More and more schools are offering educational and financial methods to promote social openness and improve the reception conditions for young people from modest backgrounds: exemption from registration fees or spreading fees over a long period, loans of honour, solidarity fund, school scholarships, the list goes on.
Because the financing of schooling should not be a hindrance to training, the Grandes Ecoles devote a significant budget to aid for the financing of their students’ studies (see below), aid which supplements the Crous scholarships . In addition to state, local authority or European Union grants (including mobility grants ), there are other schemes to help students in financial difficulty. Some schools allocate scholarships with the support of companies, international or excellence scholarships, aid from the alumni association, loans of honor, etc. This list is not exhaustive and we invite you to study all the alternative possibilities with those around you and your communities.
Engineering schools: reduction of tuition fees and payment flexibility
Can students benefit from tuition reductions or payment flexibility ? Yes. To remove “material handicaps”, they facilitate the staggering of payments (with or without fees) or the partial reduction of tuition fees. All schools allow on a case-by-case basis reductions or payments in installments (per month, per term). At ESILV , the reduction in tuition fees is reserved for scholarship holders and is calculated according to the steps. At ESITC Caen, tuition fees are payable in 10 instalments; in 6 installments at ISEP, a school that grants a €1,500 reduction on tuition fees for scholarship students. THE ESTACAreverses a large part of the apprenticeship tax paid by companies to students.
Bank loans at preferential rates from engineering schools
Instead of “traditional” student bank loans, prefer the proposals of banks working in collaboration with schools , for their interest rates often below 1.5% . There are several types of loans, but also different amounts and repayment terms. The partner bank loans of the Grandes Ecoles offer many advantages, in particular that of not having to repay it until the start of professional life. They can also save you from having to pay application fees and are often more advantageous than loans negotiated directly with your bank or that of your parents. ECE _, for example, is a partner of Caisse d’Epargne Ile-de-France, which offers students from this school a global range of services that adapt to their lifestyle, their consumption patterns and their budget, such as day-to-day management, financing their studies, settling in assistance, acquisition of the first vehicle, support for foreign students, etc.
What if you weren’t eligible for state scholarships?
You should know that not all students can apply for state scholarships because their resources do not correspond to the award criteria. The fact remains that “accidents of life” or family situations can put students in financial difficulty which they must quickly deal with. Help is available to remedy this.
Financial aid, scholarships: what do the schools offer?
• 3IL. At 3iL, to validate their degree, an international mobility of at least one semester is compulsory for all engineering students, regardless of their status (student or apprentice). It is organized by the international relations department, which offers 42 partnership agreements allowing everyone to choose their mobility. Students in specialized programs can benefit from all the partnership agreements for academic exchanges. This mobility is free for all. No additional training costs are requested from the student who goes on a one-semester academic exchange. 3iL finances certain exchanges that it organizes in partnership. In addition, if no aid (mentioned above) is granted, 3iL pays a mobility aid grant to allow the student to organize his trip with peace of mind.
• Central Marseilles . The association of Centrale Marseille graduates has entered into a partnership with Crédit Agricole Alpes-Provence. This gives access to bank loans under very favorable conditions: loan at 0% interest, up to €15k per year of studies without deposit, deferred repayment until from the 4th year, spread over 6 years minimum (maximum total duration of 10 years). This loan makes it possible to finance several types of expenses: tuition fees, accommodation costs, computer equipment, travel and various contributions (student or graduate associations).
• ECS . The school is committed to awarding an Excellence Scholarship in the amount of 1,900 euros to “high ranked” students in the Avenir competition who have chosen to join us at the start of the school year.
• EFREI . Human’it is the endowment fund of Efrei Paris. They grant L1, L2, L3 scholarships based on social criteria and merit (school results, attendance) the amount of which is deducted from the tuition fees for the year following the submission of the file. There are also corporate scholarships and excellence scholarships for seniors eligible for the e3a-Polytech and PT bank competition.
• ETH . The engineering school grants honorary loans. They cannot be combined with a scholarship, they are granted on social and educational criteria to 5th year pupils in exceptional circumstances. They are repayable in 5 years without interest, after graduation. The EPF foundation grants scholarships, from the 2nd year of schooling at the school, on social and academic criteria or reserved for students with temporary difficulties. Depending on the situation, they offer a partial or total exemption from tuition fees. The files are to be collected from the education department in September (2 commissions/year).
• ESIA.The school grants excellence scholarships to top candidates ranked in the Alpha Power competition, in the amount of €2,000. They will benefit from a reduction of €1,000 on ESIEA tuition fees in the 1st year then €1,000 on those of the 2nd year. There are also 3A CPGE/BUT/ATS/BTS Excellence scholarships. This €1,000 scholarship is awarded to candidates from the MP, PC, PSI, PT, BUT and BTS preparatory classes, scholarship holders or non-scholarship holders, finishing in the first third of the final list of students admitted to ESIEA in the e3a competitions. -Polytech, ENSEA and ATS. They will be deducted €500 when they enter the 1st year of the Engineering cycle in 2020/2021 then €500 for those in the 2nd year in 2021/2022. This scholarship is not open to those applying for parallel admissions (hors concours). Family scholarships are also implemented: the school grants a 10% reduction on tuition fees for ESIEA Group training courses are granted to children of former students; 20% special sibling reduction is activated if several children from the same family are enrolled at ESIEA at the same time on the tuition fees of the youngest. It cannot be combined with other scholarships financed by the school.
• ESITC Caen . The school oversees the establishment of a system of scholarships and funding assistance for deserving students. A scholarship commission studies the files of students who are not state scholarship holders on more favorable social criteria than those of the CROUS. Nearly one out of two students in the engineering cycle receives financial aid. The average amount of the ESITC Caen scholarship can amount to €1,700, the amount varying from one year to another depending on the number of applications.
• Junia ISEN Lille. The ISEN Lille excellence scholarships allow high-potential scholarship students (likely to obtain or who have already obtained a good or very good honors in the baccalaureate) to integrate our school. Each year, 15 excellence scholarships are awarded to students entering ISEN Lille. Each scholarship funds 20% of the tuition fees for the entire course. These scholarships of excellence are open after examination of a file (social and academic criteria) for all candidates at ISEN Lille currently in final year, preparatory classes, DUT / BUT, license… This aid is paid by the foundation Denise and Norbert Segard. This foundation also grants a loan of honor at zero rate under conditions, refundable at the end of the studies which makes it possible to finance part of the schooling, to the students of the ISEN
• HEI. 30 honor loans were opened two years ago in the engineering cycle (3rd and 4th years) for €2,100 with 0% interest rates, renewable once, repayable after graduation. The HEI Foundation finances these honorary loans from donations received from HEI engineers, parents of students and private partners.
• ISEP . The school implements its own scholarship program each year for deserving national or international students. These scholarships take the form of reductions in tuition fees (-€1,500), subject to eligibility for a CROUS scholarship. Isep can also make its contribution in the form of the loan of computer equipment or direct support for international mobility. Students not eligible for a CROUS grant will have access to a specific system. Isep alumni and the school also have a fund for loans on honor for students in the engineering cycle who have difficulty taking out bank loans.
• ISARA . To finance their studies, the amount of which rises, in 2021, to €6,650 per year including ancillary costs, around 33% of students have the possibility of scholarships, in addition to scholarships based on social criteria (20% of students), to the student solidarity allowance for an amount of €500 (15% of students), solidarity fund scholarships (20% of students) and honorary loans of €6,500 per year for the entire course with a rate interest at 0% during the course, without deposit (10% of students).
• UniLaSalle. Usually, UniLaSalle grants scholarships and honorary loans through its Jean-Baptiste Gagne Foundation. Students in great social difficulty registered at UniLaSalle can claim grants ranging from €500 to €2,500 or honorary loans ranging from €1,000 to €3,000 (indicative amounts). Due to a complicated economic and social context, UniLaSalle and its Jean-Baptiste Gagne Foundation have decided to launch a specific financial system in the form of a zero-rate honor loan, without deposit, thanks to a partnership with Crédit Agricole Brie Picardy. It concerns all students enrolled in UniLaSalle training in 2021-2022 (except students enrolled in work-study training and students benefiting from an Erasmus Mundus scholarship) who encounter difficulties in financing their studies (sworn statement). The amount of the loans is between 1500 € to 5000 € (solicitation twice maximum during the duration of the course) from 12 to 96 months (deferred included) and free application fees. The loan can be combined with a Crous scholarship and/or a UniLaSalle merit scholarship. Reimbursement is made within 4 years of the end of studies (possibility of anticipating), within 3 years in the event of discontinuation of studies and departure from school.
