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Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

Artist

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

FPA

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org.

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program.

France

20 Open Study/Research Award

Accepted Degree Levels
  • Bachelor's
  • Master's
  • Doctoral
Grant Period
Fall Start
Grant Length
8-10 Months
Award Type
Open Study/Research
Award Profile

Up to 20 awards are offered for the Fulbright Open Study/Research Grant:

  • 8-10 in the hard and life sciences
  • 8-10 in the arts, humanities, and social sciences

The Open Study/Research award primarily supports the following grant activities:

·       Enrollment in a master's degree in all fields 

·       Research for a doctoral thesis in all fields

·       Projects in the arts and music

We will also consider a limited number of non-degree research projects at the post-Bachelor's or Master's level.

The Open Study/Research award is France's most competitive award. We encourage applicants to explore the specialized award opportunities and apply to the Open Award only if the proposed grant activity cannot be achieved through one of the named awards:

-For applicants interested in pursuing a master’s degree: CY Cergy Paris University Award ; ENS Paris-Saclay Award ; ENS Rennes Award ; Université Grenoble Alpes Award

-For doctoral candidates: University of Bordeaux Doctoral Research Award ; Université Paris-Saclay Doctoral Research Award; ENS Paris-Saclay Award ; Université Grenoble Alpes Award

-For visual artists and musicians: Harriet Hale Woolley Award

Grant Length
8-10 Months
Grant Period
Fall Start

Grants will begin on September 1/October 1 to June 30/July 31 for university attendance. Grant periods vary according to an applicant's proposal type as follows:

  • Degree seeking MA/MS graduating seniors: 10 months
  • Doctoral candidates: 6-9 months
  • Artists: 9 months
  • Non-degree seeking graduating seniors: 8 months 

Degree-seeking candidates may apply to degree programs taught in French or English.

Orientation
In-Country Orientation

Grantees will be required to attend a mandatory 1- to 2-day in-country orientation in late September or early October, and a 2-day mid-year conference in February (organized by the Fulbright Commission in France).

Candidate Profile

Graduating seniors, recent graduates, advanced graduate students, doctoral candidates, and those with previous research experience are encouraged to apply.

Doctoral candidates must not have obtained their PhD before completing the proposed Fulbright grant period in France. Otherwise, they should plan on applying to the scholar program.

Important note: candidates in the hard sciences without concurrent enrollment in a PhD must apply and commit to pursuing a Master's degree in a related field in France. There are many excellent degree programs offered at French institutions of higher education - taught in both French and English - that include as part of the curriculum a research internship (most often, one semester full-time). Our requirement is due to French visa and research regulations. Candidates must specify in their application to which degree program(s) they are planning to apply.

Eligibility
Dual citizens of this country are eligible
Residency in host country NOT permitted in year prior to grant
Indicate how many months is considered residency:
9 Months
Accepted Degree Levels
  • Bachelor's
  • Master's
  • Doctoral
Foreign Language Proficiency
Recommended - Novice

Additional Information: French language proficiency is recommended, commensurate with the requirements of the project. Sponsored language courses are not offered by the Fulbright program in France; however, candidates are encouraged to check with the host institution for language course possibilities. In the Fulbright online application, applicants should include a Language Self-Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation by a professional language instructor in relation to their language proficiency.

Fulbright Proposal Types
Independent Study/Research:
Yes
Graduate Degree Enrollment:
Yes
Affiliation
Independent Study/Research:
Letter required for independent study or research at deadline
Graduate Degree Enrollment:
Letter of acceptance required prior to grant start

It is the applicant's responsibility to secure affiliation with a French university or research center. A letter of affiliation should be submitted with the application. If the applicant is enrolling in a degree program, proof of acceptance is not required before or during the application process, but awards are made conditional upon acceptance by the chosen institution before arrival.

Before beginning the application process, candidates should take time to research the best possible place to pursue the chosen course of study, taking into consideration the institution's faculty, achievements, publications, and research.

Candidates who will be applying to university study programs must pay attention to university program application deadlines and requirements. They should also pay particular attention to the requirement of enrolling with Campus France, a mandatory step in the application process. Access the Campus France "Etudes en France" enrollment portal here.

Applicants may also consult the Campus France USA website for general information on visas, studying in France, and French institutions of higher education. Please note that the Campus France higher education directory includes programs offered in French and in English.

Affiliation Fees/Tuition
Affiliation Fees/Tuition not covered in grant benefits

Tuition fees for standard public university programs were set at 3770 Euros per year for Master’s programs for the 2022-2023 academic year for non-EU citizens. (Private institutions and other special degree programs may have higher tuition rates.) We encourage applicants to inquire with prospective institutions about scholarships and tuition waivers. Most notably, public universities are able to offer a select number of international students a partial tuition waiver, reducing tuition to approximately 243 Euros for the year for a Master's degree.

Please note that, according to French law, all students are required to pay student fees ("contribution de vie étudiante et de campus" or CVEC) as part of enrollment. In 2022-2023, these fees were 95 euros.

Dependents
Dependent financial support is NOT available
Music and Fine Arts

Applicants are encouraged to establish contact with specialists in their fields before applying for a grant, and to solicit invitations to study under them. Although the Fulbright Commission in France prefers affiliation with accredited institutions, applicants may be authorized to study with private teachers. Please note that additional personal funds will be needed to cover costs for private lessons, rehearsal facilities, studio space, etc. Musicians and visual artists looking to carry out a project in the Paris area are encouraged to apply for the Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley Award.

Video interviews with Open Study/Research Awardees

Daniel Tran, Fulbright Advanced Student 2021-2022
Master's degree and research in Immunology at the Université de Paris

Devontae Freeland, Fulbright Advanced Student 2021-2022
Master's degree in International Relations at the Université Paris 1 - Panthéon Sorbonne

Fernando Flor, Fulbright Advanced Student 2020-2021
Doctoral research in Physics at the Université de Strasbourg

Sports

In celebration of the upcoming Olympic Games in France (Paris 2024) and the United States (Los Angeles 2028), we have a particular interest in applications studying the Olympics and/or in the fields of sports science and medicine, fitness and physical education, and other related subjects.

 

Louisiana Candidates

Doctoral candidates enrolled in a university in the state of Louisiana may also be considered for a small supplemental grant from Nous Foundation, a cultural institute promoting French and Creole in Louisiana. They will also be invited to participate in cultural events and networking opportunities with Nous Foundation upon their return to the US.

Fulbright Program Management Contact
FBstudent.EUR@iie.org
Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Website
http://www.fulbright-france.org/en
Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Contact
Charlotte Goodwin: cgoodwin@fulbright-france.org