Eiffel Scholarship for Tunisians: eligibility, documents and 2027 timeline

Eiffel scholarship for Tunisia: the essentials for the 2027 session

If you searched for 'eiffel scholarship tunisia', you are probably aiming for a master's or PhD in France starting in autumn 2027. The France Excellence Eiffel programme is funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and run by Campus France. French institutions use it to attract strong international students in fields the ministry treats as priorities.

The point that catches most people out: you do not submit the application yourself. Only a French higher education or research institution can nominate you. Your job is to apply to an eligible programme and then get that institution to pick you as one of its scholarship candidates.

2027-session timeline, checked on 23 October 2026 on Campus France pages:

• Call opens: 2 October 2026.
• Deadline for Campus France to receive files: 6 January 2027 inclusive, 23:59 Paris time on the portal.
• Results: week of 12 April 2027, by email to institutions and winners.

One Campus France news item also gives 8 January 2027 in its introduction, but the programme page, the submission guide and the portal all state 6 January 2027. Work with that date. Note that this timeline is for institutions: Campus France tells students to ask each institution for its own deadline, which is usually earlier.

Source: Campus France — France Excellence Eiffel scholarship program (2027 campaign) · checked 23 Oct 2026

Eiffel scholarship eligibility: nationality, age and current situation

The 2027 submission guide sets these criteria:

• Nationality: the programme is reserved for candidates of foreign nationality. Dual nationals who hold French nationality are not eligible.
• Age at master's level: born after 31 March 1997.
• Age at PhD level: born after 31 March 1991.
• Master's candidates already studying in France are not eligible.
• PhD candidates already in France may be nominated, but those studying abroad get priority.
• Previous applications: a file already turned down in an earlier selection cannot be submitted again for the same component, even through another institution or in another field. A former Eiffel master's scholar cannot receive a second master's award, but can be nominated for a PhD, except for the 36-month award.
• No combining: Eiffel rules out any other scholarship funded by the French state, even one that covers only certain costs. The programme regulations also name Erasmus+ grants and Agence universitaire de la Francophonie scholarships.

Tunisian eligibility: confirmed on nationality, because the programme is open to all candidates of foreign nationality. A Tunisian who also holds French nationality is excluded.

Language: the guide sets no minimum score. The nominating institution must check that your level matches what the programme requires, so find out which French or English test your master's asks for.

Source: Campus France — Guide de dépôt des candidatures Eiffel 2027 (FR PDF) · checked 23 Oct 2026

Fields, study levels and length of funding

The 2027-session regulations list seven fields:

• Biology and health
• Ecological transition
• Mathematics and digital technology
• Engineering sciences
• French history, language and civilisation
• Law and political science
• Economics and management

The programme must lead to a state-accredited master's (or equivalent), an accredited engineering degree, or a PhD run as a cotutelle (dual degree) or under co-direction with a partner institution abroad (co-direction is not required for the 36-month award). The 2027 guide excludes French programmes delivered abroad, including in Tunisia, distance learning, and programmes taken under an apprenticeship or professionalisation contract. For a Master of Science, only MSc programmes labelled by the Conférence des grandes écoles qualify.

Maximum length at master's level: 24 months when entering Master 1, 12 months when entering Master 2, and 36 months for an engineering programme.

PhD length: 12, 18 or 36 months. The 36-month award is only for new first-year doctoral candidates who are neither studying nor enrolled in France. It cannot be turned into a cotutelle, and only a limited number are available. The 12- and 18-month awards, depending on the year of enrolment, are open to all candidates, notably those already in a cotutelle or co-directed PhD.

The funded stay must start between 1 September and 30 November 2027, and the start date cannot be postponed.

Source: Campus France — France Excellence Eiffel regulations, 2027 session (EN PDF) · checked 23 Oct 2026

What the Eiffel scholarship covers (2027-session amounts)

According to the regulations published for the 2027 session:

• Monthly allowance: EUR 1,200 for master's and EUR 2,000 for PhD recipients, in force since 1 January 2026. It is paid from your arrival in France, and no earlier than the agreed arrival date.
• Return airfare in the cheapest class, reimbursed on receipts up to 50% of the ministry's maximum rate for your country. The return flight depends on Campus France receiving your final results.
• Second-class train or bus from the arrival airport to your study city.
• Temporary health insurance until you join French national health insurance (Sécurité sociale), which is free for students. Once you send Campus France proof of membership, within two months of arrival, free supplementary cover takes over. It does not cover accompanying family members.
• An offer of housing in a CROUS residence or with a host family, which you may decline, and cultural outings at student prices.

The programme does not pay tuition. As a French government scholarship holder, however, you are exempt from registration fees for a national degree or an engineering degree at a public institution under the Ministry of Higher Education. At a private school or on a fee-paying course, the fees remain yours to pay, so ask the institution for the exact amount before committing.

So the scholarship does not cover every cost: budget for your first weeks, a housing deposit and the visa.

Source: Campus France — France Excellence Eiffel regulations, 2027 session (EN PDF) · checked 23 Oct 2026

Applying for the Eiffel scholarship 2027: steps from Tunisia

Here is the logical order for a candidate living in Tunisia:

• Choose an eligible programme in one of the seven fields, then check on the institution's website whether it nominates Eiffel candidates.
• Apply to the programme through the institution's procedure. For a master's, this usually runs through the Campus France Tunisie 'Etudes en France' procedure.
• Contact the programme director or the international office, ask to be nominated for the scholarship and note the internal deadline (to be confirmed with each institution).
• Hand the requested documents to the institution, which enters and submits the file on the Campus France platform by 6 January 2027 at the latest.
• Make sure only one institution nominates you: the 2027 guide says a candidate put forward by more than one institution is rejected.

On the Campus France Tunisie side, the 2027/2028 intake calendar gives these dates for the Hors-DAP route (Master 1, Master 2, engineering and business schools): files open on 1 October 2026, submission and payment until 18 December 2026, then an interview at an Espace Campus France (Tunis, Sousse or Sfax) until 15 March 2027. For doctoral study, the calendar refers you to the Campus France Tunisie website. If you were admitted directly by the institution, the process runs through the 'Je suis accepté' section of that site.

These are two separate tracks: 'Etudes en France' handles admission and the visa, while the Eiffel scholarship goes only through the institution.

Source: Campus France Tunisie — Calendrier des procédures, rentrée 2027/2028 (PDF) · checked 23 Oct 2026

The application file: documents to prepare

The submission guide lists what the institution must attach. Get these ready early:

• A copy of an identity document showing your surname, first name and date of birth. The identity entered must match the MRZ exactly, the coded zone at the bottom of the passport's identity page.
• A CV in French or English, two pages at most, covering your studies and any work experience.
• Copies of your latest degrees, showing date, subject and honours, plus anything that proves excellence (ranking, awards).
• Transcripts for the last three years.
• Language certificate or diploma, if you have one.
• Professional project of one or two pages, in French or otherwise in English. An outside opinion, for example from a company, can support it.
• The signed 'Candidate declaration and commitment' charter.

For a PhD, add:

• A thesis project of up to 5 pages, in French or English.
• A reasoned opinion from an expert in the same field (a professor, research director or holder of an HDR), from outside the nominating institution. The expert must have no joint work or publications with your intended supervisor, must not come from your home institution or home country, and must not share your nationality. The expert's CV is limited to 2 pages.
• The overall funding plan for the thesis.
• The joint-supervision agreement or co-direction certificate for 12- and 18-month awards.

Whether documents written in Arabic must be translated is to be confirmed with the institution.

Source: Campus France — Guide de dépôt des candidatures Eiffel 2027 (FR PDF) · checked 23 Oct 2026

Selection criteria and results

Files are scored by a committee of seven expert panels, one per field. Experts cannot assess candidates from their own institution. The 2027 guide names four criteria:

• The excellence of the candidate's academic record and, for a PhD, how innovative the research topic is.
• The institution's international reach and the quality of its welcome for international students.
• The view of the cooperation and cultural action services at French embassies, which are consulted on candidates from or studying in their country.
• The ministry's cooperation policy, including priority given to certain countries. Tunisia's place among those priorities for 2027 is to be confirmed.

At least 70% of awards go to the highest scores. The rest are shared among institutions that received no award, drawing on files judged admissible. A reserve list covers any withdrawals. Each institution may submit at most 40 applications per field and per component, so expect an internal pre-selection.

Each institution receives its candidates' results (accepted, reserve or refused) in the week of 12 April 2027. Campus France then sends winners an award letter and passes the list to embassies to ease consular steps.

Source: Campus France — Guide de dépôt des candidatures Eiffel 2027 (FR PDF) · checked 23 Oct 2026

Tips for a strong application from Tunisia

A few useful habits, drawn from the programme rules:

• Start in October. Between admission, the Campus France Tunisie procedure and the institution's internal date, December comes quickly.
• Pick the field that truly matches your degree. The guide says a mismatch between degree and field counts against you.
• Work on the professional project: explain what you will do after the degree and why this programme in France leads there. Be concrete and avoid generic phrases.
• Check your date of birth against the age limits before investing time.
• Have a plan B: the scholarship is highly competitive. Compare other funding, such as French universities' own scholarships.

Opporiva is a free information service. We never apply on your behalf and cannot guarantee any result: only the Eiffel committee decides.

Source: Opporiva editorial team · checked 23 Oct 2026