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Deadline: October 8, 2025
The France–South Africa Scholarship Programme 2026 is a prestigious initiative by the French Embassy in South Africa designed to support academically excellent students from Southern Africa to pursue master’s and PhD studies in France. This fully-funded scholarship aims to foster academic exchange, promote international collaboration, and strengthen ties between France and South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi.
The program targets students from diverse fields including science, technology, humanities, arts, and social sciences who are committed to returning home to apply their expertise for the development of their countries.
Benefits
Scholarship types
Two schemes are possible under the France – South Africa Scholarship Programme:
1. A full scholarship by the Embassy of France. It includes:
The status of a France Excellence scholarship holder which includes :
- social coverage and supplementary health care insurance;
- priority for accessing student housing;
- visa fee exemption;
- assistance offered by Campus France Paris;
- exemption from student and campus life contribution (CVEC);
- conditional exemption from registration fees, provided that the chosen program takes place in a public university under the supervision of the French Ministry of Higher Education AND that no additional training fees are required by the program.
- A return flight ticket to France.
- A monthly allowance (approximately 850 euros for Master students and 1700 euros for PhD students, amounts subject to annual review).
- An additional individualised accommodation aid (approximately 150 euros/month) can be obtained from the French Government via the Familly allocations (CAF).
Please, note that the scholarship does not include the tuition fees, unless specific conditions apply (see above). France has a large choice of options, and you may find a very good programme with almost no tuition fees. If you need help, you can contact Campus France.
SEE ALSO: McGill University Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program 2026 for Study in Canada (Fully Funded)
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the France-South Africa Scholarship Programme, applicants must be:
- Born on or after 1 January 1996.
- A citizen of South Africa, Lesotho or Malawi. Dual French citizens are not eligible.
- Enrolled in a French Higher Education institution (in due time) to pursue a Master’s degree or PhD.
The scholarship is granted for a given period to be spent in France, corresponding to the time required to complete the degree:
For a Master’s degree, the scholarship will be granted for the duration of the degree. Master’s degree programmes are two years long. In some specific cases (Bachelor degree with Honours, for example), students may consider applying directly to M2 (second-year of the Master Programme). Only the hosting higher education institution is responsible for the admission. At the end of the first academic year, the Embassy of France will verify the success of the student to continue her/his studies in the second year of the Master’s programme.
For PhDs, the scholarship will be granted for a maximum duration of 3 years. However, at the end of each academic year, in order to get the renewal of his/her grant, the recipient will have to justify the progress of their research work.
The next call for applications is open for students who intend to start their studies in France in September 2026. Applicants will be contacted individually as needed. The list of the laureates and the waiting list will be announced according to the indicated timeline. Follow-up requests by applicants will not be answered.
Application Process and Documents Required
The application file is to be submitted online only and must include:
For all applicants
- A complete application form (online).
- A passport copy.
- An up-to-date CV that also states the candidate’s entire academic history.
- A cover letter explaining motivations and interests in the planned academic project.
- Copies of all previous academic degree certificates.
- University transcripts (academic marks) of at least two years of studies.
