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Live at the MECThe Various Scholarships
The Various Scholarships
Each year, some students end up working part-time to supplement their income. For others, financial challenges and the Parisian cost of living can become an obstacle to their continued stay in Paris.
Scholarship programs were created to encourage worthy students in the pursuit of their studies.
Important: Only candidates eligible for the MEC are eligible for scholarships.
MEC Scholarship
Launched in 2019, the MEC Graduate Scholarship enables a Canadian enrolled in a graduate program to consider pursuing part of his/her graduate studies in Paris
under optimal conditions.
The house offers the successful candidate accommodation during his/her academic stay in Paris, up to a maximum of 10 months.
This scholarship is worth $10,000 CAD, applicable on housing.
David et Liliane Stewart’s Scholarship
The David and Liliane Stewart Graduate Scholarship enables a Canadian student to pursue part of their graduate studies in Paris under optimal conditions.
This scholarship is worth $10,000 CAD, applicable on housing.
Baxter & Alma Ricard’s scholarship
The Baxter & Alma Ricard Foundation’s Housing Grant enables a Canadian living in a French-speaking minority community in Canada who is enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program to consider pursuing part of their higher education in Paris under optimal conditions.
The Foundation provides the selected candidate with housing during their academic stay in Paris in 2026/2027, covering up to 10 months of rent for a large room.
Therefore, if you are applying for admission to the MEC separately from your scholarship application, please submit your admission application first and include your CIUP application number in your statement of purpose.
This scholarship is worth $10,000 CAD, applicable on housing.
Student Involvement Scholarship
The Student Involvement Scholarship is awarded to 4 MEC residents who contribute
fully to the experience of living together at La Maison.
The MEC offers successful candidates a bursary worth one month’s rent
for a standard room, during their stay from September to June.
Winners also receive an official certificate from the Canadian Ambassador to France.
Merit and Commitment Scholarship
Merit and Commitment Scholarships, offered by the CIUP, cover the full monthly rent (up to €500) for accommodation in one of the Cité internationale residences and provide access to all campus services. These unique scholarships complement other existing funding opportunities for French and international students, artists, and elite athletes. They are designed to support residents with limited financial means so they can pursue their studies and enjoy their stay at the Cité internationale under the best possible conditions.
Selection criteria :
- Quality of the academic project for the upcoming year
- Coherence of the study program and alignment with professional ambitions
- Student’s financial situation
- Interest in Cité internationale life and participation in the mentoring program
To apply, you must be a resident of a CIUP House and hold a housing offer for the upcoming academic term.
Meet Our Scholarship Holders
MEC Scholarship
Angela Nelson
Scholarship holder 2025-2026, MEC Scholarship
Angela grew up in Montreal, instilling her early on with a love for multilingualism. After completing the first year of her Master’s in London, she is now studying cognitive neurosciences at ENS & Sorbonne Université.
Her current research explores fluctuations in the stream-of-consciousness. While in Paris and benefitting from student pricing, she is also taking oenology and sculpture classes. Angela hopes to eventually channel her interdisciplinary interests in science, philosophy, and the arts into applied, socially minded projects.
Charlotte Larocuhe
2024-2025 scholarship holder, MEC scholarship
Originally from Québec City, Charlotte Larouche is one of our ambassadors and MEC scholarship recipients. With her radiant smile, she shares her academic journey with stars in her eyes.
Charlotte enthusiastically recounts that she studied History and Civilization at Cégep de Sainte-Foy. To her, history is like listening to stories—she loves being carried away by the narratives. Although passionate about history, the young woman reveals that fashion and the arts have always intrigued her. That’s why she bravely moved to Montreal to study Fashion Design at UQAM.
Clémence Duranleau-Hendrickx
2023-2024 scholarship holder, MEC scholarship
Clémence is a French-Quebecois legal professional with a passion for law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Université de Montréal and has passed the entrance exams for the Québec Bar School.
But above all, Clémence is passionate about human relationships and the opportunity to dedicate her time and attention to others. That’s why she decided to pursue a career in the field of human rights, earning a master’s degree from Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas.
Farid Pesteh
2023-2024 scholarship holder, MEC scholarship
Born in Iran, he moved to Toronto when he was 15 years old.
He studied Criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and worked in TMU’s research office for five years as a research administrator.
He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree at Sciences Po (Paris School of International Affairs), specializing in International Security.
Alexandre Lloyd
2021-2022 scholarship holder, MEC scholarship
Alexandre Lloyd completed a Master’s in International Economic Policy at Sciences Po, with a concentration in diplomacy and global risks. Passionate about exploring and immersing himself in different cultures, he is fascinated by the Parisian environment and its rich linguistic diversity.
Jad Orphée Chami,
2020-2021 scholarship holder, MEC scholarship
At the age of 4, Jad Orphée was already playing the piano!
By 15, he was composing his first pieces. Jad Orphée is a composer for film and stage. After earning a bachelor’s degree in music from Concordia University, he completed a master’s degree in social sciences at EHESS. In 2019, he co-composed the score for the Quebec feature film Antigone.
In 2020, he joined the ArTec Graduate School (École Universitaire de Recherche ArTec).
Passionate about the past and memory, he decided to dedicate his research to these two themes.
David et Liliane Stewart’s scholarship
Elisabeth Prégent
2024-2025 scholarship holder, David et Liliane Stewart’s scholarship
Élisabeth Prégent-Bastien is a 24-year-old woman who completed her bachelor’s degree in preschool education between 2020 and 2024. As part of her training, she completed a three-month internship in Paris, where she taught at a nursery school.
Driven by this curiosity, Élisabeth decided to pursue a master’s degree in education sciences, specializing in international cooperation in education and training. This program allows her to further her skills while preparing for a career with international organizations working in the field of education.
Ella Noel
2024-2025 scholarship holder, David et Liliane Stewart’s scholarship
Ella Noël, one of our two ambassadors, comes straight from Montreal with an already impressive academic and professional background. A graduate in Political Science from McGill University, she also has strong experience in the international sector. Today, she is continuing her academic journey at Sciences Po Paris, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in International Governance and Diplomacy.
Althea Yi
2023-2024 scholarship holder, David et Liliane Stewart’s scholarship
Althea is a producer and web developer born in Toronto. With a background in History and French Linguistics from the University of Toronto, she is currently pursuing a Master’s in Cultural Organization Management at Université Paris Dauphine.
She has worked as a screenwriter, director, and producer on numerous films and a web series, notably The Girls of Bathroom B, which she presented at CitéSHORTS, the short film festival of the Cité Internationale. Her passions include skateboarding, baking, and writing, among other things.
Baxter & Alma Ricard’s scholarship
Jon Gill
2025-2026 Scholarship Recipient, Baxter & Alma Ricard Scholarship
A master’sOriginaire de la Colombie-Britannique, Jon Gill est étudiant en deuxième année de master en droits humains et action humanitaire à Sciences Po Paris.
Jon studies migration issues and is interested in how states apply and comply with international law in receiving asylum seekers and creating legal pathways to regularization for migrants.
He takes advantage of the opportunity to speak French with his friends and the residents of the MEC, and is also learning Arabic.
Polina Petrova Tsvetkova
2024-2025 scholarship holder, Baxter & Alma Ricard’s scholarship
A master’s student in Biomedical Engineering at Université Paris Cité, she is a dynamic and motivated woman. This year, she successfully took on the challenge of serving as president of the MEC Residents’ Committee.
Student Involvement Scholarship
The recipients help foster cohesion within the House under the title of Kitchen Coordinators. On their respective floors, the designated residents help animate community life by organizing gatherings and acting as representatives for their neighbors.
Hana NAIEM – Basement Kitchen Coordinator
Master’s in Corporate Policy and Social Responsibility
Matthew ANGHELESCU – First Floor Kitchen Coordinator
Master’s in International Business and Diplomacy
Aime Pamela SALDIAS – Third Floor Kitchen Coordinator
Master’s in International Security
Victor LUCY – Fourth Floor Kitchen Coordinator
Master’s in Economics and Public Policy
Merit and Commitment Scholarship
Youssef Laimeche
2025 – 2026 Scholarship Holder, Merit and Commitment Scholarship
Having grown up in Montreal, Youssef Laimeche is now pursuing his Master’s degree in architecture in Paris. Driven by a long-standing curiosity for ways of living, politics, and culture, he has multiplied international experiences from Japan to Italy before coming to study in France.
For him, architecture goes far beyond construction: it is a political and social tool. He is particularly interested in forms of architecture rooted in popular culture and everyday life. An active resident at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, he is a member of both the CIUP Residents’ Council and the MEC student committee, reflecting his belief that contributing to the collective good involves much more than building; it also comes through community engagement.
Michaela Petrova Tsvetkova
2025 – 2026 Scholarship Holder, Merit and Commitment Scholarship
Originally from Bulgaria, Michaela Petrova Tsvetkova is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Driven by a deep artistic sensibility, she explores the connections between space, perception, and visual creation. Painting, photography, and installation art play a central role in her work, shaping an approach to architecture that extends far beyond technique.
For Michaela, designing spaces is above all about telling a story, a way of inhabiting, feeling, and engaging with one’s environment. Curious and committed, she is particularly interested in forms of creation that transform our relationship with everyday life.
An active resident at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, she contributes to the cultural and community life of her environment, convinced that architecture is built just as much through human exchange as through concrete projects.
