📅 Last Updated: October 2026
Funded PhD in France 2027 — Toulouse ADUM Guide
In France, a funded PhD is usually a job, not a scholarship. Most doctoral candidates sign a three-year doctoral contract with a legal minimum salary of €2,300 gross a month from January 2026, with social security, paid leave and pension contributions. Most of these positions are advertised on one national portal: ADUM.
This guide uses the Université de Toulouse, with 15 doctoral schools and a major hub for aerospace, AI, life sciences and engineering, as a worked example. It shows Pakistani and international graduates how to find funded thesis offers, spot the ones you can realistically apply for in English, and prepare before the main 2027 recruitment season opens.
| University/Organization | Université de Toulouse network (15 doctoral schools) via the ADUM portal |
| Country | France (Toulouse, Occitanie) |
| Degree/Level | PhD (3-year doctoral contract) |
| Funding Type | Salaried contract: minimum €2,300 gross/month (2026 legal minimum) |
| Deadline | Varies by offer. Most 2027 contracts are recruited between spring and early autumn 2027 (verify on official website) |
| Open To | International Students Worldwide |
| Pakistani Students Eligible | Yes, with a master’s-level degree (Pakistani MS/MPhil, 18 years) |
| Official Link | Apply Here |
🎓 How Funded PhDs Work in France
A French PhD (doctorat) normally lasts three years. It is supervised by an accredited researcher, carried out in a research lab (unité de recherche), and attached to a doctoral school (école doctorale, ED), which manages admission, training and funding competitions.
The standard funded route is the doctoral contract (contrat doctoral), a fixed-term employment contract with a university or research institution. Its minimum pay is set by national regulation and rose in steps to €2,300 gross a month from 1 January 2026. Because it is a salary, you pay French social contributions but also get health coverage, paid leave and pension rights.
How it compares with DAAD and UK studentships: German and UK funded PhDs are often tax-free stipends (see our Erfurt PhD guide and UK Law PhD guide). France’s contracts are employment, which counts as professional experience and gives you social rights. The trade-off is that French positions are tied to specific advertised projects, and many require French.
💰 Salary and Funding Types
- 💶 Doctoral contract: minimum €2,300 gross a month (2026). Net is roughly €1,850 after contributions (approximate; verify with your employer)
- 🏛️ Doctoral school competition (Concours de l’École Doctorale): university-funded contracts awarded through a ranked competition
- 🔬 ANR and research-agency funding: contracts attached to a funded research project
- 🏭 CIFRE: the PhD is done jointly with a company that employs you, with its own salary rules (verify on official website)
- 🇪🇺 EU programmes (e.g. ERC-funded projects) and regional or foundation funding
- 🇨🇳 CSC funding: only for Chinese nationals, so skip these offers
- ⚠️ “En emploi” offers (employed elsewhere): no PhD funding is included
What it’s worth: €2,300 gross is roughly PKR 700,000–750,000 a month before contributions (approximate; check today’s rate). Toulouse is cheaper than Paris. A room or small studio often costs €400–650 a month (approximate; verify current rents), so a doctoral salary covers living costs comfortably for a single person.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
- Degree: a master’s degree equivalent to a European (Bologna) master’s of 300 ECTS, or five years of higher education, with research experience. An engineering degree with research experience may also qualify
- Nationality: open to international candidates
- Language: a minimum level of English or French. The thesis can be written fully in English at the Université de Toulouse, but each offer sets its own language level
- Supervisor and lab approval: your application is reviewed by the thesis supervisor, the lab director, the doctoral school and the enrolling institution
English test status: there is no single national IELTS rule. Every ADUM offer has fields called “Niveau de français requis” (French level required) and “Niveau d’anglais requis” (English level required). Read both before applying. Some offers require advanced French, and others work entirely in English.
Pakistani students: eligible. A Pakistani MS or MPhil (18 years of education) generally corresponds to the French Master 2 level. A 16-year BS alone usually does not (verify with the doctoral school).
✅ Strong Candidates
- MS or MPhil graduates in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, computer science, AI, maths, materials, ecology or biology
- Applicants with a research thesis, publications or lab experience that closely matches a specific offer
- Pakistani engineers aiming at Toulouse’s aerospace and space ecosystem
- Candidates with some French, or willing to learn it. It widens your options considerably
❌ Not the Right Fit If
- You hold only a 16-year bachelor’s degree
- You want to propose your own topic freely. Most French offers are pre-defined projects
- You only apply to French-language offers without speaking French
- You are Chinese-funded through CSC. Those offers are separate
On competitiveness for South Asian applicants: French offers often attract many applicants per position. Pakistani candidates do best by applying to a small number of offers that closely match their master’s research, with a tailored cover letter for each lab, instead of sending the same application to dozens.
📚 Toulouse Doctoral Schools on ADUM
The Toulouse ADUM listing lets you filter by doctoral school. These include:
- AA: Aeronautics and Astronautics
- EDMITT: Mathematics, Computer Science and Telecommunications
- GEETS: Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Telecommunications and Health
- MEGEP: Mechanics, Energy, Civil Engineering and Process Engineering
- SDM: Materials Science
- SDU2E: Earth, Environment and Space Sciences
- SEVAB: Ecology, Veterinary, Agronomic and Bioengineering Sciences
- BSB: Biology, Health and Biotechnology
- SYSTEMES, CLESCO (behaviour, language, cognition), and the humanities, law, economics (TSE) and management (TSM) schools
Participating institutions include the Université de Toulouse, INSA Toulouse, INP Toulouse, ISAE-SUPAERO, ENAC, IMT Mines Albi, Université Toulouse Capitole and Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès.
📄 Typical Required Documents
Each offer and doctoral school sets its own list. Most ask for:
- CV focused on research experience
- Cover letter tailored to the specific thesis project
- Master’s transcripts and degree, plus bachelor’s records
- Master’s thesis or a summary of your research
- 1–2 recommendation letters or referee contacts
- Language evidence matching the offer’s French and English levels
- Passport copy
Notes for Pakistani applicants: keep HEC-attested degrees and transcripts ready. They are often needed at enrolment and for visa formalities. Selected international doctoral contract holders usually travel on a “talent passport – researcher” visa, which requires a hosting agreement from the French lab (verify with France’s consular services in Pakistan).
🧭 Step-by-Step: Using ADUM
- Open the Toulouse ADUM thesis offers page and set “Année universitaire” to the correct year (2027–2028 for October 2027 starts).
- Filter by “Type de financement” to show funded offers, such as doctoral school competitions, ANR, EU programmes or CIFRE. Leave out CSC (China only) and “En emploi” (no funding).
- Filter by “École Doctorale” for your field, for example AA, EDMITT or MEGEP.
- Open each offer and check four things: the application deadline (“Date limite de candidature”), the start date, the funding source, and the French and English levels required. Use the “English Version” toggle where available.
- Email the supervisor listed under “Encadrement de la thèse” with a short, specific message and your CV before applying.
- Create an ADUM account and submit the application for that offer, uploading your documents.
- Prepare for an interview with the lab and, for competition-funded contracts, the doctoral school panel.
Practical tip: many offers say the contract is “subject to ranking” (sous réserve de classement en rang utile). That means the supervisor still has to win the doctoral school competition with you as the candidate. A supervisor who knows you well and believes in you is your strongest advantage.
📅 Typical 2027 Timeline
| Milestone | Typical Timing |
|---|---|
| Supervisors post topics for 2027–28 on ADUM | Winter to spring 2027 (verify on official website) |
| Doctoral school competition deadlines | Often May–June 2027. The 2026 cycle example is ED BSB on 1 June 2026 |
| Later rounds and project-funded offers | Through the summer and early autumn. The 2026 example is ED Droit & Science Politique on 17 September 2026 |
| Interviews and ranking | Usually a few weeks after each deadline |
| Contract start | Usually 1 October 2027 |
📌 Bookmark this page. We update deadlines as soon as changes are announced.
🌟 Why a Funded PhD in France
A French doctoral contract gives you a real salary, social security and pension rights, and three years of professional research experience. Toulouse adds Europe’s leading aerospace cluster and strong labs in AI, materials, ecology and health, which helps if you want an industry career after the PhD.
Compare it with other European routes, such as our Study in Italy guide, funded PhD positions in Switzerland and the Study in Germany guide. You can also browse all Scholarships, research jobs in Jobs & Internships, more application guides in Guidelines & Resources, and doctoral events in Events & Conferences.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
These questions are based on what students most commonly search about this program.
Q: Can Pakistani students get a funded PhD in France?
Yes. International candidates can apply for doctoral contracts advertised on ADUM. Pakistani applicants usually need an MS or MPhil (18 years of education) with research experience, and must meet each offer’s French and English requirements.
Q: How much does a PhD student earn in France in 2026?
The legal minimum for a doctoral contract is €2,300 gross per month from 1 January 2026. Net pay is lower after social contributions, roughly €1,850, depending on individual circumstances.
Q: Can I do a PhD in France without speaking French?
Sometimes. At the Université de Toulouse, the thesis can be written fully in English, but each offer specifies the French level it requires. Engineering, maths and computing offers are more likely to work in English. Always check “Niveau de français requis”.
Q: What is ADUM?
ADUM is the national French platform where doctoral schools publish thesis offers and candidates apply and enrol. For Toulouse, you can filter offers by academic year, funding type, institution and doctoral school.
Q: When are 2027 PhD offers published in Toulouse?
Most offers for October 2027 starts appear in winter and spring 2027, with many doctoral school competition deadlines around May–June and some later rounds in summer. Check each offer’s “Date limite de candidature”.
Q: What visa do I need for a funded PhD in France?
International doctoral contract holders usually apply for a “talent passport – researcher” visa using a hosting agreement from their lab. Confirm the current procedure with France’s consular services in Pakistan.
🔗 Official Source
📊 Summary Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Where | Université de Toulouse network, France |
| Portal | ADUM (national PhD platform) |
| Doctoral Schools | 15 (aerospace, maths and computing, engineering, materials, life sciences, ecology, social sciences) |
| Funding | Doctoral contract: minimum €2,300 gross/month (2026); also ANR, CIFRE, EU, regional |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Entry Level | Bologna master’s (300 ECTS) with research experience; Pakistani MS/MPhil (18 years) |
| Language | Set per offer; thesis can be written in English |
| 2027 Offers | Mostly published winter–spring 2027; deadlines often May–June |
| Start | Usually 1 October 2027 |
| Pakistani Students Eligible | Yes |
| Official Link | adum.fr: Toulouse |
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