Lake Zurich at golden hour with the Swiss Alps in the background and trees on the shoreline.

France The Embassy launches a national call each year, generally announced early in the calendar year for the following September intake. Campus France Sri Lanka, based at the Alliance Française de Colombo, publishes the current dates

French Government Scholarship (Embassy of France in Sri Lanka)

Most international scholarships ask a Sri Lankan applicant to compete against the whole world. This one does not. The Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives runs its own annual national call for French Government Scholarships, and the only people you are competing against are other Sri Lankan and Maldivian applicants. That single fact makes it one of the best odds-to-value awards on this site, and it is barely known outside the Alliance Française circle in Colombo. The package is built around how French higher education actually works. Public French universities charge low tuition to begin with, so the scholarship's core is a monthly living allowance of €860 — about LKR 297,000 — combined with full exemption from tuition fees at most public institutions. On top of that come French social security cover and civil liability insurance, priority access to a room in a CROUS university hall of residence subject to availability, the train fare from the airport to your city of study, reduced-price cultural access, and exemption from the visa fee. In practice this means a scholar's out-of-pocket cost in France is close to zero, which is a very different proposition from a partial tuition discount at a UK or Australian university. Awards cover Master's study and, in some cycles, professional training courses. Programmes taught in English are widely available in France now, particularly in engineering, business, data science and international relations, so limited French is not automatically a bar — though the Embassy and Campus France both take French language effort as a sign of seriousness.

Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Government-funded

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Monthly Allowance

€860 (LKR ~297,000)

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Tuition

Full exemption at most French public institutions

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Also Covered

Social security, liability insurance, housing priority, free visa

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A Call Run for Sri Lanka and the Maldives

This is a national call issued by the French Embassy accredited to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, open to Sri Lankan and Maldivian students and professionals. You are assessed against the local applicant pool, not the global one.

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Master's Level Study in France

The scholarship supports Master's degrees and, in some cycles, professional training courses at French institutions. It is not an undergraduate scheme. You will normally need a completed bachelor's degree with a strong record.

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Public Institutions Give the Best Value

The tuition exemption applies at most French public institutions. Private grandes écoles and private business schools charge substantial fees that the exemption does not necessarily cover, so check the fee position of your target school before assuming the award makes it free.

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French Is Useful, English Programmes Exist

France now offers a large number of English-taught Master's programmes, so you can apply without fluent French. That said, the Embassy runs the selection and evidence of French study — even a basic Alliance Française course — signals commitment and helps you live in France.

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A Franco-Sri Lankan Relationship Is the Point

The scheme exists to build links between France and Sri Lanka. Applications that articulate what you will bring back — to a sector, an employer, a research area in Sri Lanka — read better than applications framed purely around personal advancement.

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Housing Is Priority Access, Not a Guarantee

Scholars get priority for CROUS university residences, but availability is genuinely limited in Paris and other large cities. Budget for the possibility of private accommodation, which in Paris can exceed the monthly allowance on its own.

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Start with Campus France Sri Lanka in Colombo

Campus France Sri Lanka operates from the library of the Alliance Française de Colombo at 11 Barnes Place, Colombo 7, and offers free counselling. They publish the scholarship call and know the current requirements — go there before you rely on anything you read online.

Choose your Master's programmes and apply for admission

Use the Campus France catalogue to identify programmes. Most Sri Lankan applicants go through the Études en France platform for admission, which runs on its own calendar, generally opening around October to November for the following September.

Submit the Embassy's scholarship application

The scholarship call is separate from admission. It typically asks for transcripts, a CV, a motivation letter, references and evidence of your language ability. Deadlines are set by the Embassy each cycle.

Interview in Colombo

Shortlisted candidates are usually interviewed by a panel at the Embassy or Campus France in Colombo. Prepare to defend the choice of programme, the choice of France, and what you intend to do afterwards.

Campus France interview and visa

All Sri Lankan students bound for France complete the Études en France procedure and a Campus France interview before applying for the long-stay student visa (VLS-TS). Scholarship holders are exempt from the visa fee and the award letter satisfies the proof-of-funds requirement.

Arrival and CROUS housing

Confirm your residence allocation before departure if you can. Scholars also register for French social security on arrival, which the award covers — do not buy separate private health insurance without checking first.

Why France, and Why This Route?

France's public universities and grandes écoles charge a fraction of what comparable institutions in the United Kingdom, United States or Australia charge, which changes the arithmetic entirely for a Sri Lankan family. A funded French Master's frequently costs a household nothing at all, while an unfunded British one runs to LKR 12 million or more in fees alone. France also offers a post-study residence permit allowing graduates to look for work, and a large industrial base in aerospace, energy, luxury goods and pharmaceuticals. The Embassy scholarship route adds the one thing the open application cannot: a local selection pool and a named contact in Colombo.