Université Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships 2027: €10,000 a Year, Eligibility and Deadline

The Université Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships pay €10,000 a year to international students admitted to a master’s programme at Paris-Saclay or one of its member schools, plus up to €900 a year towards travel and visa costs. The money is paid monthly from September to June. If you win it in the first year of a master’s (M1), it renews automatically for the second year (M2) once you pass all your credits and are admitted to a Paris-Saclay M2.

There is a catch most applicants miss: you cannot apply for this scholarship on your own. Your master’s programme coordinator first has to admit you and put you forward, and only then does the university email you a link to the scholarship form. The 2026 round closed on 31 March 2026. For September 2027 entry, the Deadline is 31 March 2027, with coordinators picking candidates by 25 March 2027, so your master’s application has to be in well before that.

Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships at a glance

(Dates based on this year’s calendar; confirm on the official page when the call opens.)

What the scholarship pays, and what it leaves to you

The €10,000 works out to €1,000 a month for ten months. On top of that you get a once-a-year flat payment of up to €900 for flights and visa costs. The exact figure depends on where you are coming from, and the university does not publish a table by country. Nothing is paid before you arrive: payments start only after you are in France and registered in your programme, and they go into a euro bank account in your name.

Is it enough? For a single student living frugally in university housing on the Saclay plateau, €1,000 a month covers a large share of rent, food and transport, but you should still bring savings for July and August, when nothing is paid, and for your first weeks before the first transfer arrives. The university helps with administrative steps and the housing search, but it says plainly that a room is not guaranteed.

Tuition fees are separate

The scholarship does not pay registration or tuition fees. Paris-Saclay listed the national master’s rate of €254 a year for 2025/2026, but students from outside the EU can be charged the higher “differentiated” fees set by the French government. The Local reported the non-EU master’s rate at €3,950 a year before a further rise from September 2026, with the new amounts still to be confirmed. Paris-Saclay’s board adopted a partial exemption in February 2026 that can bring a non-EU student’s fees down to the domestic level. Check the tuition fees page for 2027/2028 figures and the exemption procedure, and ask your institution about a discount, which the scholarship rules say is at the institution’s discretion.

When payments are cut or stopped

• Compulsory semesters abroad or delocalised programmes are paid at a reduced rate, and compulsory mobility cannot take place in your home country.
• Optional mobility suspends payment.
• Internships outside Paris-Saclay laboratories can reduce or suspend the grant; an internship abroad, paid or unpaid, suspends it, and so does a French internship paying more than €1,000 a month.
• Repeating a year ends the scholarship. Gap years are allowed but not funded, and you cannot defer the award or change programme.

Eligibility for Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships

These are the conditions in the 2026/2027 regulations:

1. Nationality: you must be a foreign national. There is no list of eligible countries, so applicants from Africa, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere compete on the same terms.
2. Admission: you must be admitted to a Paris-Saclay master’s run by AgroParisTech, CentraleSupélec, ENS Paris-Saclay, INSTN-CEA, Institut d’Optique Graduate School, Université d’Évry Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay or the Université de Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ).
3. First enrolment in France: you must never have been enrolled in a French higher education institution. Students enrolled at a French institution’s campus abroad are the exception.
4. Age: under 30 during the year you apply.
5. Other funding: if you already receive more than €600 a month from another source, you are not eligible.
6. No double awards: it cannot be combined with France Excellence Eiffel, France Excellence Europa or an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.

Edge cases worth checking

• You were in France on exchange: exchange semesters, Erasmus Mundus joint master’s that did not lead to a French degree, internships and French language courses do not count as prior enrolment, so you can still apply.
• You are 30: the official rule is under 30 in the year of application. Some listings say “30 or under”; go by the university’s wording.
• You hold a government or employer grant: anything above €600 a month rules you out, so check the exact monthly value of what you already have.
• Refugees and people with subsidiary protection: the university runs a bonus system with UNHCR and the MEnS association. State your status in your statement of purpose.
• Apprenticeship (work-study) master’s: not eligible.

How to apply, step by step

The process runs through your master’s admission. Here is the order for 2027 entry:

1. Choose a programme: browse Paris-Saclay’s catalogue, including the list of master’s programmes taught in English. Note whether you are entering M1 or M2 and check each programme’s own application window, which the programme director sets.
2. Apply on the right platform: most non-EU applicants use Paris-Saclay’s INCEPTION portal. If you live in a country covered by Campus France’s Études en France procedure, you apply on INCEPTION first and, once admitted, complete your file on Études en France under “I am accepted”. Some M1 programmes not on the INCEPTION list use the national MonMaster platform. The university’s international admissions page sets out which applies to you.
3. Add two academic references: applicants who were not enrolled in French higher education in the last two years must give contact details for two people who can recommend them.
4. Get selected by the coordinator: after reviewing applicants, programme coordinators pick their scholarship candidates by 25 March 2027. You cannot nominate yourself.
5. Complete the scholarship form: if chosen, you receive an email with a personal link. Fill it in, including your statement of purpose, by 31 March 2027 at 11:59 pm Paris time. Emailed applications are refused.
6. Make sure referees submit: if the form asks for two references, they must upload their recommendations online by the same 31 March deadline.
7. Wait for results: a jury from the Graduate Schools decides, and results come out in mid-May 2027.

Documents most programmes ask for

Each programme sets its own list, but these are common across Paris-Saclay master’s applications:

How the jury chooses, and how to write your statement

The jury looks at three things: your academic record, your personal project and, for M2 candidates, your motivation to go on to a PhD at Paris-Saclay. Decisions are confidential and cannot be appealed. The programme’s aim is to attract strong international students who may stay for doctoral research, so a statement that shows a clear research direction tends to fit what the jury wants.

A structure that works:

1. Start with the question you want to work on: a problem from your degree, thesis or job.
2. Show evidence: a project, lab placement or result that proves you can do the work.
3. Tie it to Paris-Saclay: name the master’s track, a laboratory or a research group whose work matches yours.
4. Say what comes next: a PhD, a research career or a specific role, described honestly.

Example opening: “During my final-year project I measured how heat stress cuts wheat yields on smallholder farms. The plant sciences master’s at Paris-Saclay would let me study the genetics behind that tolerance, and I hope to continue into a PhD in one of the plateau’s plant biology labs.” Keep it concrete and in the language of your programme.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for the scholarship call instead of applying for admission early; the coordinator’s selection comes first.
• Applying to an apprenticeship master’s, which is excluded.
• Holding another grant worth more than €600 a month.
• Having studied at a French university before (outside the exceptions above).
• Referees who miss the 31 March upload.
• Expecting the money before arrival. Budget for your flight, visa and first month yourself.
• Assuming tuition is covered. Check the fee you will owe and whether you qualify for an exemption.

After you win: visa and arrival

Accept the award as instructed in the results email, then finish your visa application. Students from Études en France countries go through Campus France and then the French consulate; others apply directly for a long-stay student visa (VLS-TS). Keep your award letter, since it shows part of your funding. On arrival, register in your programme and open a French bank account so the monthly payments can start. Report any change in your situation to the scholarship office, and attend your classes: repeated unjustified absences can lead to suspension.

Costs the scholarship does not cover

• Tuition or registration fees, and the yearly student life contribution (CVEC).
• Living costs in July and August.
• Housing deposit and the first month’s rent before payments begin.
• Flights and visa fees above the flat allowance of up to €900.
• Health insurance top-ups and personal costs.

How Paris-Saclay compares with other awards in Europe

Paris-Saclay is one of the few French awards that pays living costs in cash instead of only cutting fees, which makes it a good match for science and engineering students who can cover tuition another way. For fully funded joint degrees, see our Erasmus Mundus scholarship guide, and for a wider list, our page on scholarships in Europe.

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you are under 30, have never enrolled at a French university, have a strong academic record, and want a research-oriented master’s in science, engineering, life sciences, economics or another field Paris-Saclay teaches. It suits students thinking about a PhD, especially M2 entrants.

I would skip it if you already hold a grant above €600 a month, plan an apprenticeship master’s, or cannot get your master’s application in by early March 2027. It is also a poor fit if you need full tuition coverage and have no way to pay the fees.

FAQs

How much is the Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarship?

€10,000 a year, paid as €1,000 a month from September to June, plus a flat travel and visa allowance of up to €900 a year depending on your country.

Can I apply directly for the Paris-Saclay master’s scholarship?

No. You apply for the master’s first, and your programme coordinator selects scholarship candidates. Only students who get the university’s email link can fill in the scholarship form.

When is the Paris-Saclay master’s scholarship deadline for 2027?

The Deadline is 31 March 2027 at 11:59 pm Paris time for the scholarship form and reference letters. Coordinators choose candidates by 25 March 2027, and results follow in mid-May 2027.

Does the Paris-Saclay scholarship cover tuition fees?

No. It pays a living grant and a travel allowance only. Non-EU students should check the 2027/2028 fees and Paris-Saclay’s partial exemption, and can ask their institution for a reduction.

Sources and updates

Scholars4Dev’s Université Paris-Saclay International Master’s Scholarships article was the starting point. Every figure was checked against the university’s International Master’s Scholarships Program page and its 2026/2027 programme regulations (PDF). Two corrections: Scholars4Dev lists the travel allowance as up to €1,000 and the other-funding limit as €650 a month; the official page and regulations give €900 and €600. Platform rules come from Paris-Saclay’s international master’s admissions page, fee information from its tuition fees page and The Local’s May 2026 report on non-EU fees, and the document list from programme admission pages. The 2027 dates follow the 2026 calendar (25 March, 31 March, mid-May) and will be updated when the university publishes the new call. Checked 25 October 2026.

Jude Chinecherem

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.