Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program

Overview

The Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program (CFSP) is a scholarship program designed to build institutional capacities by training nationals of 37 developing countries of La Francophonie.

The Government of Canada funds this program in its entirety and has entrusted its administration to the Canadian Partnership Branch of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) has been the CFSP's executing agency since July 1, 2006.

Objectives

The CFSP's objectives are to increase opportunities for higher education for nationals of developing countries of La Francophonie, to help build institutional capacities and to strengthen Canada's ties to these countries.

Eligibility

Students who are nationals of developing countries of La Francophonie may apply for a scholarship for technical and vocational training, or for university studies leading to a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree.

If a student has already obtained a scholarship through this program, he or she will not be eligible for a new scholarship until he or she has spent at least two full years in his or her country. Clinical training in pharmacy, medicine, and dentistry is excluded, but research studies in these fields are eligible.

Application Process

To apply, candidates must be nationals of a developing country of La Francophonie. They must also be permanent residents of their country or a country whose nationals are eligible for the CFSP for one year before they apply. Candidates must be designated by their government or by a government agency. Fluency in spoken and written French is mandatory. They must have obtained their most recent diploma in the past 10 years for technical and vocational training, or the past 5 years for university studies.

Files submitted must include at least as many applications from women as from men. Each country may submit up to 4 applications for technical and vocational training, and 10 applications for university studies.

Evaluation of Applications

Applications submitted by eligible countries are evaluated by the CFSP Selection Committee made up of representatives of Canadian universities and colleges offering programs of studies in French. Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria: review of the letter of intent, and careful study of the proposal and letters of recommendation. The Selection Committee reviews the candidates' experience in the field. It also reviews the relevance of the planned studies to the developing country, based on CIDA's official development assistance priorities for that country. Finally, it reviews the candidate's employment prospects on returning to his or her country after graduating.

The Committee recommends the best candidates for CIDA's approval. The executing agency then registers each successful candidate at a Canadian institution (college or university) that delivers the requested program of studies in French. Final admission to the college or university is the sole responsibility of the institution concerned. The scholarship offer takes effect only once an institution has admitted the candidate.

Link

For full information on CFSP eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria, application requirements, funding levels, deadline dates, and exclusions, visit the CFSP website (French only).