FAQ - HSS
Yes. Non-U.S. nationals are eligible to apply for a Chateaubriand Fellowship as long as they are currently enrolled in an American university. However, French citizens are not eligible to apply.
The HSS Chateaubriand Fellowship program is not designed for Master’s or Bachelor’s students. The grants are specifically reserved for Ph.D. students.
Please visit our website www.frenchculture.org for more information about our other grants and fellowships.
The first person to ask is your PhD advisor and the head of your department at your university. The history of collaboration between your institution and the French institution is taken into account during the selection process.
If your institution does not have any collaboration with a French institution or if you want to start a new collaboration with another French institution, please visit Campus France USA’s website for more information about French institutions and PhD programs: http://www.usa.campusfrance.org/en/
We encourage students to connect with professors in France who already have some contacts with the American supervisors. If there is no such contact, we strongly recommend that you discuss your research project well in advance (at least a semester) with your French professor.
The agreement letter from your PhD advisor in the US and the invitation letter from your supervisor in France are both mandatory documents.
The agreement letter should include that your PhD advisor in the US is agreeing that part of your thesis research will be performed in France under the supervision of your French Advisor. This letter should also highlight your work, explain how a stay in France would be useful to both the lab and your project and how it will strengthen the existing or planned collaboration between your home and host laboratories.
While the invitation letter should also demonstrate why you need to do your research in France and how your mobility is an asset for your research team in France. The invitation letter should mention:
The name of the host institution in France
The name of the research Unit (UMR, UPR, US, etc.). For joint research units, please mention all institutions involved.
Name of the supervisor in France
Former, existing and expected research collaborations, academic cooperation and programs between both institutions (in the US and in France), when applicable.
The letter should explain how the candidate would be integrated to the French research unit as a foreign PhD student.
No, you do not need to provide an English translation of documents written in French.
Each application receives two evaluations : one from a French scholar, the other from an American scholar.
The candidates’ applications and the scholars’ recommendations are then reviewed by a final selection committee.
The criteria taken into account include:
Academic relevance of the research project
Beneficial effects of a research trip to France
Student’s command of the subject
Contribution of the project to the global France/US academic exchange context
Traditionally, the selection committee meets at the end of April. Results will be sent by e-mail early in May.
