Emile Boutmy Scholarships for Non-EU Students at Sciences Po

Overview

The Émile Boutmy Scholarship is Sciences Po's flagship financial aid award for international students from outside the European Union. Named after Émile Boutmy, the founder of Sciences Po in 1872, it is awarded to the most outstanding non-EU applicants admitted to an undergraduate or master's programme at one of Europe's most prestigious universities for social sciences, political science, law, economics, and international affairs.

Sciences Po (Institut d'études politiques de Paris) is consistently ranked among the world's top institutions for politics, international relations, and social sciences. Its alumni include heads of state, senior diplomats, and global policy leaders. For Nepali students interested in public policy, international development, law, economics, or journalism, Sciences Po offers a genuinely elite education — and the Émile Boutmy Scholarship can make it financially accessible.

• Undergraduate: full tuition exemption or €9,500/year exemption, renewed automatically for all three years
• Master's: €18,500/year exemption for both years of the two-year programme
• Awarded based on academic merit and profile fit — not solely financial need
• Open to any non-EU national including Nepali citizens, provided the household does not file taxes within the EU
• Automatically extended to master's level if the undergraduate recipient continues at Sciences Po
• Can be combined with external scholarships (French government Eiffel Scholarship, AEFE scholarships, etc.) — but not with other Sciences Po-administered awards

⚠️ Critical timing note: The Émile Boutmy Scholarship cannot be applied for after admission. You must indicate your interest in the scholarship in the "Financial information" section of your Sciences Po application during the admissions process, before the scholarship deadline. Students who miss this step and are admitted to Sciences Po cannot apply retroactively during their studies. There is no second chance — this is a hard rule enforced by the Admissions Department.

Sciences Po Tuition Fees and Why This Matters for Nepali Students

Unlike UK, US, or Australian universities that charge flat international rates of €20,000–€60,000 per year, Sciences Po calculates tuition on an income-based sliding scale tied to the household's declared income. Nepali households, whose incomes are assessed outside the EU, typically qualify for the lowest income bracket — meaning the base tuition before the Boutmy award may already be significantly lower than comparable Western institutions. With a full Boutmy exemption, a Nepali student could pay €0 in tuition at one of the world's top social science universities. This combination is rare and genuinely exceptional value.

Eligibility

Who is Eligible

• Non-EU citizenship: Must be a citizen of a non-European Union state. Nepali citizens fully qualify.
• Household tax residence outside the EU: The scholarship is based on the tax residence of the household (parents), not the student. Nepali students whose parents file taxes in Nepal — as is standard — are eligible. Students living in an EU country whose parents' tax residence is outside the EU may also qualify, depending on financial independence status.
• First-time applicant to Sciences Po: Must be applying to Sciences Po for the first time. Current students, re-applicants (unless in specific deferral situations), and exchange students who have already studied at Sciences Po are not eligible.
• Admitted to an eligible programme: Must receive and accept admission to the Undergraduate College or to an eligible two-year Master's programme. Scholarship applications are only assessed for admitted students.
• Undergraduate applicants: Applying to the three-year undergraduate programme (College Universitaire) at any Sciences Po campus. This programme is taught in French and English and accepts international students directly from secondary school.
• Master's applicants: Applying to an eligible two-year master's programme. Most Sciences Po master's programmes qualify — check exclusions below.

Who is Not Eligible

• EU citizens, or applicants with dual citizenship where one is an EU nationality.
• Swiss and Norwegian applicants — they may be eligible for French CROUS scholarships instead.
• Applicants whose household (parents) files taxes within the European Union.
• Quebec applicants at master's level (they benefit from sliding-scale tuition like EU students; Quebec undergraduate applicants are eligible).
• Applicants to one-year Master's programmes — only two-year master's programmes are eligible.
• Applicants to the Master's in Journalism and the Joint Master's in Journalism and International Affairs.
• Most dual-degree Master's candidates — exceptions include the Sciences Po/Columbia journalism dual degree, the Sciences Po/Fudan University dual degree (Chinese nationals only), and the Sciences Po/Peking University dual degree (Chinese nationals only).
• PhD (doctoral thesis) students.
• Exchange students.
• Applicants via the French graduate admission procedure (Parcoursup pathway for French secondary school students has a different process, though those applicants may use a separate form).
• Students who have already been admitted to Sciences Po and did not indicate interest in the scholarship during their application — retroactive applications are not accepted.

How to Apply

1. Choose your programme and confirm eligibility. Decide whether you are applying for the Undergraduate College (three-year programme) or a two-year Master's programme. Check that your intended programme is on the eligible list — most master's programmes qualify, but journalism, one-year master's, and most dual degrees do not. Browse Sciences Po's full programme list at sciencespo.fr/en/academics.
2. Apply to Sciences Po through the standard admissions portal. Undergraduate applicants from foreign secondary schools apply via Sciences Po's online international admissions portal. Master's applicants use the graduate international admissions portal. Apply well before the scholarship deadline — the scholarship request is made within your admissions application, not separately.
3. Indicate your Boutmy scholarship request in the "Financial Information" section. During the online application, locate the "Financial Information" section and check the box indicating you wish to be considered for the Émile Boutmy Scholarship. This is the only way to apply — there is no separate scholarship application form or portal.
4. Provide financial documentation. You will be asked to provide documents evidencing your household's income and tax situation — typically the previous year's household tax return (filed outside the EU) and any relevant financial statements. This is used to assess the award level (full or partial exemption). Be accurate and complete — incomplete files are not considered.
5. Submit before the scholarship deadline (not just the admissions deadline).
   • Undergraduate (applicants from foreign secondary schools): January 20, 2026 (results before mid-May)
   • Undergraduate (applicants from French secondary schools via Parcoursup): April 1, 2026 (use separate form)
   • Master's (1st committee): October 19 (results before December 30)
   • Master's (2nd committee): November 30 (results before March 2)
   No applications are accepted after the deadline under any circumstances.
6. Receive admission and scholarship decisions together. Sciences Po only reviews scholarship requests from admitted students. You will receive your admission result first; the scholarship decision follows. You are strongly encouraged to accept your admission offer while waiting for the scholarship result, as deferring your admission will cause you to lose your scholarship eligibility.
7. Accept the scholarship and complete administrative registration. If awarded, declare your Sciences Po scholarship holder status in Step 2 of your administrative registration portal, enter the exemption amount, and upload your signed scholarship certificate in Step 5. Failing to complete this forfeits the award.