Campus France is an agency of the French Ministries of European and Foreign Affairs and of Higher Education and Research. The aim of the organisation is to encourage French Higher Education and facilitate academic exchange between global and French tertiary institutions.
Campus France in South Africa is committed to promoting higher education in France, and assists students and researchers who wish to pursue postgraduate studies in France. Each year, the Embassy of France in South Africa award scholarship funding for Master’s or PhD degree studies in France.
They are partnered with French businesses present in South Africa, as well as South African organisations (namely: the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), National Research Foundation (NRF) and Universities South Africa (USAf)).
ABOUT THE FRANCE SOUTH AFRICA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED
The Embassy of France is inviting students from South Africa; Lesotho and Malawi, to apply for the France South Africa Scholarship, for the 2024 academic year. The scholarship will cover studies in France, towards a Master’s degree or PhD qualification, in ANY field of study, starting in September 2024.
The scholarship may also cover Master and PhD programmes in selected higher education institutions in African (find the list of eligible institutions here).
Applicants should consider the Master programmes (M2 – second year) at the University of la Réunion in France as they benefit from additional funding (find the read about the University of la Réunion here).
ABOUT THE FRANCE SOUTH AFRICA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – EXPENSES COVERED
There are 2 types of scholarships to be awarded:
1) A full scholarship, which includes: tuition fees (up to a maximum value of 5000 euros per year), return flight to France, monthly allowance (approximately 700 euros for master students and 1400 euros for PhD students), individualized accommodation aid (approximately 150 euros per month) from the French Government. Scholars will also receive social security, priority for accessing student housing, visa fee exemption and assistance by Campus France Paris.
2) A cost sharing scholarship, which includes: a monthly allowance provided fully or partially by a partner, and all the other benefits of a full scholarship.
Candidates are encouraged to seek alternative sources of funding, and special attention will be given to students with confirmed sources of financing.
Scholarships will be awarded for a specified amount of time to be spent in France, in line with the time required to obtain the degree:
- Master’s degree students: scholarships will be awarded for between 10 and 22 months. Master degrees are generally 2 years long and in some cases, students may be required to apply to M2 (2nd year of the Master Programme). After the 1st year of study, the Embassy of France may award the scholarship for the 2nd year depending on academic performance.
- PhD students: scholarships will be awarded for a maximum of 3 years. After the 1st year of study, students will be required to justify the progress of their research work in order to qualify for funding for 2nd and 3rd year.
- PhD students under co-supervision/ cotutelle: scholarships will be awarded for periods spent in France and these periods of stay should be specified by the candidate.
MORE ABOUT THE FRANCE SOUTH AFRICA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – SELECTION & DATES
Important dates:
- 16 October 2024: scholarship applications close.
- November 2024: eligible candidates will be interviewed.
- end of November 2024 to early December 2024: final candidates will be selected and results will be made available.
- February 2024 to July 2024: specific programme will commence in South Africa (online french courses and possibly internship).
- Early September 2024: departure to France
Selection process:
Candidates will be selected by the Advisory board, based on the following factors – candidates will be shortlisted and interviewed based on their files.
- Skills and merit per the applicants academic record and professional background.
- Quality of the applicants studies project and its coherence with the applicants background.
- PhD applicants: preference will be given to PhDs under joint supervision and commitment of South African and French supervisors will be decisive;
- Level of proficiency in foreign languages and its adequacy with the suggested curriculum.
Confirmed laureates:
- Will be required to finalize their enrolment in their selected study programme.
- Will be required to attend intensive online French courses between February 2024 and June 2024.
- Candidates may be required to complete an internship in a French company or organisation based in South Africa (depending on the opportunities and the profiles of the laureates).
- After departing to France, the scholar must commit to the study project they have been selected for. Any changes in the study programme must be submitted to the French Embassy for approval.
- Will be required to remain in France for the whole duration of their studies.
Candidates on the waiting list:
- Students will be moved up on the waiting list depending on the availabilities and theyy will be informed individually.
- Waiting list candidates are strongly encouraged to continue the procedure and to obtain their enrolment in the French Higher Education institutions.
- Waiting list candidates will be required to participate in the online French courses and possible internships (if they do not, they will be removed from the list).
Please note:
- Decision are final and cannot be disputed.
- Applicants are requested to not follow-up regarding the status of their application.
- No ranking on any of the lists will be communicated to the applicants.
- If studies are interrupted, the scholarship will automatically be suspended.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FRANCE SOUTH AFRICA SCHOLARSHIP
Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):
- You must be a South African, Basotho or Malawian national
- You must have been born on or after 1 January 1992
- You must be enrolled to study towards a Master’s degree or PhD
- You must be enrolled to study at a French Higher Education institution
- You must intend on starting your studies in September 2024
- Preference may be given to students intending on studying within Science, Engineering and Technology fields, as well as niche courses not available in South Africa
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE FRANCE SOUTH AFRICA SCHOLARSHIP
Applications must be submitted online at: France South Africa Scholarship Application 2024
Candidates will be required to Register an Account before they can Login and apply.
Application notes:
- You will be able to save and resume your application at any time, however no changes will be allowed to be made after final submission.
- Ensure that all the information on your application is correct before submitting.
- Applications can be done on any platform, but it is recommended that a desktop computer be used.
- The application does not recognise special characters (such as apostrophes), so ensure that you do not use them.
Upload clear copies of the following supporting documentation to your profile (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):
ALL applicants must submit:
- Completed online application form
- Passport
- Updated resume/ curriculum vitae, including entire academic record
- Covering letter, including motivations and interests in the selected academic project
- Degree certificates (Bachelor or Master degrees)
- University transcripts for the last 2 years of study
Master students must ALSO submit the following:
- List of study programmes the student intends on applying for (as well as application dates and tuition fees)
- Proof of acceptance for the study programme stating in the application (between February and May/ June 2024)
- Email correspondence with the institution in France (to be submitted during the application process)
PhD students must ALSO submit the following:
- Attestation, signed by your supervisor and stating their commitment to supervise your thesis OR
- Attestation signed by the 2 supervisors (South African and French) stating their commitment to supervise in France and in South Africa (must indicate that a cotutelle agreement will be formed), if under co-supervision
- Detailed plan of the periods to be spent in France during the research work and a signed cotutelle agreement, if under co-supervision
- Detailed description of the research project and detailed work plan (2 to 3 pages long)
Optional documents students may submit:
- Academic or professional recommendation
- Language proficiency certificates
- Cost-sharing commitment letter from the corresponding organisation
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS TO READ BEFORE APPLYING FOR THE FRANCE SOUTH AFRICA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME
- France South Africa Scholarship Rulebook
- France South Africa Scholarship FAQ’s
- Why to study in France
- Help or advice on finding the most appropriate programme – contact Campus France South Africa
- 2024 Season of webinars organised by Campus France South Africa will provide students with all useful information to prepare their applications
CLOSING DATE FOR THE FRANCE SOUTH AFRICA SCHOLARSHIP
16 October (at 23:59).
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)
CONTACT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDER
For any queries related to this bursary programme, please contact the Embassy of France directly:
Contact page: https://southafrica-france-scholarships.com/contact-us