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Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Requirements for Filipinos: Who Can Be Nominated, What the Grant Pays, and the Step Only a French Institution Can Take

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By iStart Editorial Team·Published October 7, 2026

Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Requirements for Filipinos: Who Can Be Nominated, What the Grant Pays, and the Step Only a French Institution Can Take

You have seen the numbers: a monthly allowance in euros, a master's or a PhD in France. Then the quiet question: is this for someone like me? It can be. But start with the rule that changes how you prepare. You cannot apply for the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship yourself. The French higher education institution that admits you applies for you, and Campus France declares applications sent directly by students ineligible.

"How do I apply?" is the question Filipino graduates ask us first, so we read the 2026 rules and the filing guide Campus France gives French institutions. Here is what the jury sees, and what to build before anyone files.

What the Eiffel Scholarship Is, and Why It Exists

The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship is a French government scholarship for foreign master's and PhD students, run by Campus France. In the agency's words, it "was established by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to enable French higher education institutions to attract top foreign students to enroll in their masters and PhD programs."

Its full English name is the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship program, and it "gives opportunity to the future foreign decision-makers of the private and public sectors, in priority areas of study." A funded degree is a step in a career, not a destination and not a promise of a post.

The Step Only a French Institution Can Take

A student cannot apply for Eiffel; only a French higher education institution can. The program page says so plainly: "Only applications submitted by French higher education institutions are accepted." Applications "sent directly by students or by foreign institutions will be declared ineligible." Your part happens at the institution:

  1. Apply for admission. Start the higher education institution's own procedure early. Campus France Philippines notes that most university master's programs take applications through MonMaster, the consolidated online platform, or the school's own portal; it also offers to talk through your study project.
  2. Ask about Eiffel at the same time. Contact the institution's international relations office for its Eiffel procedure and its internal deadline. Each institution sets its own order, so do not wait for an admission decision before you ask.
  3. Be pre-selected. The 2026 guide asks each institution to state how it chose you from among the foreign students it has admitted. It then files online.
  4. Wait for the jury. Results go to the institution by email, and each laureate receives an award letter.

Each institution may present no more than 40 applications per field of study and per level, and a candidate put forward by more than one institution is rejected.

Diagram: you apply for admission and ask about Eiffel at the same time; the French institution decides whether to put you forward and files online; the jury's results go to the institution.

A warning. Because only French institutions can file, no agent, consultant or website can submit an Eiffel application for you. Treat anyone charging a fee to submit or "process" the Eiffel application itself as a red flag. The French embassy does not file either.

Who Is Eligible, and What Rules You Out

The eligibility criteria, in short: a foreign nationality (not French), an age within the limit for your level, not already studying in France if you seek a master's, a state-accredited program in one of seven fields of study, no other French government scholarship, and no earlier unsuccessful file at that level.

Age, nationality and where you are now

Under the 2026 guide for institutions, a master's candidate had to be 29 years old at most at the 2026 selection (born after 31 March 1996), and a PhD candidate 35 at most (born after 31 March 1990). The limits are set per session and some pages show lower ages, so confirm yours with the institution.

The program is reserved for foreign nationals; dual citizens whose other nationality is French are not eligible, so a Filipino citizen qualifies. At master's level, candidates currently studying in France are ineligible; at PhD level they are eligible, but candidates studying abroad come first.

Which programs and fields qualify

At master's level, only programs awarding a master's degree (or the equivalent) accredited by the French state count, engineering degrees included. French programs delivered abroad, distance programs and programs under an apprenticeship contract are out, and at least half of the program must take place in France. The seven fields of study are:

  • Science and technology: biology and health; ecological transition; mathematics and digital; engineering sciences.
  • Humanities and social sciences: history, French language and civilization; law and political science; economics and management.

Then the rule most readers never hear: under the 2026 guide, a file that was not selected cannot be presented again at that level, even by another institution or in another field. Eiffel also cannot be held together with another French government scholarship, an Erasmus+ grant or an Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie scholarship, and a PhD candidate who already holds another French government scholarship when the file goes in is not eligible.

Master's or PhD: How Long the Grant Runs

The duration depends on your level and the year you enter. For a master's: up to 12 months for an M2, 24 for an M1 and 36 for an engineering degree. For a PhD: 12, 18 or 36 months. The 36-month PhD award is only for a first-year PhD by a student not already studying or enrolled in France, and their number is limited. The 12-month award (2nd- or 3rd-year enrolment) and the 18-month award (1st or 2nd year) require joint supervision or co-direction with a partner institution abroad; they are open to all candidates, notably a researcher already doing a PhD that way.

At either level, the stay starts between 1 September and 30 November of the award year, with no postponement.

What the Grant Pays, and What It Does Not

Campus France's 2026 rules set the monthly allowance at €1,200 for a master's and €2,000 for a PhD, from January 2026. A few of its web pages still show €2,100 for the PhD; the rules document says €2,000. It is paid in France from your arrival, and the grant also covers:

  • your outbound flight in the cheapest class (if you buy it yourself, reimbursed on receipts up to a set cap), and the flight home once your final results are in;
  • train or bus fare from the airport to your study city;
  • health insurance until French Social Security starts, then supplementary cover at no cost to you;
  • help finding housing, and cultural outings at student prices, including trips to European capitals;
  • in the brochure's words, "Where applicable, no visa fees".

The brochure says: "Tuition fees are not covered by the Eiffel programme." The 2026 rules add the bound: a French government scholarship holder is exempt from registration fees for a national diploma or an engineering degree at a public institution under the higher-education ministry (article R719-49 of France's Education Code). Outside that, registration fees are not covered, and program fees never are. Campus France's guide asks host institutions to make a financial effort on those fees, so ask yours what it will cover.

What "Excellence" Means When the Jury Scores You

Eiffel laureates are chosen by seven expert panels, one per field of study. The 2026 guide lists what they weigh: the candidate's excellence as shown by the academic record (for a PhD, also how innovative the research subject is); the institution's international reach and how it hosts scholars; the French embassy's view of candidates from its country; and the Ministry's cooperation policy, including priority for certain countries. At least 70% of the grants go to the best scores.

Out of 40 points in the 2026 master's grid, the candidate carries 30: the quality of the record 18 (grades, honours, prizes and rank, certified by your home institution, plus activities such as student organizations and internships), the coherence of the academic path 5, the personal and professional project 4, and residence at recruitment 3, with priority to candidates recruited in their own country. The institution's internationalization and hosting policy carries the other 10. At PhD level, the research project alone carries 8.

That grid is the real lesson. You cannot write your way into Eiffel in December. Nearly half the points reward a record built over years, and the one part about your future asks how the degree fits your career objectives. That is why we read this scholarship as a rung, not a prize: it funds the next step of a career you can already describe. The work that makes you worth nominating starts now, not when the call opens.

A young Filipino graduate writes a plan by hand at a small table at home in the Philippines in the evening, under a desk lamp.

Campus France publishes no acceptance rate. It calls Eiffel highly selective; any figure you see elsewhere is someone else's estimate.

The 2026 Call Dates, and When the Next Call Opens

The 2026 call opened on 1 October 2025, and institutions had until 8 January 2026, inclusive, to file; results came from 30 March 2026.

On 29 September 2026 the English program page still reads "Call for application 2026 is open," though its French version says that call is closed. Neither page yet gives dates for the next call, the 2027 session. The program's brochure gives the usual calendar: the call opens online at the end of September, institutions file by the first week of January, and results come in March. Your institution's internal deadline has to come first, so ask for it when you apply for admission.

France Excellence Philippines Is a Different Door

The Embassy of France in the Philippines fully finances its own France Excellence Philippines scholarship. It is open to Filipino citizens living in the Philippines who are graduates, or graduating students, of a recognized Philippine higher education institution and are admitted to a French master's degree or doctorate. Here the student applies directly, through an online form; the 2026 call ran from 1 December 2025 to 17 March 2026. A second track, France Excellence–DOST, is co-financed by the Department of Science and Technology for the natural sciences. France Excellence Philippines cannot be held together with Eiffel.

What to Build Now to Be Worth Nominating

The strongest thing to build is your academic record, because it carries the most points: 18 of 40 at master's level. Your grades and transcripts certified by your Philippine university are the foundation, and the file asks for the last three years of them. If an institution asks for authenticated copies, our guide to credential recognition abroad explains the apostille step.

Card: in Campus France's 2026 master's grading grid, the candidate carries 30 of 40 points — the record 18, the coherence of the academic path 5, the professional project 4, residence 3 — and the institution 10.

Then write the professional project, one or two pages, in French or English. Treat it as a career plan, not a wish: what the degree adds and where it leads.

For language, the program's own level governs. The Embassy points readers to the Taught in English catalog, and if an English-taught program asks for a test score, our IELTS guide covers band scores and test day. For a PhD, research experience before the doctorate counts in the grid.

Before You Ask a French Institution to Put You Forward

  • Check your birth date against the current session's age limit for your level.
  • Start applying for admission to a state-accredited program in one of the seven fields.
  • Know which year you will enter (M1, M2 or a PhD year), because it sets the grant's duration.
  • Ask the international relations office whether it files Eiffel applications, and by when.
  • Request certified transcripts and copies of your diplomas.
  • Draft your one-to-two-page professional project.
  • Confirm the program's language level, and your test score if one is needed.
  • Make sure you hold no other French government scholarship.

The Questions Filipinos Ask Us Most

Can I apply for the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship myself? No. Only French higher education institutions can submit applications; those sent directly by students are ineligible. You apply for admission, and the institution decides whether to put you forward.

What is the acceptance rate for the Eiffel Excellence scholarship? Campus France publishes none. It describes Eiffel as highly selective, and at least 70% of the grants go to the best scores.

Does the Eiffel scholarship pay tuition? Tuition fees are not covered. Under the 2026 rules, a scholarship holder is exempt from registration fees only for a national diploma or engineering degree at a public institution under the higher-education ministry; program fees are never covered.

Do I need to speak French? Eiffel sets no language test of its own. The program's required level applies, many programs are taught in English, and the professional project may be written in English if not in French.

Is there a French scholarship Filipinos apply to directly? Yes: France Excellence Philippines, financed by the Embassy of France for Filipino citizens living in the Philippines, who apply through its online form. It cannot be combined with Eiffel.

Sources

Campus France, which manages the program for the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs:

Campus France Philippines:

Embassy of France in the Philippines: