The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Embassy of France in the United States. It supports outstanding PhD students from U.S. institutions who wish to conduct part of their doctoral research in France for a period ranging from 4 to 8/9 months. Chateaubriand fellows are selected through a merit-based competition, with expert evaluation in France and in the United States.
The Chateaubriand Fellowship in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) is offered by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. The HSS program targets outstanding PhD students enrolled in U.S. institutions who seek to engage in research in France in any discipline of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The HSS Chateaubriand program is supported by Campus France which provides assistance to fellows on site.
Going to France
Most Chateaubriand Fellows need to apply for a long stay visa if they plan on spending more than 90 days in France. Visas are obtained by first completing an online application on the France-Visas website, which is then followed by a visa appointment at any VFS Global Center regardless of your personal residence. For a list of the VFS Global Centers, consult the Whom should I contact? list on the France-Visas website.
For general information on visas, you can refer to the France-Visas website.
Chateaubriand Fellows usually obtain one of the following types of visas:
Student Long Stay Visa
Intern Long Stay Visa
Scientific Long Stay Visa
Campus France USA is a service of the Embassy of France to promote study in France to students and institutions in the United States. Their website provides information on the student visa, life in France, resources for learning French, as well as the Etudes en France application for the student visa.
Information on housing and life in France for researchers can also be found through the Fondation Kastler and Science Accueil. For Chateaubriand fellows going to Paris, the Cité Internationale Universitaire may be an option for housing.
The Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research also provides additional information in French on the scientific visa here: Mobilité des chercheurs et des enseignants-chercheurs along with a guide on hosting foreign researchers: Accueil des chercheurs étrangers.
Dual Degrees
Obtaining a dual PhD degree or cotutelle involves joint supervision of your thesis and enrollment in both your French and American universities. Students must comply with the PhD procedures for both universities and generally at least 30% of the student’s time must be spent in the second university. Discussions about cotutelle agreements should include your co-advisors and the administrations of both universities. A cotutelle is not required for the Chateaubriand program or to obtain your visa. For more information, you can visit Campus France’s article on Double and Joint Degrees.
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
HOW TO APPLY
- 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
- A letter of recommendation
- Copies of your transcripts
We will not review incomplete applications.
Please consult the guidelines for instructions, including content and format requirements.