Campus France South Africa

About Campus France South Africa

Campus France is the French national agency that promotes higher education in France and helps international students who want to study there. Campus France South Africa is its office for South African students. It works with the Embassy of France in South Africa and gives students information about French universities, study programmes and scholarships.

France has a large network of public universities, engineering schools and business schools, and many master's and doctoral programmes are taught in English. Campus France explains how to choose a programme, how to apply to a French institution, and the main steps for coming to study in France.

The office also publishes information about the scholarships that the French government and its partners offer to foreign students, including students from South Africa.

How Campus France supports students

The best-known French government scholarship is the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship programme. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs created it to help French higher education institutions attract top foreign students to their master's and doctoral programmes. It aims to support the future decision-makers of the private and public sectors in priority fields of study.

Eiffel scholarship holders receive a monthly allowance, plus several services that are paid directly, such as international and national travel, insurance, help with finding accommodation, and cultural activities. You can read the full terms on our France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship page.

The length of an Eiffel award depends on your level of study. For example, it is up to 24 months for the first year of a master's programme, up to 12 months for the second year, and up to 36 months for new doctoral candidates. The funded study must start between 1 September and 30 November of the year of the award, and it cannot be carried over.

Campus France South Africa also lists other scholarship options for foreign students in France, and it advises students to check each scheme's rules carefully, because they change from year to year.

What to know before applying

You cannot apply for an Eiffel scholarship on your own. Only French higher education institutions may submit applications, so you must first apply to a French university or school, which then decides whether to nominate you. Each institution sets its own internal deadline, which comes before the national deadline.

The call usually opens in October and closes in early January, for study that starts in September of the same year. Start early, choose your programme, and contact the French institution's international office about its Eiffel process. For general advice about studying in France, contact Campus France South Africa.