French Ministry of Culture/CNOUS - Scholarships

What you get

You will receive an annual scholarship of about 1,454 EUR to 6,335 EUR, paid out monthly throughout the academic year. It is intended to support your studies in art, architecture, music, dance, theatre, film or cultural heritage in France. The exact amount depends on your family’s income and is determined by 8 income brackets (from 0 to 7). In the lowest bracket, the grant amounts to approximately 1,454 EUR per year; in the highest, approximately 6,335 EUR. If you are eligible for summer support, two additional monthly payments will increase the maximum amount to approximately 7,602 EUR. Students in the French overseas territories receive an additional 300 EUR. Furthermore, you do not pay any tuition fees and are exempt from the CVEC student contribution. You can receive the grant throughout your entire period of higher education for up to 7 years; it is renewed annually. It is funded by the French Ministry of Culture and paid out via the CROUS student services organisation.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled as a full-time student on an initial degree programme at a school run by the Ministry of Culture. Examples: a national school of architecture (ENSA), a school of art or design, a conservatoire of music or dance, a theatre or film school, or a school specialising in cultural heritage such as the École du Louvre.
• Field of study: Architecture and landscape, fine art and design, music, dance, theatre, film and audiovisual media, and cultural heritage.
• Financial need: The amount of your grant depends on the taxable income of your parents or guardians. The lower your family’s income, the higher the income bracket and the more money you will receive.
• Age: When submitting your initial application, you must be younger than 28 on 1 January of the year in which you enrol. After 28, you will only retain your funding if you do not withdraw from your degree programme. There is no age limit for students with a disability recognised by the CDAPH (the French Advisory Council for People with Disabilities).
• Nationality: French nationals may submit an application. Nationals of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland are eligible under certain conditions, for example if a parent is in employment or has an income in France, or if they have been lawfully resident in France for an uninterrupted period of 5 years. Students from non-EU countries require a residence permit and must have resided in France for 2 years, with their household registered for tax purposes in France. Refugees and persons with subsidiary or temporary protection may also apply.
• Not eligible: You are not eligible for this grant if you work in the public sector, are receiving a training allowance as a jobseeker, or are undertaking training as an apprentice or under a skills development contract.

How to apply

Applications are made online via the ‘Dossier Social Etudiant’ (DSE), the French application portal for student social benefits, at messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr. The application period runs from 1. March to 31 May before the start of the academic year. Late applications are accepted until 31 December, but no back payments will be made. You will initially receive a provisional decision and, once you have enrolled, a final decision.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a means-tested grant, not a selection process. If you are studying at a school run by the Ministry of Culture and your family’s income falls within one of the income brackets, you will receive the grant. The lower your family’s income, the higher your income bracket and the higher the grant you will receive. Submit your application in the spring so that your first payment reaches you by the end of August.