Social security scholarship : how-to guide

The social security scholarship awarded to you by the Cultural Action and Cooperation Service of the Embassy of France does not include the payment of a monthly allowance or housing benefits.

You must therefore have your own financial resources for the duration of your stay in France. 

Plan on a budget of €800 to €1000 per month, not including any eventual educational fees. 

For more information:  Prepare your budget

CVEC, enrolment fees and education fees

If you are a student enrolled in a higher education institution, you must complete the CVEC (Student and Campus Life Contribution) procedures prior to your enrolment at your institution by visiting  messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr 

For more information, watch our tutorial. 

You then proceed to your enrolment. 

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

• Paying the CVEC, and you must download from the following site the exemption certificate which you will be asked to provide when you enrol at your school on the following website: messervicesetudiant.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 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 (those of your scholarship) 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.

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 two months before the end of your scholarship period. 

Returning to your home country must take place as soon as the scholarship ends. If you wish to remain in France at the end of your scholarship, you will have to waive the return 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. 

Watch our tutorial 

Read the guide "Your health insurance".

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 coverage, which cannot exceed two months after your arrival, will be effective as soon as you have informed Campus France by email of your arrival (remember to attach a copy of your passport stamped with your arrival date or your boarding pass.) 

If you have been awarded the social coverage scholarship in the context of an internship scholarship, you will be covered for the duration of your scholarship by an insurer selected by Campus France, who will send you your insurance certificate a few days after you have confirmed your arrival. This insurer will be your sole contact during your stay for all social protection issues at the following address: campusfrance@april.com. 

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

If you are required to travel abroad as part of your studies and this trip is approved by Campus France, you will be able to benefit from coverage adapted to your situation

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. No retroactive membership is possible. 

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. Please note: CROUS accommodation applications from scholarship students with social security coverage will only be granted if the scholarship application has been sent to Campus France by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its embassy before 30th June). 

For more information, read the guide "Your accommodation". 

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

You can find more information on cultural activities in the "leisure catalogue".

As soon as you arrive, you must: 

• Contact Campus France (dedicated contact given in the Pass Campus France) from your very first day in France. 
• If you are a student, 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 course of study, aimed towards a particular field or speciality, a specific degree, and a specific institution. 

Any change of institution or vocational reorientation must be submitted to Campus France for an analysis of the request and sent to the Ministry or its embassy for its review. 

Please note: the initial duration of your scholarship may be extended upon a justified request from the education manager. This request must be sent to Campus France at least 3 months before the end of your scholarship. If your scholarship is for a new course of study, you must submit a new application directly to the Ministry or the embassy in your country. 

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 participate regularly in the activities provided for in the educational programme, comply with the rules and regulations of the host institution, and take all examinations if you are a student. 

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 or attendance (if you are a student.) You must send this document as soon as you arrive. 
• Evaluation of the first semester (if you are a student) You and your academic supervisor will be asked to make a progress report and identify any difficulties encountered during your studies 
• Academic results (if you are a student) In the same manner, from June onwards, you must provide us with the results of the end­of-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 etc.