Study grants in France
At French public universities, tuition fees are modest by European standards, but higher rates apply to non-EU international students — and these are the fees most commonly covered by scholarships.
How education financing works here
The main government tool is the excellence program for international master’s and doctoral students: it targets top candidates and covers not just stipends but also flights and insurance. Alongside it are French government scholarships distributed through embassies, and internal funds from universities and grandes écoles themselves.
Exemption from increased fees
A separate mechanism that few people know about: a university can exempt a foreign student from the higher fee and place them on the same rate as EU citizens. The number of such exemptions is limited and allocated by the university itself — you need to ask the admissions office directly, not search the general portal.
What to prepare in advance
French language proficiency for French-taught programs is verified by exam; for English-taught programs, an international certificate is required. Applications to French universities go through a centralized procedure with its own deadlines, and scholarship deadlines are usually earlier than enrollment deadlines.
Programmes
We do not publish exact application dates: they change every year, and this page is meant to last months. The card shows an intake window in plain language and a link to the official page, where the date is always current.
Other countries
Links to official pages have been verified 26 October 2026.