Administration and management of scholarships

Your grant
Other services
Health insurance coverage
Your obligations
Recreation and leisure

You will be in contact with Égide, which is responsible for managing and monitoring your scholastic stay in France, for the duration of your grant. In order to become familiar with your rights and obligations, we invite you to review the practical details that follow. Feel free to contact Égide if you need further information.

I - YOUR GRANT

1/ Duration of Eiffel scholarship

Master’s course :

• The Eiffel scholarship is granted to cover the period needed for you to obtain the diploma for which the scholarship was requested, and is conditional upon your meeting the academic requirements of each year in the course.
   
• Excluding language training, where applicable, the scholarship runs for up to 12 months for a master’s 2 course, up to 24 months for a master’s 1 course and up to 36 months for an engineering diploma course.
   
• French language instruction lasting up to one year may be provided for non-French-speaking students on request from the French host centre. Students will receive their Eiffel allowances during this period.
   
• The centre submitting the application must clearly state the overall programme duration, including any compulsory practical components in France or elsewhere.

PhD course :

• Eiffel scholarships are granted for a period of up to ten months.
   
• Language instruction simultaneous with the main course may be available for the disciplines of law and political science, on request from the French host centre. It is not available for science and economics courses.
   
• Split courses: If approved by the selection commission, law and political science students may split the ten months into a maximum of three sessions lasting three to four months, over a maximum of three years, with students returning to their countries of origin between sessions.
   
• Centres are invited to inform Égide immediately of any event liable to delay graduation.
   

2/ Amount of Eiffel scholarship 

• The Eiffel programme does not cover tuition fees, though the higher education centres concerned are invited to apply the best possible financial conditions to Eiffel scholarship-holders.
   
• Enrolment fees at state-run higher education centres are waived for students on French government scholarship programmes such as this.
   
• Master’s courses : Eiffel scholarship-holders on Master’s courses receive an allowance of €1,181. In addition, the programme meets various expenses including return trip, health insurance and cultural activities. Scholarship-holders might also be eligible for additional accommodation allowance.
   
• PhD courses: Eiffel scholarship-holders on PhD courses receive an allowance of €1,400. In addition, the programme meets various expenses including return travel (single return trip for law and political science students on multiple stays), health insurance and cultural activities. Scholarship-holders might also be eligible for additional accommodation allowance.
   
• Payment: The grant is paid monthly by bank/postal transfer into a French account opened by the grantholder at the start of the course. Bank account details should be notified to Égide.
   

II - OTHER SERVICES

1 - Supplemental housing allowance

• Accommodation in hall of residence: If you are housed at a hall of residence run by CROUS, housing allowance will depend on the amount of rent you pay. You should address copies of your rent receipts to Égide.
   
• Private accommodation: If you have opted to arrange for housing outside of university residences, you are eligible for a supplemental housing allowance upon presentation of your first rent receipt. The receipt must include your name and address and the name and address of your landlord.
   
• Amount of housing allowance: The standard used to determine the allowance is the amount charged for an individual room by the Œuvres Universitaires of your college of residence (average monthly cost: EUR114.34, regardless of which college that is.
   
• Suspension of housing allowance: If you enroll in an educational establishment abroad and do not retain your housing in France, payment of the housing allowance is suspended.

2 - Travel

Journey to France:

• The journey to France is financed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for scholarship holders residing outside France at the time of selection. Travel ticket issue is handled solely by Égide.
   
• Special case: For PhD students in law and political science, authorized upon selection to split their scholarship across several stays in France, a single return trip will be financed.

Holiday journeys are not financed.

Return trip:

• The return trip is financed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and arranged by Égide to precise rules. Details should be sought from Égide several months before your departure.
   
• Entitlement to repatriation runs for one year after the end of your course.

3 – Study or long-stay research stays outside France for scholarship holders on master’s or engineering courses

• The Eiffel scholarship may finance one trip outside France if compulsory for obtaining the qualification for which the scholarship was granted. An application should be submitted by the student, along with a covering leter from the course coordinator giving the following details:
  
  • The reason for the travel; 
  • The place of study or research (name and address of the host organization, name of the party in charge at the organization); 
  • The duration of the stay (exact departure and return dates).
     
• Additional allowance: For a stay lasting no more than one month, the allowance is €42.99. For a stay lasting one to three months, it is €19.87.
   
• Important: If the trip is to the scholarship holder’s country of origin, the main and additional allowances are suspended.
   
• Internships: only compulsory internships required for obtaining the diploma may be covered under the Eiffel scholarship.
  
  • Before the course starts you should produce a detailed covering letter from the host centre specifying the duration, location and remuneration.
  • For remunerated internships, payment of your allowance during the internship will depend on the amount of remuneration you receive. You will be asked to produce a copy of the internship agreement with the host centre, indicating the amount of the remuneration. If you fail to produce this, Égide may suspend your allowance.

III - HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE

Coverage under students’ health insurance scheme:

• If you meet the following conditions
  • You are under the age of 28 on October 1 of the current academic year; and 
  • You are enrolled in an institution of higher education approved by the health insurance system, 
  • Then you must join the students' health insurance plan; you will be exempt from paying health insurance premiums.
• In addition, it is mandatory that you enroll in a students' mutual insurance plan. Égide will reimburse you for up to EUR216 of the cost of the "Médiane" coverage of SMEREP upon presentation of documentation in proof of the premium paid for the year in progress.
   
• If you do not meet the conditions for membership in the students' health insurance plan, you will be covered directly by Égide, which will give you all the information you need about health insurance coverage and the procedure to follow in the event of an illness.

Coverage by Égide:

• Égide's health insurance coverage is strictly personal and does not extend to your family.

In the event of hospitalization:

•  Your main monthly allowance and additional housing allowance will be kept up for the first two months in hospital.
   
• During the next two months, the main allowance is halved and the housing allowance kept up.
   
• From the fifth month, allowance payments are examined on case by case.

IV - YOUR OBLIGATIONS

THOUGH YOU HAVE RIGHTS, YOU ALSO HAVE OBLIGATIONS:

• Eiffel grants are awarded for a course of study whose purpose and duration are determined in advance.  
   
• Eiffel grant holders are obliged to attend and to participate in all the activities of their educational program, and in particular to sit for all examinations and to comply with all the rules and requirements of the school in which the grant holder is enrolled. 
   
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reserves the right to suspend payment of the grant if the grant holder engages in activities that are incompatible with the objectives of the Eiffel program.
   
• Scholarship-holders on Master’s courses should provide Égide with an enrolment certificate for the current year, at the start of each university year. 
   
• Scholarship-holders on Master’s courses should inform Égide of all internships, practical courses and journeys outside France.  
   
• Égide is eager to help you during your stay. Do not hesitate to contact us concerning any problems you may encounter (health-related, academic, etc.).

V - RECREATION AND LEISURE

Égide offers:

• Weekend outings, so that you can relax for a day or two, meet other grant holders and explore a French city or region; 
   
• "Exchange and discovery" tours, scheduled during university vacation periods and lasting from 8 to 10 days. These trips explore the tourist and cultural attractions of a French region, in a warm and informal atmosphere; 
   
• Athletic, recreational and leisure opportunities; 
   
• Shows, to give you a glimpse of French cultural life, through a selection of theatre plays, concerts, ballets and variety shows;