Deadline: 30-Nov-2025
The French Embassy in the United States is pleased to launch the Lafayette Fellowship, a new scholarship program designed by Villa Albertine to support the next generation of young leaders with a strong interest in the transatlantic relationship.
The initiative aims to deepen academic and cultural exchange between France and the U.S. and nurture future leaders committed to strengthening the transatlantic relationship, while spreading awareness about France’s many internationally ranked universities and academic excellence programs taught in English.
The program focuses on academic excellence, leadership potential, and commitment to helping society, as well as dedication to developing the French-American relationship. It prioritizes students in STEM, the humanities, social sciences, and the arts, particularly those interested in contributing to global challenges such as sustainability, health and biotechnology, peace and security, social equity, and emerging technologies including artificial intelligence.
The Fellowship covers tuition, travel, program activities, administrative costs, and provides a monthly stipend of €1,500 for accommodations and basic living expenses. Candidates may receive other scholarships, but cannot receive monthly stipends from more than one program simultaneously.
Open to both Francophone and non-Francophone candidates, the Lafayette Fellowship partners with top French higher education institutions that offer programs across STEM, the humanities, social sciences, and the arts, either in French or entirely in English. In addition to their academic studies, fellows participate in the French-American Leadership Program, a dynamic, year-long experience featuring lectures, masterclasses, site visits, and mentorship support, offering a 360-degree immersion into European innovation, culture, and policy.
Applicants must be under 27 years of age as of July 1, 2026, hold a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution completed between January 2023 and June 2026, and possess a GPA of 3.7 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Knowledge of French is not required unless the program they apply to is taught partially or entirely in French.
The selection process has two phases: district pre-selection and the national jury. Applications are divided into four U.S. districts, and selected candidates undergo online interviews before up to 12 candidates per district advance to the national selection. A distinguished national jury selects up to 30 final Lafayette Fellows, with a waitlist for exceptional applicants not selected in the final round.
Admission to one of the Lafayette Fellowship’s French partner institutions is a prerequisite, and candidates must apply separately for admission to their selected institution in parallel with their Fellowship application. The application requires general information, proof of eligibility, education history, CV, cover letter, video personal statement, and at least three letters of recommendation, with an optional fourth. Candidates applying for programs taught in French must provide official language certificates. All documents must be in English, with translations provided where necessary.
The personal video statement should describe the candidate’s background, goals, leadership potential, and how they plan to contribute to French academic life and society. The video must be in English, no longer than three minutes, and uploaded to an unlisted platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.
Applications close on November 30, 2025, final results are announced in February 2026, and fellows depart for France in July 2026, beginning their studies in September 2026 depending on the institution’s academic calendar.
For more information, visit Villa Albertine.