The French government funds approximately 22,000 students each year. Most of the aid is administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry's programs are of two types:
1 - Scholarship funds made available under bilateral assistance programs between France and foreign governments or under an annual scholarship program. Areas of study are identified in each agreement and generally correspond to the needs expressed by the foreign partner. Many grants are jointly financed. More than 80 percent of French government scholarships fall into this category.
Scholarship information may be obtained from the cultural service of the French embassy in your country, or from the nearest French consulate More...
2 - Scholarships for excellence. Scholarship programs have been set up to enable French institutions of higher education to attract the finest international students and, through them, to develop interuniversity cooperation.

Get more information on two such programs: Programme Eiffel and Programme Major (French only).

The French Ministry of Education offers occasional grants to international students, subject to the availability of funds. More... (French only)

The best source of information on any of these programs is the cultural service of the French embassy in your country. More...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is launching its call for candidates for Eiffel scholarships and Eiffel PhD scholarships for 2007-2008.
Eiffel scholarships are awarded to foreign students for preparation in France of a master’s degree in one of these areas: engineering, economics-management, law-political science.
Applications from students from Asia, Latin America, the new European Union member states and, more generally, from countries with strong scientific and academic potential are encouraged.
Under the program, about 400 scholarships are awarded each year. Students receive a monthly allowance of 1,000 euros along with health coverage, round-trip travel expenses, medical expenses plus access to cultural activities. Since 1999 when the program was launched, over 3,000 students have been selected.
In addition since 2005, Eiffel Doctorat scholarships, providing a monthly allowance of 1,400 euros, complement the program by offering about 80 “mobility” scholarships for 10 months to doctoral students in the context of joint-tutorship or joint-direction of their theses.
  Complete information on these scholarship programs is available on the Foreign Ministry’s web site at: www.diplomatie.gouv.fr under the heading “Etudier en France.”