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France Scholarships for Pakistani Students
Pakistani students can pursue funded study in France through two French government routes: the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (Master’s and PhD), which a French institution applies for on your behalf, and the France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change) award (Master’s), which you apply for directly through the Études en France portal. Both run through Campus France. MTZ guides your application; it does not award scholarships.
France Scholarships at a Glance
Here are the verified essentials of France’s two government scholarship routes for Pakistani students.
Scholarship routes
Eiffel Excellence Scholarship; France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change)
Funder
French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Managed by
Campus France
Eiffel established
1999
Study levels
Master’s and PhD (Eiffel); Master’s only (France Excellence Climate Change)
Eiffel monthly allowance
€1,200 at Master’s level, €2,100 at PhD level (from January 2026)
Tuition
not covered by Eiffel; French government scholarship holders are exempt from tuition for national diplomas at public institutions
Age limit (Eiffel)
up to 29 at Master’s level, up to 35 at PhD level
Who applies (Eiffel)
your French institution nominates and submits on your behalf; students cannot apply directly
Who applies (Climate Change)
you apply directly to the French university through Études en France
Pakistan portal
Études en France is mandatory for Master’s applicants resident in Pakistan; PhD applicants are exempt
Language
set by your chosen programme (French- or English-taught); Eiffel has no fixed scheme-wide test
Application window
opens around October; institutional deadline around early-to-mid January; results from late March
Cost to apply
Études en France processing fee of 30,000 PKR, reimbursed only if you win the Climate Change scholarship
The Two Routes: How France Funds Pakistani Students
France funds Pakistani students through two distinct government routes, and the difference that matters most is who submits the application: for the Eiffel Scholarship your French institution applies for you, while for the France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change) award you apply yourself through Études en France.
Route 1: Eiffel Excellence Scholarship
The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship is the French government’s flagship award for international Master’s and PhD students, created by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in 1999 and run by Campus France. It covers seven broad fields across science, technology, humanities and social sciences. The defining feature is the application route: students cannot apply directly, and applications must be made through a French higher education institution, which nominates and submits on the student’s behalf. As a Master’s applicant resident in Pakistan, you still secure your admission through Études en France first; PhD applicants are exempt from that portal.
Route 2: France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change)
The France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change) award is a Pakistan-specific scholarship offered by the French Embassy in Pakistan at Master’s level. It targets programmes that help Pakistan adapt to climate change, so it is restricted to a short list of climate and environment Master’s degrees (set out in the dedicated section below). Unlike Eiffel, you apply directly to the French university through the Études en France platform, and for three of the institutions you must also apply on their own admission platform.
Eligibility: Do You Qualify?
Eligibility differs between the two routes, so check each criterion against the route you are targeting before you apply.
Eiffel is open to foreign nationals of any country, including Pakistan, but dual nationals who also hold French nationality are not eligible. The France Excellence (Climate Change) award is stricter: you must be a Pakistani national.
Eiffel funds entry into a Master’s (first or second year) or engineering programme, or a joint or co-supervised PhD. For France Excellence (Climate Change), you must hold a 4-year bachelor degree (or be in your 4th year) with a minimum CGPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 from a Pakistani university recognised by HEC, and have no more than a 2-year gap after your undergraduate degree. This route is Master’s only.
Neither route sets a single fixed IELTS band. For Eiffel, the requirement is whatever your chosen programme demands, French-taught or English-taught. For France Excellence (Climate Change), your English level is assessed, and French is an asset but not mandatory, except for the ESTP civil engineering programme, which requires at least A2 French. Confirm the exact language proof each target programme accepts, because acceptance of an MOI letter in place of IELTS varies by university and is not guaranteed.
For Eiffel, your French institution nominates and submits your application; you cannot apply directly. Master’s applicants resident in Pakistan route their admission through Études en France first, while PhD applicants are exempt from that portal. For France Excellence (Climate Change), you apply through Études en France for all programmes, and additionally on the admission platforms of IMT Atlantique, INP Pagora and ESTP.
Eiffel covers seven fields: Biology and Health, Ecological Transition, Mathematics and Digital, and Engineering Sciences; and History and French language and civilisation, Law and political science, and Economics and management. France Excellence (Climate Change) is restricted to six named climate and environment Master’s programmes, listed in the next section.
For Eiffel, applicants can be up to 29 years old at Master’s level and up to 35 years old at PhD level. For France Excellence (Climate Change), you must be 28 years old maximum at the time of application. The exact birthdate cut-off for Eiffel shifts each cycle and must be reconfirmed annually.
Documents You’ll Need
Master’s applicants resident in Pakistan submit a fixed set of documents on the Études en France platform, and getting these ready early is what keeps your file moving.
These are the compulsory documents Campus France Pakistan requires you to upload on Études en France before you can submit your file:
Two things to note. Your motivation is filled directly on the platform during the Candidature phase, not uploaded as a separate motivation letter. And the information across your uploaded documents must match your application exactly, with clear scans, or the file is sent back for correction.
France Excellence (Climate Change): The Six Eligible Master’s Programmes
The France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change) scholarship only counts if you apply to one of six specific climate and environment Master’s programmes, so choosing the right degree inside Études en France is the single decision that makes or breaks this route.
This is the France equivalent of a field gate: on the Études en France platform you may apply to up to seven programmes, but only the listed degrees are eligible for the France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change) scholarship. The six eligible programmes for the most recent (2026) call were:
For IMT Atlantique, INP Pagora and ESTP, only applications submitted on both platforms are eligible.
What the award includes (official, qualitative): tuition fees, a monthly living allowance, one return air ticket between Pakistan and France, a student visa and Études en France fee waiver reimbursed after you are awarded, social security, assistance finding affordable accommodation with priority access to CROUS residences, and free French language classes before departure. Campus France does not publish fixed euro amounts on the call page, so MTZ does not quote figures until the live call confirms them.
Two rules that catch applicants: on a two-year Master’s, the scholarship renews into year two only if you pass all first-year exams with no retake, and your study and M2 internship must take place in France, with no period of international mobility.
Selection note: the French Embassy gives particular attention to gender balance and representation across all provinces, and strongly encourages female applicants.
Funding: What’s Covered and What’s Not
The two routes fund you very differently: Eiffel pays a monthly allowance but not tuition, while France Excellence (Climate Change) is the fuller package that does cover tuition.
Eiffel Excellence Scholarship
Covered
⚫ a monthly allowance of €1,200 at Master’s level and €2,100 at PhD level (rates from January 2026), plus international and national transport, insurance, housing-search support and cultural activities.
Not covered
⚫ tuition fees are not covered by the Eiffel programme.
at an indicative rate of about PKR 320 to €1, the Master’s allowance is roughly PKR 384,000 per month and the PhD allowance roughly PKR 672,000 per month. These rupee figures are indicative only and move with the live exchange rate; the euro figures are the official ones.
this matters less than it first looks at public universities, because recipients of French government scholarships are exempt from tuition for national diplomas (master’s and doctorate) at public institutions. At private institutions and some grandes écoles, that exemption does not apply, so a tuition cost can remain. MTZ helps you check this per institution; MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship.
France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change)
Covered
⚫ tuition fees, a monthly living allowance, one return air ticket between Pakistan and France, a student visa and Études en France fee waiver reimbursed after award, social security, accommodation assistance with priority access to CROUS residences, and free French language classes before departure.
Not covered
⚫ Campus France does not publish a fixed euro amount for the allowance or a tuition cap on the official call, so MTZ does not state figures for this route until the live call confirms them.
Conditions that affect funding: on a two-year Master’s, the scholarship renews into year two only if you pass all first-year exams with no retake, and your study and M2 internship must take place in France.
How to Apply: Step by Step
The single thing to remember is the mechanism: for Eiffel your French institution submits the scholarship application for you, while for France Excellence (Climate Change) you submit through Études en France yourself.
step-1 →
Choose your route and your programme. For Eiffel, pick a Master’s, engineering or joint-PhD programme in one of the seven eligible fields at any French institution. For France Excellence (Climate Change), you must target one of the six listed climate and environment Master’s programmes, or the scholarship cannot be considered.
step-2 →
Engage the French institution early. For Eiffel, contact the institution’s international office and ask to be considered for nomination, because internal university deadlines run earlier than the national deadline. Remember the rule that defines this route: you cannot apply for Eiffel directly; the institution must apply on your behalf.
step-3 →
Apply through Études en France. Master’s applicants resident in Pakistan route their admission through the Études en France platform with Campus France Pakistan; PhD applicants are exempt. For the Climate Change route, apply through Études en France for all programmes, and also on the university’s own platform for IMT Atlantique, INP Pagora and ESTP.
step-4 →
Complete the Campus France process. After you submit, you pay the platform fee, your file is reviewed and may be returned for correction, and you attend an academic interview. Interviews take place at the nearest Alliance Française among Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, and you bring all original documents.
step-5
Receive results and confirm. Eiffel results are published from late March; the Climate Change result comes later in the cycle. Once admitted and selected, you confirm your final programme and move to your student visa appointment without delay, as slots are limited.
Timing (annual pattern, current cycle closed): Eiffel – call opens around October, institutional deadline around early-to-mid January, results from late March. France Excellence (Climate Change) – applications open around late October, deadline around 30 November, results around May.
MTZ confirms live dates for both routes at the start of each cycle, since exact dates shift year to year.
How MTZ helps you apply
MTZ works alongside you across the whole journey, from honestly assessing your chances to preparing your file and your visa, while the scholarship decision itself stays with the official selection panels.
We review your academic record, age, field and target level against each route’s official criteria, and tell you plainly which route, if any, you are competitive for. If neither route fits, we say so rather than process an application that cannot succeed.
We help you shortlist the right programmes: for Eiffel, institutions and fields where your profile is strong; for France Excellence (Climate Change), the specific listed Master’s degree that matches your background, since only those six count.
We help you prepare and organise the documents you upload on Études en France, and we work with you on the parts you write yourself, such as your platform motivation and CV, so your file is clear, consistent and complete before submission.
For France Excellence (Climate Change), we guide you through submitting on Études en France and, where required, on the university’s own platform. For Eiffel, we help you approach the institution early and position your request for nomination, because the institution, not MTZ and not you, submits the Eiffel application.
Once you are admitted and have secured your scholarship outcome, we guide you through the France-Visas form, the appointment booking, and preparing your documents for the student visa interview.
Start with the free scholarship eligibility assessment:
Honest Limits: What MTZ Cannot Do
We want you to decide with clear eyes, so here is exactly what is outside our control and outside anyone’s control but the official authorities.
MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship. Both routes are decided by official French panels on merit and competition, and these awards are highly selective.
For Eiffel, MTZ cannot apply on your behalf. Only a French higher education institution can nominate and submit an Eiffel application, so a place and the institution’s support come first.
MTZ cannot change official eligibility rules, age limits, field restrictions, fees or deadlines. These are set by Campus France and the French Embassy, and we report them as they stand.
MTZ cannot influence a selection outcome, speed up a result, or secure a place that your profile does not support.
Exchange rates, the published allowance, and the list of eligible programmes can change between cycles. We verify them at the start of each cycle, but we do not control them.
What MTZ does control is the quality and timing of your preparation, and that is where we focus.
Eiffel vs France Excellence (Climate Change): Side by Side
Use this table to see, route by route, which French scholarship fits your level, your field and your profile.
| Feature | Eiffel Excellence Scholarship | France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change) |
|---|---|---|
| Awarding body | French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, run by Campus France | French Embassy in Pakistan, run by Campus France Pakistan |
| Study level | Master’s and PhD | Master’s only |
| Eligible fields | Seven broad fields across science, technology, humanities and social sciences | Six named climate and environment Master’s programmes |
| Who applies | Your French institution nominates and submits for you | You apply directly through Études en France |
| Nationality | Any foreign nationality; not dual-French | Pakistani national only |
| Age limit | Up to 29 (Master’s), up to 35 (PhD) | 28 maximum at time of application |
| Tuition | Not covered by Eiffel; public-institution exemption may apply | Covered |
| Monthly allowance | €1,200 (Master’s), €2,100 (PhD), from January 2026 | Monthly living allowance; amount not published |
| Other benefits | Transport, insurance, housing-search support, cultural activities | Return air ticket, social security, accommodation help, pre-departure French classes, fee waivers |
| Application window | Opens around October; institutional deadline around January | Opens around late October; deadline around 30 November |
| Results | From late March | Around May |
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the questions Pakistani students and parents ask us most about studying in France on a scholarship, answered with verified official information.
France offers two government-funded routes for Pakistani students. The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship funds Master’s and PhD study across seven broad fields, and the France Excellence Pakistan (Climate Change) award funds Master’s study in six climate and environment programmes. Both are run through Campus France.
No. Students cannot apply for the Eiffel Scholarship themselves. A French higher education institution must nominate and submit the application on the student’s behalf, so securing a place and the institution’s support comes first.
A Pakistani national who holds a 4-year bachelor degree (or is in the 4th year) with a minimum CGPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 from an HEC-recognised university, with no more than a 2-year gap after the undergraduate degree, and who is 28 or younger at the time of application.
No, the Eiffel programme does not pay tuition. However, French government scholarship holders are exempt from tuition for national diplomas at public institutions, so at a public university the tuition gap is effectively removed. At private institutions and some grandes écoles, a tuition cost can remain.
The Eiffel allowance is €1,200 per month at Master’s level and €2,100 per month at PhD level, with rates set from January 2026. At an indicative rate of about PKR 320 to one euro, that is roughly PKR 384,000 and PKR 672,000 per month, though the rupee value moves with the live exchange rate.
For Eiffel, applicants can be up to 29 at Master’s level and up to 35 at PhD level. For France Excellence (Climate Change), the limit is 28 maximum at the time of application. The exact Eiffel birthdate cut-off shifts each cycle, so confirm it for the year you apply.
Not necessarily. Neither route sets a single fixed IELTS band. For Eiffel, the language requirement depends on the programme you choose, French-taught or English-taught. For the Climate Change route, your English level is assessed and French is an asset rather than a requirement, except for the ESTP civil engineering programme, which needs at least A2 French.
Études en France is the official online portal managed by Campus France Pakistan, and it is mandatory for Master’s applicants resident in Pakistan; PhD applicants are exempt. It carries a processing fee of PKR 30,000 and handles your admission file through to the visa stage.
The compulsory set includes your passport, an identity photo, your complete academic record from SSC or O-level through Bachelor’s and Master’s, a full CV with supporting experience documents, an explanation for any education gap longer than 6 months, your choice of programmes, and any language certificates. Your motivation is written on the platform, not uploaded as a separate letter.
Six programmes qualified in the most recent call: Process and Bioprocess Engineering at IMT Atlantique, Biorefinery and Biomaterials at INP Pagora Grenoble, MAFEN at Université d’Avignon, One-Health Emerge at ONIRIS, International Economics at Université de Lille, and Civil Engineering at ESTP. Only an application to one of these counts, and the list can change each cycle.
As an annual pattern, Eiffel opens around October with an institutional deadline around January and results from late March. The Climate Change route opens around late October with a deadline around 30 November and results around May. MTZ confirms the live dates for each cycle.
The Études en France fee is a paid service and is generally non-refundable. However, it is waived for holders of a government scholarship, including a French Government or HEC Pakistan scholarship, on uploading valid proof, and it is reimbursed for students who are awarded the France Excellence (Climate Change) scholarship.
No. MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship. Both routes are decided by official French selection panels on merit, and they are highly competitive. What MTZ provides is honest assessment, strong preparation and accurate guidance through every step.
Once a French institution admits you and your scholarship outcome is known, you confirm your final programme on Études en France, then move to your student visa. You complete the France-Visas form, book an appointment, and attend the visa interview with your documents. Appointment slots are limited, so applying early matters.
Start Your France Scholarship Journey with MTZ
Find out where you stand and what to do next, with honest guidance from a team that has helped students reach study destinations worldwide for over 25 years.
Take the first step today. Tell us your degree, your field and your target level, and we will tell you honestly which France route fits and how to prepare a strong file.
Written by Mubbashir Qureshi, CEO of MTZ Global Visa Consultants, with over 25 years of experience guiding Pakistani students to study destinations worldwide. MTZ Global Visa Consultants is an ISO 9001:2015-certified, SECP-registered and British Council-certified study-abroad consultancy with offices in Islamabad and Lahore.
Last verified: 13 June 2026. Next review: 15 September 2026, ahead of the next Eiffel call.
