signed a partnership agreement that allows the financing of 24 Chinese and Indian students since September 2006.

Grants being offered within the framework of European programmes

 

The SOCRATES/ERASMUS and LEONARDO European programmes make it possible to grant, within the context of projects being laid out by schools, mobility aids for students who go and study or do a training course in a different country from the European Union.

Grants from the Academic Agency for the French-speaking world (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie)

The Academic Agency for the French-speaking world has aid programmes to help students, teachers and researchers.

Grants from international institutions, non-governmental organizations and foundations.

Grants from regional authorities

Regional councils and other regional authorities can offer mobility grants to foreign students.

Grants from foreign governments

Some countries award grants making it possible to study abroad. Students can enquire for details at their country of origin’s Ministry of Education or at the body responsible for grants.

(Source: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website, http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr)