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France Applications run alongside the graduate programme admission round. The most recently published cycle carried an extended deadline of 30 April 2026 for entry that autumn; the equivalent 2027 date is normally posted on the institute's site early in the year — check before assuming it has passed

Université de Strasbourg IdEx Mobil'ITI Master Grant

Université de Strasbourg holds one of France's Initiative d'Excellence (IdEx) endowments, and part of that money funds its Interdisciplinary Thematic Institutes — graduate programmes that bundle a master's track with a research environment and a scholarship. The Mobil'ITI master grant is the award that matters to a Sri Lankan applicant. It is worth between EUR 7,000 and EUR 9,500 for a full academic year of ten months, roughly LKR 2.4 million to LKR 3.3 million, and it is built out of components rather than paid as a lump merit prize: EUR 700 a month towards accommodation across ten months, plus a travel contribution and a moving allowance scaled by how far you are coming from. Sri Lanka sits well beyond the 4,000-kilometre band, which puts a Sri Lankan student in the highest tier — EUR 2,000 travel and EUR 500 moving on top of the EUR 7,000 accommodation support, so the EUR 9,500 ceiling is the realistic figure rather than the optimistic one. The grant runs for the academic year and can be renewed for up to a further six months. Two limits need stating clearly. It does not cover registration fees, and France charges non-EU students a differentiated rate of EUR 3,941 a year at master's level against EUR 254 for EU and EEA nationals, plus a EUR 166 graduate programme fee — so budget around EUR 4,100 of fees that the grant will not touch. And it cannot be combined with Erasmus+, the Franco-German University (UFA) support, or another IdEx mobility grant in the same year. You must be admitted to and follow both the institute's master track and its graduate programme; students already enrolled at a Strasbourg institution are excluded from the travel and moving components.

Université de Strasbourg

University-funded

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Annual Value

EUR 7,000–9,500 (LKR ~2.4M–3.3M)

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Accommodation

EUR 700/month for 10 months

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Travel (Sri Lanka Tier)

EUR 2,000 + EUR 500 moving

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Non-EU Students Are Explicitly Included

International students, including those from outside the EU, are eligible, and the support is tiered by distance. Sri Lanka falls in the over-4,000-kilometre band, which attracts the largest travel and moving contributions.

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Master 1 or Master 2, on an ITI Track

You must be admitted to and follow both the Interdisciplinary Thematic Institute's master track and its graduate programme. A general master's admission at Strasbourg outside an ITI does not carry this grant.

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Registration Fees Are Not Covered

France's differentiated fee for non-EU master's students is EUR 3,941 a year against EUR 254 for EU nationals, plus a EUR 166 graduate programme fee. The grant excludes these, so plan for around EUR 4,100 (about LKR 1.4M) of unfunded fees each year unless you obtain an exemption.

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Not Combinable with Other Mobility Funding

You cannot hold this alongside Erasmus+, Franco-German University support or another IdEx mobility grant for the same year. If you are weighing an Erasmus+ route, compare the totals before committing.

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Already in Strasbourg? Reduced Award

Students already enrolled at a Strasbourg institution are excluded from the travel and moving components. The grant is designed to bring people to Strasbourg, not to subsidise those already there.

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Renewable for Six Months, Not Indefinitely

The award covers a complete academic year of ten months and can be renewed for a maximum of six further months. Over a two-year master's you should expect a funding gap rather than continuous support.

account_tree Application Process

Identify the right Interdisciplinary Thematic Institute

Strasbourg runs several IdEx-funded ITIs across mathematics and computing, life sciences, chemistry, law and the humanities, each with its own master tracks and Mobil'ITI grant terms. Values and deadlines vary between them, so read the page for the specific institute you are targeting.

Go through Campus France Sri Lanka and Études en France

Sri Lankan applicants for French higher education normally use the Études en France procedure administered by Campus France Sri Lanka in Colombo, which includes a compulsory interview before your file is forwarded and your visa appointment is released. Register on the platform early — the procedure has its own annual calendar, ahead of most university deadlines.

Apply to the graduate programme and request the grant

The grant is applied for through the graduate programme admission process rather than as a separate scholarship competition. Make sure your file states that you are applying for Mobil'ITI support and gives your country of origin, since that determines the travel tier.

Check the language of instruction

Strasbourg master's tracks vary between French and English delivery. Confirm the language for your specific track and, where French is required, budget for Alliance Française preparation in Colombo well ahead of the application.

French student visa from Colombo

After Campus France validates your file you apply for a long-stay student visa (VLS-TS) through the French consular service in Colombo. You must evidence sufficient means — the grant letter helps — and complete the residence-permit validation online within three months of arriving in France.

Why Strasbourg?

Université de Strasbourg is one of France's largest research universities, formed by the reunification of the city's three universities, and it holds an Initiative d'Excellence endowment that funds its interdisciplinary institutes. Strasbourg sits on the German border and hosts the European Parliament and Council of Europe, which gives its law, political science and European studies programmes an unusual proximity to their subject. Living costs are moderate by Western European standards, and French public universities charge a fraction of UK or Australian tuition even at the differentiated non-EU rate. Non-EU master's graduates can apply for a temporary residence permit to seek work in France after finishing.