Scholarships in France for Sri Lankan Students (2027): Eiffel, Embassy and School Awards

Looking for a scholarship to study in France from Sri Lanka? Which schemes are really open to Sri Lankan applicants, what each one pays, who you apply to, and how a scholarship fits with the money you still have to show for the student visa.

Which scholarships can Sri Lankan students get for France?

Four routes are realistic; two are reserved for students already living in France or schooled in the French network.

French funding is a set of separate schemes, each with its own owner, level and calendar. Campus France Sri Lanka groups them into six families: the scholarships of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (including Eiffel), the scholarships of the Ministry of Higher Education, awards from French regions and towns, Erasmus+ mobility funding, scholarships from the French Embassy in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the programmes that individual institutions run for their own enrolled students.

The Foreign Ministry adds a useful detail. Of its scholarships, 25% are financed directly by the Ministry through Eiffel (for master’s or doctoral studies) or the Major programme (for top graduates of French high schools abroad). The rest are provided by French embassies, through their Cooperation and Cultural Action departments (SCAC). Whatever their country of residence, applicants are told to contact the SCAC of their country before leaving, and well in advance.

Two families are, in practice, closed to a newcomer from Sri Lanka: the Ministry of Higher Education’s social-criteria scholarships require at least two years of residence in France and paying taxes there, and the Major programme is reserved for graduates of French high schools abroad. Four routes remain, compared below.

To search everything at once, Campus France points to Campus Bourses, its official search engine, which lists aid from States, regions, companies, foundations and institutions and filters by nationality, field and level. For a version of this page that covers every nationality, see our guide to scholarships in France for international students.

How do the main schemes compare?

What does the French Embassy in Colombo offer?

Three targeted lines, run by the Cooperation and Cultural Action service.

Campus France Sri Lanka describes three embassy lines. French language teachers in Sri Lankan and Maldivian schools and universities can train in Sri Lanka, India or France. French language students can be funded to train in France or online. And graduates, PhD students and post-graduates can attend social sciences workshops run in South Asia by French research institutes and local partners.

All three are handled by the embassy’s cooperation service, which you can reach at scac.colombo-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr. The embassy’s own “Studying in France” page, updated on 8 July 2026, points foreign students to Campus Bourses and to Erasmus+ for funding, and to the Campus France network for procedures.

Before building an application around any scheme, ask Campus France Colombo which programmes you are eligible for: it runs free information sessions on Mondays from 10 am to 12 pm at the Alliance Française de Colombo, by appointment.

Can a Sri Lankan student win the Eiffel scholarship?

Only through a French institution, and only for master’s and doctoral programmes.

Yes, if a French institution puts you forward. Eiffel was created by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to help French institutions attract top international students to their master’s and PhD programmes. The Ministry says it encourages applications from emerging countries, especially in Asia. The decisive rule is in the 2027 call: only applications submitted by French higher education institutions are accepted. You cannot send an Eiffel file yourself.

What Eiffel pays and for how long

The Eiffel rules for the 2027 session set the master’s allowance at €1,200 a month (about LKR 445,032), plus direct services: international airfare, domestic travel support, insurance, help in finding housing and cultural activities. Tuition is not paid by the programme. The award runs for a maximum of 24 months for a student entering the first year of a master’s, 12 months for the second year, and 36 months for an engineering programme. Over a full two-year master’s, the allowance alone reaches €28,800, about LKR 10.68 million.

The conditions to check first

• Age: Campus France encourages master’s applicants up to 29 years old and PhD applicants up to 35.
• Field: seven thematic areas are eligible, among them Mathematics and Digital Technology, and Engineering Sciences.
• Programme: the nominating institution enrols you in a programme awarding a master’s degree accredited by the French government, a nationally accredited engineering programme or a doctoral programme with a partner abroad.
• Start date: the funded study period must begin between 1 September and 30 November of the award year, and it cannot be postponed.
• No double funding: Eiffel cannot be combined with another French government scholarship, an Erasmus+ scholarship or an award of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie.
• Internships: an internship in your country of origin ends the scholarship, even if it is compulsory.

The 2027 calendar

The 2027 call opened in October 2026; Campus France must receive the institutions’ files by 6 January 2027 and publishes results from 12 April 2027. Each institution sets an earlier internal deadline, so ask every admissions office at first contact whether, and when, it nominates candidates.

What about Erasmus+ and Erasmus Mundus?

A joint master’s across two countries, or an exchange through your own institution.

For a student based in Sri Lanka, the most relevant strand of Erasmus+ is the Erasmus Mundus joint master’s. Campus France describes it as a programme that awards scholarships to the world’s best students for one or two years, in any field, provided the master’s is taken in at least two participating countries. The other strand, mobility scholarships under bilateral agreements between institutions, covers removal and accommodation costs and is handled by the institution where you are enrolled, so ask your Sri Lankan institute’s international office whether it has a French partner. Remember that Erasmus+ and Eiffel cannot be held together.

Does a scholarship replace the money you show for the visa?

It lowers tuition. The €877.50 a month still has to be proved.

No, and this is where many Sri Lankan families get caught. Service-Public F2231 sets the rule for the long-stay student visa: you must prove resources of at least €877.50 a month. At the Central Bank of Sri Lanka indicative rate of 29 October 2026, €1 = LKR 370.86, that is about LKR 325,430 a month, or LKR 3.91 million for twelve months. The proof can be your own bank statement or, when a sponsor pays, the sponsor’s identity plus bank attestations of scheduled transfers or a signed statement that the sums will be paid.

A tuition scholarship does not change that figure. AI2 says it plainly on its own scholarships page: its scholarship reduces tuition and does not count towards the €877.50 a month required for the visa. A living allowance such as Eiffel’s €1,200 a month is different in nature, since it is paid to you every month. Either way, keep the award letter in your visa file.

For MSc Year 1, the scholarship gap is €2,000, about LKR 741,720. For flight, deposit and rent, see our full first-year budget for Sri Lankan students.

How do AI2 scholarships work for Sri Lankan students?

One application, one assessment, a written decision in the admission letter.

AI2, the Applied Institute of Artificial Intelligence, teaches its Bachelor, BSc and MSc programmes 100% in English on its campus at the Hub Nikola Tesla in Écouen, 22 minutes from Paris Gare du Nord by Transilien line H. Each final year awards the AI2 diploma and prepares a professional certification recognised by the French State and registered in the RNCP: level 6 for the BSc, level 7 (master’s level, EQF 7) for the MSc. French is not required; English at B2 is.

Every international application is assessed for the AI2 international scholarship. There is no separate form and no extra fee. The award is built from up to three criteria:

The award applies to the first year of enrolment, is not transferable, cannot be combined with other discounts and is not guaranteed by the assessment; the amount is stated in your admission letter. The 11-month Fast-Track in Data Science has its own €1,500 scholarship for applications before 15 November 2026, which brings it from €12,500 to €11,000 and is not combined with other AI2 awards.

AI2’s links with Sri Lanka

Between June and August 2026, AI2’s founder and its international marketing manager toured institutions in India and Sri Lanka. In Colombo, the delegation visited the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), the University of Moratuwa and BCAS Campus, and signed a memorandum of understanding with BCAS Campus to open pathways for its Bachelor students into AI2’s advanced programmes. The full account is in the post on AI2’s 2026 academic tour in India and Sri Lanka. If you study at a Sri Lankan institution, ask AI2 admissions whether your application can go through a partner channel.

Work-study as a second lever

In Bachelor Year 2, the BSc final year and MSc Year 2, a work-study contract lets the employer’s training-fund operator (OPCO) pay your tuition while you earn a salary; it depends on finding an employer and is never guaranteed at admission. Outside work-study, a student residence permit allows paid work of up to 964 hours a year (Service-Public F2713).

Fees and award amounts by programme are on the AI2 tuition fees and the AI2 scholarships page. Planning a bachelor’s first? Read our guide to a bachelor’s in France after your A/Ls; holders of an HND can look at the top-up degree for Sri Lankan HND holders, and graduates the guide to a master’s in France for Sri Lankan students.

When should you apply for funding for a 2027 start?

Funding calendars and intake calendars do not line up, so plan both.

Once you hold an admission letter, the next step from Sri Lanka is the same whatever your funding: an interview with Campus France Sri Lanka, which is mandatory before the visa application. Interviews are held at the library of the Alliance Française de Colombo, 11 Barnes Place, Colombo 07, on appointment requested by email to colombo@campusfrance.org with “Interview Request” as the subject. Our French student visa guide for Sri Lanka covers the rest of the file.

Frequently asked questions

Apply online from Sri Lanka: admissions reviews your file, holds an online interview and confirms your entry year, tuition and scholarship in writing.

Apply nowSee AI2 scholarships