So you got into the program that you oh so desired and now the question comes to mind: how am I going to pay for this? Maybe you were lucky enough to get a scholarship from your institution, and congratulations are in order if you did, however if you didn’t don’t be discouraged because there are many more options to choose from!
The first thing you have at your disposal is the Student Affairs and Scholarship offices of ESCP Europe. They are the best people to ask about what scholarships you are eligible to apply to, based on your citizenship. And yes all scholarships or “bourses” are based on your nationality and age when applying so be sure that you comply with those requirements before filling out any tedious forms. ESCP Europe has two scholarships that you can receive for your Master year 1: EU citizens can receive ESCP Europe need-based scholarships and non-EU citizens can receive ESCP Europe merit scholarships which are subtracted from your tuition fees. Those are basically the 25, 50, 100% scholarships that are automatically applied to your tuition payments so you never really see a cheque or bank transaction for it.
Now a few posts ago I mentioned that I had applied in the Autumn session because that’s when you get more scholarship opportunities and here is why: the two biggest scholarships for non-French citizens are the Eiffel Scholarship or the Ile de France Bourse. For these two scholarships you need to be selected from your university as a candidate in order to apply therefore their deadlines occur much earlier in the year. This is a crucial reason behind applying to earlier sessions, it gives both your school and yourself the time necessary to complete all the forms and applications for these additional scholarships.
There are of course many more scholarship opportunities available, however you have more choices earlier in the year since less people have been accepted. So your chances of getting them approved start to decrease just because the demand has increased.
Other avenues for scholarships include your home country and its embassy’s abroad which can have resources set aside for those continuing their education or doing internships abroad. There are so many more that are out there and I’ve listed a few of the resources below.
Some are more tailored to people studying in a specific country while others are more suited to a specific program or field. Just make sure to read the requirements carefully to make sure you’re eligible for the scholarship.
