École Polytechnique scholarships for 2027 entry are mostly partial awards that reduce your tuition bill. MSc&T master’s students are considered automatically for a Foundation Excellence Scholarship of €8,000 a year, a CMA CGM award of €7,500 or an industrial partner scholarship of €4,000 to €15,000, all paid after you pass the first master’s year. Bachelor of Science students can win €4,800 a year for three years, and international Olympiad medallists can get a full scholarship worth up to €87,900.
Timing decides most of this. Only MSc&T applicants in Rounds 1 and 2 can receive a scholarship. Round 1 closed on 12 October 2026, so the last scholarship-eligible deadline is Round 2 on 11 January 2027 at 11:59 AM Paris time. Below are the awards, the fees they come off, the English scores l’X asks for and the dates for both levels.
École Polytechnique scholarships for MSc&T master’s students
You do not fill in a separate scholarship form for the first and third awards. The admissions committee considers every admitted candidate and emails winners after the admission decision, before the confirmation deadline.
| Scholarship | Amount | Who gets it | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Excellence Scholarship | €8,000 a year | Admitted candidates, judged on academic excellence and diversity after the interview | Automatic |
| CMA CGM Excellence Fund | €7,500 a year | More than 10 students a year across all l’X programmes; half reserved for Lebanese nationals, half open to all, with social criteria | Shortlisted candidates get instructions to declare their finances |
| Industrial Partnership Scholarships | €4,000 to €15,000 a year | Admitted candidates in specialisations that have industry sponsors | Automatic |
All three are paid after you validate the first master’s year and are deducted from tuition. In practice that means you must fund year one yourself, so plan your bank statement and visa funds around the full first-year fee.
Scholarship deadline
MSc&T Round 2 closes on 11 January 2027 at 11:59 AM Paris time. Candidates in Rounds 3 and 4 cannot be considered for any École Polytechnique scholarship, even if admitted.
MSc&T application rounds for September 2027
| Round | Application window | Interviews | Decision | Scholarship? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 September to 12 October 2026 (closed) | Mid to late November 2026 | Early December 2026 | Yes |
| 2 | 12 October 2026 to 11 January 2027 | Mid to late February 2027 | Early March 2027 | Yes |
| 3 | 11 January to 8 March 2027 | Mid April 2027 | Early May 2027 | No |
| 4 | 8 March to 13 April 2027 | Late May 2027 | Early June 2027 | No |
Every deadline is 11:59 AM Paris time. You may apply to one programme a year, there is no spring intake, and the €95 application fee is not refunded. The two X-HEC programmes (Data Science and AI for Business, and Data and Finance) take applications through HEC Paris instead.
MSc&T tuition fees the scholarships come off
| Specialisation | Annual tuition |
|---|---|
| Visual and Creative AI (VICAI) | €15,500 |
| AI for Markets and Quantitative Investment (MAQI) | €19,200 |
| Data Science and AI for Business (X-HEC) | €28,950 for external international students |
| Data and Finance (X-HEC) | €28,850 for external international students |
| Extended Cinematography (XCIN) | €0; a work-study degree paid by the host company |
When I checked, the fee page showed no figure for the other specialisations (Trustworthy and Responsible AI, LLMs and Graphs, IoT, the two energy and environment tracks, EDACF and DEPP), so confirm those on the official page. Admitted students pay a non-refundable €3,200 deposit that is deducted from tuition.
École Polytechnique scholarships for the Bachelor of Science
The three-year Bachelor of Science uses need-blind admission: your finances play no part in the admission decision. Aid decisions come after the admission result and before the pre-enrolment fee is due, and the bachelor’s page advises applying in an early round because funds are limited.
| Award | Amount | Who can get it |
|---|---|---|
| Excellence Scholarship | €4,800 a year for 3 years | Students admitted with honours; renewed with good results and conduct |
| Women in Science Scholarship | €4,800 a year for 3 years | Admitted female candidates; numbers depend on funds |
| International Olympiad Medalist Scholarship | Up to €87,900 (non-EU/EEA) or €78,750 (EU/EEA) for tuition and living costs | Admits who won an international subject Olympiad medal in the two years before enrolment, gold medallists first |
| Need-based aid | Partial tuition waiver and/or 0% Foundation loan | International students and others not eligible for the French CROUS grant |
Olympiad scholars still pay the €1,500 annual administration fee and receive the living allowance in ten monthly payments from September to June. The medal award cannot be combined with other École Polytechnique, Foundation or French government aid.
| Bachelor of Science item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Tuition, EU/EEA students | €15,900 a year |
| Tuition, non-EU students | €19,600 a year (fixed for the whole programme) |
| Application fee | €105 |
| Round 1 | 17 September to 20 October 2026 (closed) |
| Round 2 | 21 October 2026 to 6 January 2027, 11:59 PM CET; results March 2027 |
| Round 3 | 7 January to 8 February 2027, 2 PM CET; results April 2027 |
Shortlisted bachelor’s candidates have a video interview of about 50 minutes, held entirely in English. The documents are transcripts, a personal statement, a CV, ID, a photo and contact details for two referees.
Can you study at École Polytechnique without IELTS?
Yes, if you qualify for the exemption. Both levels accept IELTS, TOEFL iBT and Cambridge exams, and both waive the test for some applicants.
| Level | Minimum scores | Who is exempt |
|---|---|---|
| MSc&T | IELTS Academic 7.0, TOEFL iBT 95, Cambridge CAE at C1 | Native English speakers (passport or ID as proof) and graduates whose last degree was taught entirely in English, shown on the certificate, transcript or supplement |
| Bachelor of Science | IELTS 6.5 (6 in each skill), TOEFL iBT 90, Cambridge 176 (169 in each skill) | Native speakers, or applicants taught entirely in English for the two previous years, at the committee’s discretion |
The MSc&T figures come from the general MSc&T language page; each track also publishes its own requirements document, so check yours. Scores must be under two years old, and IGCSE English does not count for the bachelor’s. You can apply before your result arrives; any offer will then be conditional on it. If your university taught in English, ask the registrar now for a letter or transcript note that says so, because that is the document l’X checks.
If you are applying to other French master’s programmes too, the Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships pay €10,000 a year in living costs to students admitted to Paris-Saclay member schools.
Country scholarships that pair with École Polytechnique
- Lafayette Scholarship (United States): full tuition, €1,500 a month, return flights and visa fee waiver for US citizens under 27 who earned a bachelor’s between 2023 and 2026.
- Trajetórias-Polytechnique (Brazil): 20% tuition reduction on eligible MSc&T tracks plus outside scholarships and loans for Brazilian citizens.
- Singapore Scholarship: 10 awards (5 bachelor’s, 5 MSc&T) with full tuition and a monthly stipend, tied to 4 to 6 years in Singapore’s civil service.
- Colfuturo (Colombia): shared financing for Colombian beneficiaries of Colfuturo’s loan-scholarship programme.
Everyone else should search Campus France’s CampusBourses directory and their own government’s study-abroad schemes. Our Erasmus Mundus scholarship guide covers fully funded European master’s programmes if partial funding is not enough.
What other École Polytechnique scholarship guides get wrong
- The Bachelor Excellence and Women in Science awards have published amounts (€4,800 a year), not an unstated share of tuition.
- MSc&T scholarships need no separate application; the committee considers all admitted candidates.
- Application rounds and deadlines are published. Scholarships stop after Round 2.
- French CROUS grants are not open to international MSc&T students, and the APL housing benefit is described by l’X as for French and European students with limited income.
- A research proposal is not on the bachelor’s document list.
If you want a monthly grant instead of a fee reduction, compare the ENS International Selection, which pays EUR 1,000 a month in Paris.
Two other French awards worth comparing are the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (EUR 1,200 a month for master’s students) and the Ampère Excellence Scholarship at ENS de Lyon (EUR 1,000 a month).
How to apply for École Polytechnique scholarships
- Pick one programme: you can apply to only one MSc&T track or the Bachelor of Science each year.
- Prepare documents: transcripts, diploma, CV, English test or exemption proof and referee details. A clean Europass CV works well.
- Submit in Round 2: apply on programmes.polytechnique.edu before 11 January 2027 (MSc&T) or 6 January 2027 (bachelor’s) and pay the fee.
- Prepare for the interview: shortlisted candidates are interviewed online in English.
- Answer the aid email: scholarship winners and CMA CGM shortlisters are contacted after admission. Reply before the confirmation or pre-enrolment deadline.
- Pay the deposit: €3,200 for MSc&T students, then plan your French student visa with funds for the full first year.
For referee letters, our recommendation letter samples show what a strong scholarship reference contains.
École Polytechnique scholarships FAQs
Is École Polytechnique free for international students?
No. The Bachelor of Science costs €19,600 a year for non-EU students and the MSc&T fees published on the fee page run from €15,500 to €28,950, apart from one company-paid work-study track. Only the Olympiad scholarship and a few country programmes such as Lafayette cover full tuition.
Do I need a separate scholarship application for the MSc&T?
No. The Foundation Excellence and industrial partner scholarships are automatic for admitted candidates in Rounds 1 and 2. Only CMA CGM shortlisters are asked to send financial documents.
Can I get an École Polytechnique scholarship without IELTS?
Yes. If your last degree was taught entirely in English, or English is your native language, the test can be waived. Scholarship decisions rest on academic excellence and diversity, and you must apply in Round 1 or 2.
What is the last date to apply for an École Polytechnique scholarship?
For MSc&T it is 11 January 2027 at 11:59 AM Paris time, the Round 2 deadline. Bachelor’s applicants should apply by 6 January 2027 because aid funds are limited.
Sources and updates
MSc&T scholarship amounts, eligibility and the country programmes come from École Polytechnique’s MSc&T scholarships and financial aid page. Rounds and the €95 fee come from its MSc&T application deadlines page, tuition and the €3,200 deposit from its MSc&T tuition fees page, and English scores from its language requirements page. Bachelor of Science awards, fees, rounds, the €105 fee and English rules come from the Bachelor of Science scholarships, tuition fees and admissions criteria pages on programmes.polytechnique.edu. Checked on 24 October 2026. I will update this page when l’X publishes its 2028 rounds.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
