Eiffel Excellence Scholarship for Pakistani Students: Master’s and PhD in France

The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship is the French government’s flagship award for outstanding international students. It pays a monthly allowance of 1,200 euros at master’s level and 2,000 euros at PhD level, and it covers travel, health insurance, and housing help. Pakistan is an eligible country. There is one rule that shapes everything else: you cannot apply for this scholarship yourself. A French university must choose you and submit your file to Campus France. This guide covers the 2027 campaign, which is open now, and explains how a Pakistani student gets nominated.

1. Introduction

The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Program was established by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to help French higher education institutions attract top foreign students to their master’s and doctoral programs. Campus France, the French agency for international student mobility, runs the program day to day. Its purpose is to train future leaders from outside France in priority areas of study.

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Quick Facts

Scholarship Name	Eiffel Excellence Scholarship
Host Country	France
Host University	Any participating French university
Study Level	Master’s and PhD
Funding Type	Monthly allowance of 1,200 euros (Master’s) or 2,000 euros (PhD), plus travel, insurance, housing help, and cultural activities. Tuition is not paid by the program.
Eligible Nationalities	Non-French nationals, including Pakistan
Study Duration	12-36 months (Master’s); 12-36 months (PhD)
Application Deadline	6 January 2027, Campus France receipt deadline. Your university sets an earlier internal deadline, usually October to December 2026.
Scholarship Year	2027
Official Website	campusfrance.org Eiffel program page

The award is selective. French universities receive a limited number of nomination slots, and they use them for the strongest international applicants in their programs. If a university nominates you, Campus France reviews your file against candidates from every other French institution and makes the final decision. Results for the 2027 campaign will be published from 12 April 2027.

For Pakistani students, the Eiffel Scholarship is one of the most generous routes to a French degree, but it is not a simple application. There is no student portal and no form you can fill in yourself. Your path runs through a French university: you apply for admission to a program, you tell the university you want to be considered for Eiffel, and the university decides whether to put your name forward. That means your real deadline is the university’s internal deadline, which falls weeks or months before the Campus France deadline of 6 January 2027. If you start in December, you are already late at most universities.

2. Types of Scholarship

Eiffel has two components, and they work differently.

The master’s component funds 12, 24, or 36 months so that you can earn a master’s level degree. The length depends on where you enter the program: a maximum of 12 months for entry into the second year of a master’s (M2), a maximum of 24 months for entry into the first year (M1), and a maximum of 36 months for entry into an engineering program. Your funded study period must begin between 1 September and 30 November of the award year, and the start date cannot be postponed.

The doctoral component supports mobility periods of 12, 18, or 36 months, starting on 1 September of the award year. The 36 month scholarship is open only to new candidates who are enrolling in the first year of a doctoral program and who are not already studying in France. A scholarship of 12 or 18 months is open to candidates already enrolled in a doctoral program, including joint supervision of a dissertation or a dual degree. The 12 month option covers entry into the second or third year of a doctorate, and the 18 month option covers entry into the first or second year.

Both components pay the same kinds of benefits, and both are tied to one specific program at one specific institution. If you change your program of study, the change is accepted only when the new program stays in the same field of study and is offered at the same institution. If either condition fails, scholarship payments stop at once.

3. Degree Level

Eiffel funds master’s degrees and PhDs only. It does not fund undergraduate study. At master’s level, the program must award a master’s degree (or the equivalent) accredited by the French government, or a nationally accredited engineering degree. At doctoral level, the program must be a doctoral program, run as a dual degree or under joint supervision of a dissertation with a partner institution abroad.

The scholarship is awarded for the academic year that matches the call for applications, and only the parts of the program that take place in France are funded, with narrow exceptions for certain internships and exchanges. If you repeat a year because you did not meet the academic requirements, the scholarship is suspended.

There are two hard limits on the doctoral side that Pakistani applicants should know before they plan around a long award. A doctoral stay funded by Eiffel cannot last less than six months and cannot exceed three years. A doctoral contract that grants employee status is not compatible with Eiffel student status, and it ends the scholarship at once. The same is true of a work study apprenticeship contract: signing one terminates the scholarship automatically.

4. Available Subjects

Eiffel does not fund every subject. It funds seven thematic areas, and your program must fall inside one of them.

In the technical and exact sciences, the eligible areas are Biology and Health, Ecological Transition, Mathematics and Digital Technology, and Engineering Sciences. In the humanities and social sciences, the eligible areas are French History, Language, and Civilization, Law and Political Science, and Economics and Management.

That list is narrower than it looks. A general business degree, a medical degree that trains you to practice medicine, or a fine arts program does not fit, even when the university is excellent. What fits is a program that sits clearly inside one of the seven areas. For Pakistani applicants, the strongest fits are usually engineering, computer science and data science, mathematics, environmental science and climate, public health and biology, economics, and law and political science.

Check your program against the seven areas before you invest time in the nomination. The university’s international office can confirm whether a program is eligible, and the Campus France program catalogue lets you search for master’s and PhD programs by field. If your program is not in one of the seven areas, Eiffel is not an option for you, and you should look at university scholarships or other French government funding instead.

5. Scholarship Benefits

Eiffel pays a monthly living allowance and a set of direct services. The figures below come from the official 2027 regulations published by Campus France.

• Monthly allowance of 1,200 euros at master’s level, effective from 1 January 2026.
• Monthly allowance of 2,000 euros at PhD level, effective from 1 January 2026.
• International airfare in the least expensive class available, between the international airport closest to your home abroad and your academic location in France. On presentation of receipts, the airfare is reimbursed up to 50 percent of the maximum rate set by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for travel from your country. You have 12 months from the end of your scholarship to request your return ticket, and the return flight depends on receipt of your academic results at the end of the final year.
• Domestic travel support, based on the cost of second class train or bus travel from your arrival airport to your academic location in France, and the same for the return journey.
• Health insurance. Campus France enrolls you in a temporary health insurance plan until your coverage under the French national scheme takes effect. The national scheme is mandatory and free of charge for all students enrolled in a French institution. Once you prove your enrollment in the national scheme, Campus France enrolls you in a supplemental health insurance scheme at no cost to you, excluding accompanying family members.
• Housing help. Campus France offers a choice of housing in student dormitories managed by CROUS, the national student housing agency, or in private homes. You can decline the offer and arrange your own housing, and host institutions are encouraged to help scholarship recipients find a place to live.
• Cultural activities. Campus France organizes weekend outings, short getaways of three to four days, visits to French cities and regions, trips to European capitals, and shorter activities such as sporting events, shows, and exhibits, at prices set with student budgets in mind.
• Language training support. Students who take language training before starting their academic program can receive scholarship benefits for a maximum of one month, from August. The training must be named in the application file. The cost of the language training itself is your own responsibility and is not included in the scholarship.

Now the part many guides get wrong: tuition. The Eiffel program does not pay tuition and fees at either the master’s or the doctoral level, and course fees are not covered either. There is, however, an important exemption. Recipients of a French government scholarship are exempt from tuition fees for a national degree or the title of diplome d’ingenieur at public scientific, cultural, and vocational institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education, under Article R719-49 of the Education Code.

Except in those cases, tuition fees are not covered. So the practical effect depends on your institution: at a public university running a national degree program, the exemption removes the tuition bill, while at a private institution or for a program outside the exemption, tuition is your own cost. Confirm the tuition position with your university before you accept a nomination, and do not assume the 1,200 or 2,000 euro allowance will cover a private institution’s fees.

The allowance is paid by bank transfer to an account in France in your name. The first payment is sent by Western Union. It is paid from the date of your arrival in France, but no earlier than the agreed arrival date, and it depends on your presence at your specified location. If you withdraw, you lose the scholarship and the related benefits.

6. Eligible Nationalities

Eiffel is open to non French citizens. Pakistan is eligible, and there is no published country quota. You cannot hold French nationality, and candidates who hold dual nationality where one of the nationalities is French are not eligible.

Students already studying in France face limits. The 36 month doctoral scholarship is open only to new candidates who are not already studying in France and not enrolled in a French institution. If you are already enrolled in France, read the 2027 application guide carefully before you plan around Eiffel, because some routes are closed to students already in the French system.

You also cannot combine Eiffel with another French government scholarship, an Erasmus+ scholarship, or a scholarship from the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie. If you find yourself holding two scholarships, you must decline one of them.

There is no rule that you must return to Pakistan after your studies, and Eiffel does not impose a return commitment. The program’s goal is to train future leaders, and many recipients go on to work in France, in international organizations, or back home.

7. Eligibility Criteria

The rules below are the confirmed requirements for the 2027 campaign, taken from the official Campus France program page and the official 2027 regulations. Always confirm the current rules on the official Eiffel page before you apply, because details can change between campaigns.

• Nationality: You must be a non French citizen, and you must not hold French nationality in any form.
• Age: You must be up to 29 years old at master’s level, and up to 35 years old at PhD level. The exact birth date cutoff for the 2027 campaign is set in the 2027 application guide, so check the official page for the precise date. Note that older guides quote lower limits of 25 and 30. Those figures are out of date. The current official limits are 29 and 35.
• Field of study: Your program must fall inside one of the seven eligible thematic areas listed in section 4.
• Nomination: A French higher education institution must submit your application to Campus France. Applications sent directly by students, or by institutions outside France, are not eligible.
• Academic record: You must be strong enough academically that a French university is willing to spend one of its limited nomination slots on you. Universities select their best international applicants for Eiffel, and the competition is sharp.
• No other French government scholarship: You must not already hold another French government scholarship, and you cannot combine Eiffel with an Erasmus+ scholarship or an Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie scholarship.
• Start window: Your funded study period must begin between 1 September and 30 November of the award year. The start date cannot be postponed.

The age rule is the one that ends the most applications. If you are 30 and applying for a master’s, you are outside the limit even with a perfect academic record. Check your age against the official cutoff before you ask a university for a nomination.

8. English Language Requirements

Campus France does not set a single English language test for Eiffel. There is no Eiffel IELTS score. The language requirement comes from your program and your university.

Many master’s and PhD programs in the seven priority fields are taught in English, and universities that run English taught programs usually ask for IELTS, TOEFL, or an equivalent test as part of admission. Some programs are taught in French and require proof of French, usually at B2 level or higher. A few programs ask for both. Check the language of instruction and the language requirement on the program page before you apply for admission, and book your test early enough that the result is ready when the university builds your nomination file.

A strong English score helps in two ways. It satisfies the university’s admission rule, and it strengthens the nomination file that the university sends to Campus France. If your program is taught in French and your French is weak, do not rely on Eiffel to fix that. The scholarship pays for at most one month of language training before your program starts, and the cost of that training is yours.

9. Required Documents

There are two sets of documents: the file your university builds to nominate you, and the documents you submit to Campus France after you are selected.

For the nomination, your university asks you for the file it needs to present you to Campus France. The exact list is set by your university and by the 2027 application guide, so confirm it with the international office, but a nomination file typically includes:

• Your CV, in the format the university asks for.
• Academic transcripts and degree certificates, with certified translations where the originals are not in French or English.
• A motivation letter that explains why this program, why France, and what you plan to do with the degree.
• Reference letters from professors or employers who know your academic work.
• Proof of language ability, such as an IELTS or TOEFL score for English taught programs, or a French language certificate where the program is taught in French.
• A copy of your passport.
• For PhD candidates, a research proposal or dissertation project description, agreed with the French supervisor.

After selection, Campus France asks recipients for a different set of documents: your place of residence, your email address and telephone number, a certificate of academic enrollment, and a certificate of enrollment in the national health insurance scheme. Campus France also sends you two documents each year that your institution must fill in and sign and that you must return: an evaluation form at the end of your first semester, and a form reporting your performance at the end of the academic year, or, for doctoral candidates, a report from your doctoral committee.

Start your transcripts and translations early. Pakistani universities can take weeks to issue transcripts, and a certified translation adds more time. A missing document at the university’s internal deadline means the university simply nominates someone else.

10. Selection Criteria

Selection runs in two stages. First, your French university selects the candidates it will nominate from its own applicant pool. Universities have a limited number of slots, and they use them for applicants with the strongest academic records and the clearest fit with the program. Second, Campus France reviews the nominated files from all French institutions and makes the final selection.

The official regulations do not publish a scoring grid, but the factors that decide a file are consistent: the quality of your academic record, the fit between your background and the program, the strength of your motivation and research project for PhD candidates, the quality of your reference letters, and whether your program sits clearly inside one of the seven priority fields. A nomination from a university is not a guarantee. Many nominated candidates are not selected, because the number of nominations across France is far larger than the number of awards.

Results for the 2027 campaign will be published from 12 April 2027 on the Campus France website. If you are selected, you become part of the Eiffel Alumni community, and you can register on the France Alumni website for news and invitations.

Once selected, your obligations are clear: sit for all examinations, follow the rules of your institution, submit your enrollment certificate and health insurance proof, report your academic progress twice a year, and inform Campus France in time before an internship, travel abroad, or a gap year. Publications written as part of the fellowship must mention the support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Recipients who break the rules can be asked to refund the scholarship and pay the costs of services received.

11. How to Apply – Step by Step

You cannot apply to Campus France directly. Every step below runs through a French university. Follow them in order.

1. Search the Campus France program catalogue for master’s or PhD programs in one of the seven eligible fields. Shortlist programs that match your degree and your career plan, and check the language of instruction and the tuition position for each one.
2. Apply for admission to the French institution that runs the program. Follow the institution’s own admission process and deadlines. For most programs, this means applying in the autumn for a September start.
3. Contact the institution’s international office as soon as you apply, and say clearly that you want to be considered for a France Excellence Eiffel nomination. Ask for the university’s internal Eiffel deadline and the exact contents of the nomination file. Internal deadlines fall between October and December 2026 at most universities, well before the Campus France deadline.
4. Prepare your nomination file: CV, transcripts with translations, motivation letter, reference letters, language test result, passport copy, and a research proposal for a PhD. Ask your referees early. A professor who is asked at the last minute writes a weak letter or no letter at all.
5. Submit your file to the university by its internal deadline. The university reviews its Eiffel candidates, selects the ones it will nominate, and submits those files to Campus France.
6. Campus France must receive the institution’s file by 6 January 2027, inclusive. You do not control this step. The university submits it.
7. Wait for the results, published from 12 April 2027 on the Campus France website. If you are selected, enroll at the institution that nominated you, prove your enrollment in the French national health insurance scheme within two months of arrival, and arrange your housing with Campus France or on your own.

Apply to more than one French university if you can. Each university runs its own nomination, so a second application doubles your chance of a nomination. But keep your applications honest and consistent: the same academic record, the same degree, the same motivation. Campus France sees the file your university sends, and a file that contradicts your admission application will hurt you.

12. Deadline

The 2027 Eiffel campaign is open now. Here is the confirmed timeline published on the official Campus France Eiffel page.

Stage	Date
Call for applications opens	October 2026
University internal deadlines	October to December 2026, set by each university
Deadline for receipt of applications by Campus France	6 January 2027, inclusive
Publication of results	From 12 April 2027
Funded study period begins	Between 1 September and 30 November 2027

The date that decides your application is not 6 January 2027. It is your university’s internal deadline. French universities set their own internal dates so they have time to review files and submit the selected ones to Campus France. At many universities, the internal deadline falls in November or early December 2026. Some close in October. If you contact a university in January, the nomination round is already over. Check the internal deadline for each university you apply to, and treat that date as your real deadline.

Check every date and rule on the official Campus France Eiffel page before you apply. The official program page is campusfrance.org/en/france-excellence-eiffel-scholarship-program, and the full 2027 regulations are published at the official Eiffel regulations PDF for the 2027 session. Start with the university, not with Campus France, because the nomination is where your application is won or lost.