Study scholarships: how-to guide

The information below concerns scholarship holders whose application was sent to Campus France by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Embassy as of 1st January 2023. 

For previously awarded scholarships, scholarship rates remain unchanged, for more information on housing allowance and tuition fees, please contact your mobility officer. 

Maintenance allowance

The amount of your allowance is based on an official rate grid set by the French government. The rate has been allocated to you according to the characteristics of your mobility and the programme for which you have been selected and cannot be changed. This allowance is paid to you monthly, at the beginning of each month. It is calculated on the dates of your presence in France, limited to the duration of the scholarship. The allowance is paid as of the date of your arrival in France, provided that this date is not earlier than the date stated on the scholarship application form submitted to Campus France by the Ministry or its embassies and no earlier than the date on which your educational programme begins. 

Campus France may suspend payment of your scholarship in certain cases, such as: 

• failure to send your school certificate and your certificate of membership in the social security system, 
• failure to send your academic results, 
• failure to provide your address (physical and e-mail), 
• unjustified absence from the place of study, 
• an attitude that is incompatible with the status of a French government scholarship holder.

Amount of maintenance allowances

(Subject to change according to regulations) 

• Bachelor's and Master's degree rate € 860 
• Doctorate rate € 1,770 

The payment of your first allowance is made once you have informed Campus France by e-mail of your arrival in France (remember to attach a copy of your passport stamped with your arrival date or your boarding pass.) 

Education and enrolment fees

Before enrolling at your institution, you must complete the CVEC (Contribution Vie  tudiante et de Campus) on the website: messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr

Watch this tutorial on the CVEC.

You then proceed to your enrolment. 

As a French government scholarship holder, and upon submitting your scholarship certificate or certificate of financial support from Campus France, you will be exempted from: 

• Paying the CVEC and you must download the certificate of exemption which will be requested when you enrol in your institution on the website: messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr

In case you do not have your scholarship certificate when you connect to the site, you will have to pay the fees in advance and request a reimbursement with your scholarship certificate on the site: cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr

• The payment of enrolment fees relating to pursuing a national degree or an engineering degree in public scientific, cultural, and professional establishments under the authority of the Minister for Higher Education (Article R719-49 of the Education Code). 

Campus France does not reimburse any enrolment or tuition fees that you may have paid directly to your institution. Campus France does not cover the education fees and you are responsible for them. 

If your international trip is financed by the services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or one of its embassies, Campus France will book your plane ticket and send it to you by e-mail (e-ticket). Your ticket is booked in economy class for specific dates and cannot be changed. It will allow you to travel from the airport closest to your home to the airport closest to your place of study. 

Requests for specific itineraries, upgrades or other supplements will not be considered. 

If the duration of your scholarship is less than one year, your ticket will be valid in most cases for both outward and return journeys. Otherwise, you must request a return ticket from Campus France no later than two month before the end of your scholarship period. 

You must return to your home country as soon as your scholarship ends. If you wish to remain in France at the end of your scholarship, you must waive the repatriation ticket provided by Campus France. Your residence permit must be valid until your departure date, as well as your health insurance. 

All international students (except EU/EEA/ Swiss nationals with a European Health Insurance Card valid for the duration of their studies) must register with the general French social security system through the website: etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr

This mandatory and free of charge procedure is carried out as soon as the enrolment in your educational institution is completed. 

As soon as you receive your social security membership certificate (even if it is provisional), you must send it to Campus France. 

This tutorial will guide you through the process of registering with social security.

For more information, read the health insurance guide.

While waiting for your membership to the social security system, you will be covered temporarily and free of charge by an insurer appointed by Campus France, who will be your contact during this period if you have health expenses to cover. This cover, which cannot exceed two months after your arrival, will be put in place as soon as you have informed Campus France by e-mail of your arrival (remember to attach a copy of your passport stamped with your date of arrival or your boarding pass). 

This insurance does not cover your family members, you are the only one who can benefit from it. 

You must inform Campus France that you have arrived in France or in your place of study from the very first day of your arrival. Otherwise, you will not be able to get health coverage from the insurer and you will have to pay for all your health costs. 

Many students with French government scholarships find accommodation on their own. If you would like Campus France to help you find accommodation, please fill in the form in your personal space.

If you apply for accommodation, Campus France will offer you accommodation that is adapted to your situation (location of your studies, amount and duration of your scholarship), depending on availability. In most cases, Campus France will offer you accommodation in a university residence (CROUS). You will be charged a booking fee and you will have to pay the rent each month to your residence. In case of unavailability in CROUS, Campus France will book a temporary accommodation for you to wait for accommodation in a university residence. 

Campus France reserves the accommodation and pays the bills for this type of accommodation to the residence. The amount of your contribution to these costs will be communicated to you by Campus France and will be deducted directly from your allowance. You are responsible for all other expenses (meals, laundry, bar, etc.). 

These provisions do not apply if you arrived accompanied (family, couple, etc.) The accommodation is only booked for the beneficiary. 

For more information, read the guide Your accommodation.

Campus France offers many activities at attractive rates, with part of the cost covered by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. You are invited to discover the French heritage and regions, short stays in Europe, shows, workshops, sports courses, and to get to know other scholarship holders. 

You can find more information on cultural activities in the "Leisure catalogue " available in your personal space. 

As soon as you arrive, you must: 

• Contact Campus France (dedicated contact given in the Pass Campus France) 
• Send Campus France your social security certificate (even if provisional) within the first 3 months of your stay. 

You have been awarded a scholarship for a specific duration, for a specific course of study, aimed towards a particular field or speciality, a specific degree, and a specific institution. It is your responsibility to inform Campus France immediately of any change in your situation that could have an impact on the mobility financed by the scholarship awarded. If you change institutions or change your course of study, you must submit an application to Campus France, which will be analysed by the department of the ministry or embassy that awarded you the scholarship, which will decide whether or not to continue your scholarship. 

The initial duration of your scholarship may be extended by decision of the ministry or embassy. Your application, along with a reasoned opinion from the course director, must be sent to Campus France no later than 3 months before the end of your scholarship. If your scholarship is for a new course of study, you must submit a new scholarship application directly to the department of the ministry or embassy that awarded your scholarship. 

By becoming a French government scholarship holder, you have undertaken to comply with a certain number of obligations specified in the scholarship application form that you completed and signed before your departure. 

If you are awarded a French government scholarship, you must regularly take part in the activities provided in the educational programme, comply with the rules and regulations of the host institution, and take all examinations. Campus France is responsible for monitoring the progress of your studies throughout your stay in order to inform and, if necessary, alert the Ministry or the embassy of any difficulties. 

In order to do this, you will receive several requests during the year to which you must respond: 

• Certificate of enrolment: You must send this document as soon as you arrive. 
• Evaluation of the first semester: You and your academic supervisor will be asked to make a progress report and identify any difficulties encountered during your studies. 
• University results: In the same manner, from June onwards, you must provide us with the results of the end-of-year exams, together with your teacher s comments. Upon re-enrolling, you must provide Campus France with the certificate of study issued by the educational institution. 

If you do not comply with these provisions, your status as a French government scholarship holder may be suspended as well as any related benefits: 

• exemption from the CVEC and enrolment fees, 
• coverage of complementary health insurance, 
• accommodation in CROUS residences, etc. 

If you fail to do so, the ministry or embassy may decide to terminate your scholarship.