About this opportunity
Eiffel is a tool of French public policy rather than an ordinary scholarship: the ministry pays institutions to attract the best foreign students, training future decision-makers from the public and private sectors in seven priority fields. On the science and technology side these are biology and health, ecological transition, mathematics and digital, and engineering sciences. On the humanities and social sciences side they are history and French language and civilisation, law and political science, and economics and management.
The money sits on top of a place in a French programme. A Master's holder receives 1,200 euros a month, a doctoral holder 2,100 euros a month, each with international travel, national transport, social security cover, help finding housing and cultural activities included. Durations run up to 12 months for an M2 entry, 24 months for an M1, 36 months for a complete engineering degree, and 12 to 36 months for a doctorate beginning on 1 September of the award year. Two conditions catch students out: the scholarship does not pay tuition fees, and age ceilings of 29 for Master's and 35 for doctoral applications are applied strictly.
The route is institutional, and this is the part every applicant must understand before the calendar becomes a problem. Students cannot send a file directly to Campus France. You approach a French institution, satisfy its own admission cut off and get it to submit your candidacy on its bordereau. The 2027 window opened on 2 October 2026, institutions' submissions to Campus France close on Wednesday 6 January 2027 inclusive, and winners and their institutions are informed by email during the week of 12 April 2027. Because each institution sets its own earlier internal date, a graduate in Lagos or Nairobi should make contact with the target school months before January, not weeks.
What you receive
- Monthly allowance of 1,200 euros at Master's level, from the January 2026 rate
- Monthly allowance of 2,100 euros at doctoral level, from the January 2026 rate
- International travel to France and national transport covered
- Social security or insurance cover, housing search support and cultural activities included as services
- Coverage periods of up to 12 months for M2 entry, up to 24 months for M1, up to 36 months for a full engineering degree, and 12 to 36 months for a doctorate starting 1 September of the award year
Who can apply
- Foreign students applying for a Master's degree, an engineering programme or a joint doctoral programme (joint supervision or dual degree with a partner institution abroad) at a French higher education institution
- Age of 29 or below at the application date for Master's level, and 35 or below for doctoral level
- Study field must fall inside one of the seven priority disciplines set by the ministry
- You must be nominated and submitted by the French institution itself, Campus France does not accept files from students directly
- Nigerian and other African nationals are among the foreign students the programme targets, with no geographic quota restricting the continent
Who should not apply
- Tuition fees are not covered by the France Excellence Eiffel programme
- Applications for candidates over the age ceilings, that is above 29 for Master's level or above 35 for doctoral level, cannot be submitted
- A student cannot apply on their own, an application without a nominating French institution is invalid
Documents to prepare
- A student file accepted by the nominating French institution, formed to its own internal requirements and dates
- The signed bordereau, the official list of candidatures the institution transmits to Campus France in PDF format
- Supporting academic documents for the chosen Master's, engineering or doctoral programme, as required by the 2027 submission guide
How to apply
- Identify a French institution offering a programme in one of the seven priority fields, and confirm its own internal application cut off, since institutions set dates earlier than the national one
- Apply to that institution for admission to the Master's, engineering programme or joint doctoral programme you want for the 2027 to 2028 academic year
- Ask the institution's international relations office to nominate you for the Eiffel scholarship and prepare your file to their requirements
- Read the official 2027 submission guide published by Campus France at https://www.campusfrance.org/system/files/medias/documents/2026-10/guide_depot_candidatures_eiffel_2027_V2.pdf so you can confirm your school is filing correctly
- Your institution must transmit its signed bordereau of candidatures to Campus France by Wednesday 6 January 2027 inclusive, and results reach winners and institutions by email in the week of 12 April 2027
Selection process
- French institutions assemble candidate files and submit them to Campus France within the call window that opened 2 October 2026
- The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs appoints expert academics, each a research supervisor with international experience for the doctoral component, named for a non-renewable four year term, to screen the files
- Winners and their institutions are informed by email during the week of 12 April 2027, with the scholarship running from 1 September of the award year
Sources and verification
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Questions applicants ask
Can I apply to Eiffel by myself?
No. The programme works through French institutions. You must be admitted or preselected by a school, and that school submits your candidacy to Campus France on its bordereau.
Does the scholarship pay my tuition?
No. The France Excellence Eiffel programme covers a monthly allowance and a package of services, but tuition fees are explicitly not covered, so students should budget for them or find institutional waivers.
What are the age limits?
The 2027 call stimulates applications from foreign students aged 29 maximum for Master's level and 35 at most for doctoral level.
When does the 2027 round close?
Institutions must submit their candidatures to Campus France by Wednesday 6 January 2027 inclusive, but each school sets its own earlier internal date, so applicants should move well before January.
Are Nigerian and other West African students eligible?
Yes. The programme targets the best foreign students for French institutions, Nigeria features across Campus France's country network, and there is no restriction excluding African nationals.
Important disclaimer
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