PhilFrance Scholarship and PhilFrance-DOST Scholarship are now Accepting Applications

The French Embassy in Manila is now accepting applications for two government scholarship programs for Academic Year 2022-2023.

The first program, called “PhilFrance Scholarships,” targets highly-qualified candidates who have demonstrated strong academic and leadership qualities in their scholarly and professional activities.

Applicants must be:

Filipino citizens who are residing in the Philippines at the time of application
Graduates or graduating students of a Philippine higher education institution
- For applicants to Master’s degree programs: final-year students or graduates of a Bachelor-level degree
- Applicants who are currently college or university seniors must have graduated before September 2022

Important note on previous scholarship awardees:

Students who, at the time of application to the PhilFrance Scholarships, have already been awarded a French government scholarship (bourse du gouvernement français – BGF) under another type of program, are ineligible, even if the previous scholarship only covered health insurance.

Key points to remember regarding eligibility:

Language of instruction: English, French, or both
- Online tools for finding English-taught Master’s programs are available in the Other Resources section
Level of study: Master’s degree (full-time)
- Dual-degree and joint Master’s programs with foreign higher education institutions are ineligible, even if one of the higher education institutions in charge is French
Duration: Master’s programs with a length of 18 or 24 months (including the mandatory internship period)
- Program start date: September 2022
- Program end date/s: March 2024 (18 months) or September 2024 (24 months)
Location: at a French higher education institution in France
- Foreign higher education institutions based in France are not eligible for this scholarship
- Master’s programs taught at international campuses of French higher education institutions are likewise ineligible
- Any period spent outside France during the academic year (such as semester or year abroad) will not be covered by this scholarship

Key requirements:

A one-page CV detailing your academic, professional, and leadership experience
An academic essayno longer than 500 words, explaining your reasons for wanting to study in France and how your experience and degree will benefit the Philippines and Filipino society
- NB: Essays exceeding the word limit will be discarded along with the application. Be advised that we ask for an academic essay, not a cover or motivation letter.
An official copy of complete and most recent academic transcripts (university-level grades)
Letter/s of acceptance or proof of a completed application to Master’s degree programs, issued by the French higher education institution (HEI) where you applied to
- Letter/s of acceptance: Digital copy or screenshot of acceptance email
- Proof of a completed application: Screenshot of the automated email confirmation upon successful submission of your application or a screenshot of the onscreen notification (on the HEI’s online application portal) of your completed application
A copy of the program of study or study plan (your chosen program’s curriculum or academic calendar) for its duration
- This is usually available on the website of the French HEI. You can also ask for a copy from their admissions team or program coordinator
Proof of financial resources (personal or household)Examples: latest income tax return statement, recent bank statement or certificate

Optional Requirements:

* Letter/s of acceptance, or acknowledgment/s of application, to other scholarship programs as long as these are not funded by the French government

These are for other scholarships you have applied for to finance the selected program. For example, scholarships offered by the French HEI or by private companies or associations

* French proficiency test results (such as DELF) or a letter from a French language instructor detailing your writing and speaking proficiency levels

Document formats:

Word (.docx) format
- Academic essay
PDF format
- All the other documents
- Kindly reduce the size of your PDFs, the maximum file size for each PDF is 2 MB.

Important points to remember:

The online application form is only accessible through a desktop web browser, and is not available on mobiles and tablets.
Additional documents (such as letters of recommendation) submitted without the Embassy requesting them, will not be accepted.
Any attempt to unduly influence the decision-making process (such as intervention by third parties) will result in the dismissal of the candidate’s application.

Application calendar:

Application session: 24 January to 4 April 2022 (12 noon)
Time (duration) for evaluation of applications: around one month and a half (6 weeks) from the deadline
- NB: Should there be any change in your admission status, please inform us by email + send your updated acceptance letter to applications@philfrance-scholarships.com
Release of final results: week of 30 May 2022
- NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be notified (by email) by the scholarship committee.
- If you do not receive an email by the week of 16 May (at the earliest), this means that your application was not selected.

Evaluation guidelines:

The scholarship committee evaluates each application in a careful and impartial manner. The final selection of candidates is based on (but not limited to) the following criteria:

Merit – as shown in the applicant’s successful academic, leadership, and professional experience
Motivations for studying in France – based on the selected Master’s program and French higher education institution (HEI), as well as in the strength of the arguments they present in their academic essays
Financial need – as presented in the document/s submitted

Important reminder:

Any attempt to unduly influence the decision-making process (such as intervention by third parties) will result in the dismissal of the candidate’s application.

Scholarship Benefits:

Selected candidates will be given the status of boursier du gouvernement français (French government scholar) which entitles them to the following benefits:

A tuition fee subsidy for the entire duration of the Master’s program
- For state-regulated public universities:
  - Exemption from university registration fees (exonération des frais d’inscription à l’université)
    - For reference – University registration fees as of the 2021 academic year: €3 770 per academic year for Master’s degrees
- For other French higher education institutions:
  - Partial tuition fee subsidy (frais de formation/frais de scolarité), amounting to a maximum of €5 000 per academic year (non-negotiable), covering the duration of the Master’s program
- This subsidy is not convertible to cash and it will be settled directly with the French higher education institution
A monthly stipend of €700, regardless of the city of residence
- Includes a €700 installation allowance
- NB: Please note that the stipend may be suspended during internship periods (which are usually part of most graduate degree programs).
A health care package composed of mandatory sécurité sociale (national social security coverage) and a mutuelle (supplementary insurance policy)
Priority access to public student housing facilities (logement étudiant CROUS)
One roundtrip flight from Manila to the French city of destination
Exemption from French long-stay visa application fees
- NB: VFS (external visa service provider) fees which cost around P2000 are not covered

The second program, called the PhilFrance – Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Scholarship, is geared towards Filipino professionals working in academic, research, or government institutions who are interested to pursue a master’s degree or doctorate in French public universities, as well as in strengthening scientific cooperation and exchanges between France and the Philippines.

An applicant must:

be a Filipino citizen;
not be more than 50 years old at the time of application;
be in good health condition;
hold a higher education diploma recognized by the Philippine government allowing enrolment in the host course in the French Republic
demonstrate an excellent academic level;
demonstrate the knowledge or expertise required to carry out higher studies within the host establishment in the French Republic;
pass the admission requirements for graduate studies in any of the public universities in France;
pass the interview and other screening procedures.

Important note on previous scholarship awardees:

Fields of study:

The following have been jointly selected by the Embassy of France and the DOST as priority fields of study for these scholarships:

Agriculture
Bioengineering
Bioinformatics (Medical)
Biological Sciences
Climate Change
Forestry
Health and Medical Research
Material Sciences
Medical Chemistry
Natural Resources and Environment
Nuclear Application on Health
Nuclear Medicine
Veterinary Sciences
Virology

Key points to remember regarding eligibility:

Language of instruction: English, French, or both
- Online tools for finding English-taught graduate programs are available in the Other Resources section
  - Find your program taught in English (Master’s level)
  - Directory of doctoral schools (PhD level)
Level of study: Master’s and Doctorate degrees (full-time)
- Dual-degree and joint programs with foreign higher education institutions are ineligible, even if one of the higher education institutions in charge is French
Duration:
- Two -year Master’s programs (24 months, including the mandatory internship period)
- Three-year PhD programs (36 months)
Location: at a French public higher education institution in France
- Foreign higher education institutions based in France are not eligible for this scholarship
- Master’s programs taught at international campuses of French higher education institutions are likewise ineligible
- Any period spent outside France during the academic year (such as semester or year abroad) will not be covered by this scholarship

DOST requirements:

Completed DOST Application Form
- Available for download here
Birth certificate
Endorsement from two former professors in college (For MS applicant) or from two professors in the MS program for applicants pursuing a PhD program
- If employed at the time of application submission, please include these two additional documents:
  - Recommendation from Head of Agency
  - Permission to take a leave of absence (LOA) while on scholarship
Medical certificate as to health status and fitness to study from a licensed physician with his/her PRC license number indicated
Valid NBI Clearance
Budgetary requirements (with supporting document for bases of rates used)
- Available for download here
Re-entry plan, narrative

French Embassy requirements:

A CV (maximum of two pages) detailing your academic, professional, and leadership experience
An academic essay no longer than 500 words, explaining your reasons for wanting to study in France and how your experience and degree will benefit the Philippines and Filipino society
- NB: Essays exceeding the word limit will be discarded along with the application. Be advised that we ask for an academic essay, not a cover or motivation letter.

Common requirements:

A certified true copy of the official transcript of records (university-level grades)
A copy of the program of study or study plan (your chosen program’s curriculum or academic calendar) for its duration
- This is usually available on the website of the French HEI. You can also ask for a copy from their admissions team or program coordinator
Letter/s of acceptance or proof of a completed application to Master’s or PhD degree programs, issued by the French public university where you applied to
- Letter/s of acceptance: Digital copy or screenshot of acceptance email
- Proof of a completed application: Screenshot of the automated email confirmation upon successful submission of your application or a screenshot of the onscreen notification (on the HEI’s online application portal) of your completed application
- Important note for PhD applicants:
  - In applying to Doctoral schools in France, it is common for candidates to contact a laboratory/department or a professor directly through email
    - As an alternative proof of application, we accept PDF copies of your correspondences provided that it states their interest in your proposal or approval in supervising your research work.

Document formats:

Application calendar

Application session: 24 January to 4 April 2022 (12 noon)
Time (duration) for evaluation of applications: three months from the deadline (around mid-June)
- NB: Should there be any change in your admission status, please inform us by email + send your updated acceptance letter to applications@philfrance-scholarships.com
Release of final results: week of 3 May 2022
- NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be notified (by email) by the scholarship committee.
- If you do not receive an email by the week of 16 May (at the earliest), this means that your application was not selected.

Selection procedure:

An applicant goes through the following selection procedure:

First-level screening
- Documentary evaluation of the form and other requirements by the French Embassy and DOST-SEI
Second-level screening
- Evaluation of research topic and re-entry plan by the concerned DOST Council
Third-level screening
- Interview by a panel composed of the SEI Director with representatives coming from the French Embassy, DOST Councils and other relevant DOST agencies

Important reminder:

Any attempt to unduly influence the decision-making process (such as intervention by third parties) will result in the dismissal of the candidate’s application.

Word (.docx) format
- Re-entry plan
- Academic essay
PDF format
- All the other documents
- Kindly reduce the size of your PDFs, the maximum file size for each PDF is 2 MB.

Scholarship Benefits from the DOST-SEI

Monthly living allowance (rate will depend on the place of study)
One round-trip ticket (economy fare) from residence to place of study (one-time only in the whole duration of the study)
Relocation allowance
Pre-travel expenses

From the French Embassy:

Selected candidates will be given the status of boursier du gouvernement français (French government scholar) which entitles them to the following benefits:

Exemption from public university registration fees (exonération des frais d’inscription à l’université)
- For reference – University registration fees (as of the 2021 academic year):
  - €3 770 per academic year for Master’s degrees
  - €380 per academic year for PhD degrees
- NB: These amounts are not convertible to cash and it will be settled directly with the French higher education institution
A health care package composed of mandatory sécurité sociale (national social security coverage) and a mutuelle (supplementary insurance policy)
Priority access to public student housing facilities (logement étudiant CROUS)
Exemption from French long-stay visa application fees
- NB: VFS (external visa service provider) fees which cost around P2000 are not covered

Source:PhilFrance Scholarships