International Master's Scholarships Program IDEX

Academic Year 2025-2026

Université Paris-Saclay aims to promote access for international students to its Master’s programmes, offered by its faculties, component-institutions and associated universities, and to make it easier for highly-qualified international students to join the University, especially for those wishing to develop an academic project through research up to the doctoral level.

Scholarships will be awarded for the 2025-2026 academic year. Established with the IDEX funding of the 3rd Programme Investissements d’Avenir, and based on academic achievements, these scholarships are aimed at students admitted to a Master’s programme offered by Université Paris-Saclay and delivered by one of the following insitutions: AgroParisTech, CentraleSupélec, Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay (ENS Paris-Saclay), INSTN-CEA, Institut d’Optique Graduate School (IOGS), Université Évry Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay (UPSaclay), Université de Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ).

These scholarships are awarded for 1 or 2 years to students enrolled in a Master’s programme at Université Paris-Saclay, depending on their admission level (M1 or M2), and subject to completion of the required number of credits to go through to the following year of study.

Application timeline:

  • Candidate selection deadline by the master’s programme coordinator: May 5, 2025
  • After being selected, deadline to apply for the scholarship: May 9, 2025
  • Deadline for the reception of the recommendations from the 2 referees, and closure of the call: May 12, 2025
  • Publication of results: late June 2025

Pre-selection Process:

Admission to a Master’s programme does not automatically entitle students to a scholarship.

For more information, please see the Eligibility criteria.
 
Students eligible for a Paris-Saclay University IDEX scholarship will be selected by the admission panel among those students admitted to a Paris-Saclay University Master’s programme.
 
Only students who receive an email from Paris-Saclay University inviting them to apply for a Paris-Saclay University IDEX scholarship will be able to submit an application.

No direct application is possible.

Application Procedure:

1) Selected students will automatically be sent a link by email to an online application form.
Upon reception of this email, students wishing to apply will need to complete the online application form and compulsorily provide the names and contact details of two referees who would be willing to submit a reference for the candidate (director of studies, professor, internship coordinator…).

2) Each of the two referees named by the candidate will be sent a link by email to an online recommendation form. They will be asked to complete and submit the form prior to the closing day of the scholarship call.
The candidate will automatically be informed when each referee has submitted the form.

3) The application file for a scholarship will be considered complete when both recommendation forms have been submitted by the referees.
Please note: the candidate will not receive a message confirming that the application is complete.
It is up to the candidate to ensure both referees complete and submit the form by the deadline given in the invitation email.

Applications that are incomplete or received after the deadline will automatically be rejected.

Eligibility criteria:

Students meeting the following cumulative criteria are eligible:

  • Students admitted to a Paris-Saclay University Master’s programme delivered by one of the following institutions: AgroParisTech, CentraleSupélec, ENS Paris-Saclay, INSTN-CEA, IOGS, Université Évry Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ
  • International students studying in France for the first time  
  • Students aged 30 or less during the year of selection

Nevertheless, students meeting the following criteria remain eligible:

  • Students of foreign nationality living in France for less than a year, previously or currently enrolled in a non-degree training course or internship.
  • Students of foreign nationality living in France for less than a year, taking language classes (such as “FLE” courses).
  • Students who have lived in France in the past, within the framework of a mobility programme during their studies (e.g. Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees, exchange programme…) that did not lead to a degree from the French higher education system.

Students meeting one of the following criteria are not eligible:

  • All students who have been or are currently enrolled in a French higher education institution during their studies, except international students enrolled in a French higher education institution abroad.
  • Students who have interrupted their studies for more than 3 consecutive years.
  • Students receiving any other type of funding which amount exceeds 600€ per month.

Together with UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and backed by MEnS association (Migrants dans l'Enseignement supérieur / Migrants in Higher Education), Paris-Saclay University is implementing a bonus system for refugee students or students with subsidiary protection within the framework of the IDEX scale of scholarships.
If you are concerned by this status, please indicate it in your statement of purpose as soon as you submit your application to the master's degree.

Programmes / Fields:

  • All academic fields are eligible.
  • All Master’s programmes accredited by Université Paris-Saclay, except vocational training, are eligible.

Selection of laureates, evaluation criteria:

Reminder: admission to a Master’s programme does not automatically entitle students to a scholarship.

The selection of laureates is the responsibility of a jury composed of experts from the faculties, component-institutions and associated universities of Paris-Saclay University. The evaluation criteria take into account the following elements:

  • Academic level,
  • Personal project,
  • Specifically for students admitted in an M2 programme: well-argued motivation to pursue a PhD in a laboratory of Paris-Saclay University.

Amount and payment of the scholarship:

  •  The amount of the Université Paris-Saclay scholarship is 10,000€ per year. It is paid by Université Paris-Saclay for the duration of the academic year from September to June, for a period of 10 consecutive months.
  • A maximum of 1,000€ for travel and visa expenses can also be awarded depending on the candidate’s country of origin.
  • Laureates will receive their scholarship as well as travel expenses only upon arrival in France and once they have registered in the programme to which they were admitted.

No advance payment can be made.

Course Attendance and academic mobility:

  • Selected students must follow the programme for which their scholarship was awarded in one of the faculties, component-institutions and associated universities of Paris-Saclay University.
  • The scholarship can be suspended in case of repeated absence without due justification.
  • The scholarship will be suspended, without possibility for deferment, during the period of time the student attends courses in an institution outside Paris-Saclay University (in France or abroad).
  • Payment of the scholarship will be continued within the frame of compulsory mobility required by some Paris-Saclay University programmes, or international university exchange programmes between Paris-Saclay University and its partners (double degree with compulsory mobility, Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees…). This compulsory mobility cannot be carried out in the student’s country or institution of origin.
  • Payment of the scholarship will be suspended for any non-compulsory mobility.
  • Gap years are authorized but not funded.

Internship:

  • Internships in research laboratories must preferably be undertaken within Paris-Saclay University research labs. Otherwise, the scholarship will either be reduced or suspended.  
  • Internships in France, aside those within research laboratories of Paris-Saclay University, which wages exceed 1000€ per month, will lead to a suspension of the scholarship.
  • Paid or unpaid internships abroad will lead to a suspension of the scholarship. 

Results:

All applicants to the scholarship programme will be informed by email of the jury’s decision. Upon receiving the confirmation email, students will have 8 days to accept or decline the scholarship. If students fail to respond within this timeframe, they will be deemed as having declined the scholarship. Université Paris-Saclay reserves the right to refuse or cancel the scholarship awarded if the information provided by the candidate proves to be false.

Contact

cooperation.internationale.upsaclay@centralesupelec.fr