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French Embassy Launches Scholarship Program for Filipinos for A.Y. 2018-2019
The Embassy of France to the Philippines encourages Filipinos t0 pursue their graduate studies in France through the PhilFrance Scholarship Program.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary celebration of French-Philippine diplomatic relations in 2017, the French Embassy launched the PhilFrance Scholarship Program to open more opportunities for Filipinos to develop their expertise by studying and carrying out research work in France, with the goal of making lasting contributions to Philippine society.
Since 2016, 35 Filipino scholars are currently pursuing or have recently completed their graduate degrees in the French language and literature, business, public policy and governance, engineering, mathematics, marine biology, applied chemistry, environmental and ecological sciences, and public health.
To continue building stronger academic relations between France and the Philippines, the French Embassy has opened two separate calls for applications under the PhilFrance Scholarship Program for the academic year 2018-2019.
The first call is directed to Filipino students and professionals wishing to come to France to pursue Master’s or Doctoral programs in all fields of study. The PhilFrance Scholarships are awarded to highly-qualified candidates who have demonstrated strong academic and leadership qualities in their scholarly and professional activities. The scholarship benefits include a partial tuition subsidy, a monthly allowance, and a health care package for the expected length of their academic programs.
The second call is launched within the framework of a cooperation agreement signed between the Embassy of France and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in January 2017. The CHED-PhilFrance Scholarships are open to the faculty and staff of CHED-recognized institutions who wish to pursue Master’s or Doctoral programs in all disciplines at French higher education institutions. The benefits for selected candidates include round-trip travel expenses, a monthly allowance, waived registration fees for state-regulated programs at public institutions, and a health care package.
Through a cooperation agreement signed by CHED and Sciences Po, a world-renowned French institution in the social sciences, full tuition fees for Sciences Po’s graduate programs will be financed as well, on top of the all the other benefits offered by the CHED-PhilFrance Scholarships.
Complete information on eligibility, application requirements, and awardees’ benefits is available through the PhilFrance Scholarship Program website: www.philfrance-scholarships.
Interested candidates must submit their applications by April 13, 2018 through the online application portal at www.philfrance-scholarships.
Why study in France?
France is a country that welcomes students from around the world. Each year, over 300,000 international students choose to study in France, making it the fourth most attractive country and the leading non-English speaking destination for inbound student mobility, according to UNESCO. For today’s mobile and globalized youth, including those from the Philippines, France is an attractive destination for studying abroad due to its rich culture and history, as well as a high concentration of internationally-ranked French institutions with English as the medium of instruction.
Moreover, public investments and subsidies allow a more reasonable cost of living and studying for international students in France compared to others in the region.
France offers a wide range of high-quality specialization courses that can potentially contribute to the development goals of the Philippines. These include programs in sustainable development, disaster risk reduction and mitigation, heritage conservation, urban planning, social innovation and entrepreneurship, public policy, and the sciences. The availability of these disciplines in France is one of the reasons why the country has expressed its commitment to forge a dynamic academic and scientific partnership with the Philippines.
The community of French-educated Filipinos continues to grow
It is estimated that over 250 Filipino students currently reside in France, with many of them pursuing degrees in world-renowned institutions of higher learning. Most Filipinos studying in France are part of undergraduate exchange programs between partner institutions or pursue Master’s degrees in the fields of business, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities.
The Embassy’s focus on education and the availability of scholarships, together with the appeal of France as a study abroad destination, will hopefully encourage more Filipinos to pursue their studies in France.
Through information sessions, participation in education fairs, and personalized consultations, the Campus France Manila office brings French higher education closer to the Filipino public and helps prospective students make a more informed decision about their academic plans. For more information, visit www.philippines.campusfrance.
For more details on the scholarships offered by the French Embassy, visit www.ph.ambafrance.org. (French Embassy)
