Eiffel Scholarship of Excellence
The Eiffel Scholarship of Excellence was developed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, represented by Campus France, to enable the best international profiles at master's and doctoral levels to enter graduate programmes in France.
Each year, INSA Lyon presents candidates for the Eiffel scholarship, either from its partner universities to follow a master's degree with a double diploma at INSA, or PhD students wishing to do all or part of their thesis at INSA.
Applications are selected and sent by INSA Lyon to Campus France.
Deadline for applications at INSA Lyon: 15 November 2023.
For Africa: Master's level applications are only submitted by some of our partners.
Eligibility criteria
- International students under 30 years old
- First-time applicants (can not be combined with another French government scholarship)
- Ranking in the promotion: top 10% of the class
- Place of residence when applying: priority will be given to candidates recruited in their country of origin and who are not living in France yet
- Master level: students in engineering or engineering sciences
- PhD level:
- For candidates in their 1st year of thesis and newcomers to apply for a 36-month grant, with the aim of supporting the attractiveness of research in France.
- For all applicants, particularly those already working on their thesis as part of a co-directed or co-tutored project to apply for a grant of between 6 and 18 months, depending on their year of enrolment, with the aim of supporting existing or future cooperation projects.
Before submitting an application, check your eligibility in the application guide and the regulations.
Amount of the scholarship
- Master's level: monthly allowance of €1,181/month
- Doctorate level: monthly allowance of €1,700 /month
The Eiffel programme also covers:
- International return tickets
- National transport (train to the place of stay)
- Local transport (from airport or train station to accommodation - €50 max)
- Social protection
- Supplementary health insurance
- Cultural activities
Tuition fees are not covered by the Eiffel programme.
How to apply
Step 1
Check your eligibility in the application guide and the regulations.
Step 2
Gather the required documents for your application, which must be translated into French or English.
- Cover letter (2 pages maximum)
- Curriculum vitae (2 pages maximum)
- Copy of transcripts since entering Higher Education
- Ranking in the class of the current and previous year. As this scholarship is a scholarship of excellence, the jury needs to know the student's ranking within his/her class. If your university does not systematically issue this document, you should ask the person in charge of your course to issue a signed certificate mentioning your ranking.
- Letter of recommendation
In addition, for doctorates :
- A reasoned opinion on the scientific quality of the thesis subject, written by a university professor/research director who is an expert in the field of research concerned (in compliance with ethical rules);
- The CV of the university professor/research director in question (max. 2 pages).
Step 3
Send documents to bourseseiffel@insa-lyon.fr for Master or fedora-for@insa-lyon.fr for PhD before the indicated date for your application to be reviewed.
Step 4
If INSA Lyon accepts and supports your application, you will be contacted shortly to finalise the application.
Applications sent directly by foreign students or international institutions to Campus France are not eligible.
Application timetable
- Application deadline: 15 November 2023. This date is different from the one indicated on the Campus France website (10 January 2024) to allow INSA Lyon to review applications.
- A ranking jury at an institutional level will take place in the second half of December,
- INSA Lyon's European and International Relations Office will submit the selected applications online and will inform you of the decision concerning your application in January 2024.
- Results will be published on the 1st of April, 2024 on the Campus France website: www.campusfrance.org/fr/eiffel