France
20 Open Study/Research Award
Accepted Degree Levels
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Grant PeriodFall StartGrant Length8-10 Months |
Award Type
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
-For doctoral candidates: University of Bordeaux Doctoral Research Award ; Université Paris-Saclay Doctoral Research Award; ENS Paris-Saclay Award
-For visual artists and musicians: Harriet Hale Woolley Award
Grant Length
Grant Period
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
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 a prior Master’s degree or 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 student visa and internship regulations. Candidates must specify in their application to which degree program(s) they are planning to apply.
Eligibility
10 Months
Accepted Degree Levels
- Bachelor's
- Master's
- Doctoral
Foreign Language Proficiency
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
Yes
Yes
Affiliation
Letter required for independent study or research at deadline
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
Tuition fees for standard public university programs were set at 3770 Euros per year for Master’s programs for the 2021-2022 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 2021-2022, these fees were 92 euros.
Dependents
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