The 2026-2027 call for applications is now open.
The Chateaubriand fellowship program allows young scholars to broaden their experience and networks by spending several months at a French higher-education institution. The fellows will be able to engage in dissertation research and interact with a French mentor and scholars.
We offer two types of fellowships:
- Fall Fellowship, 4 months
- Spring Fellowship, 4 months
Eligibility
- You must be currently working on your PhD
- You must be registered in an American university (US citizenship is not required; however, French citizens are not eligible, dual French citizens are also not eligible)
- All HSS research topics are eligible including law, political science and economics
- You must obtain a letter of agreement from your advisor(s) in the U.S., as well as a letter of invitation from a professor affiliated with a French university or research institution
- Your US and French advisors must agree to co-supervise part of your thesis
- Knowledge of French is not mandatory and is left to the discretion of the host institution
Calendar for the 2026-2027 academic year
- Application deadline: January 25th, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST
- Award Notification: end of May 2026
Benefits
- Monthly allowance (currently 1704 euros/month, it cannot be combined with other French State-funded fellowships like Fulbright during the duration of your stay in France)
- Round-trip airfare between the U.S. and France only, booked exclusively by Campus France Paris (no reimbursement available). Flights are covered up to 1,410€, provided your travel dates align closely with your program schedule — arriving no earlier than the day before your convention begins and departing no later than the day after it ends. If you choose to extend your stay beyond those dates, due to French State-funded fellowship regulations, the round-trip airfare cannot be funded.
- Health insurance for the duration of the fellowship
Selection process
Experts mandated by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research evaluate the scientific quality of each research project. Only those applications rated “A” at this stage proceed to the final round.
The final selection committee ranks applications based on the following criteria:
- scientific quality of the project;
- overall quality of the application;
- contribution to French/U.S. research dialogue;
- geographic distribution of candidates;
- diversity of disciplines and research topics.
How to apply
To apply, please complete the online form. You will be asked to provide the following information:
- Contact details
- Academic background (degrees, fellowships)
- Main accomplishments (awards, publications, conferences, etc.)
- Research project in the U.S. (summary, U.S. advisor contact details)
- Research project in France (summary, French advisor contact details)
Requested documents
Please upload the following documents with your application:
- Detailed description of your research project
- Letter of agreement from your U.S. research advisor
- Letter of invitation from your project advisor in France, including your planned semester dates: either Fall (September 1 st – December 31 st ) or Spring (January 1 st – April 30 th or February 1 st – May 31 st )
- Up to three letters of recommendation
- Copies of your transcripts
We will not review incomplete applications.
Please consult the guidelines for detailed instructions, including content and format requirements.
Optional documents:
- Joint supervision Agreement (co-tutelle): if your PhD is being carried out under a joint agreement between a US and a French university (co-tutelle), please provide the official agreement between your PhD advisor and your host professor for a joint supervision.
Additional fellowship opportunity:
One fellowship in the Human and Social Sciences (HSS) will be awarded in partnership with Université Clermont Auvergne. Eligible disciplines include literature, history, communication, economics, or law, addressing the following research themes: democracy, gender, the Anthropocene, or socio-economic vulnerability. Preferred host research centers for the laureate include: CMH, CERDI, CHEC, CELIS, LAPSCO, LESCORES, and ComSocs.
Yes but you must be registered in an American university (US citizenship is not required; however, French citizens are not eligible, dual French citizens are also not eligible)
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 websites https://villa-albertine.org/ and https://www.usa.campusfrance.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.
Applications are evaluated both by a French and an American scholar, before being reviewed by a final selection committee.
Selection criteria are as follow:
- Academic relevance of the research project;
- Applicant’s command of the subject ;
- Applicant’s command of the Literature in the Field;
- Added Value of Research in France;
- Contribution to FR/US Research Dialogue.
Results will be sent by e-mail by the end of May 2026.
