France has a shortage of doctors in many areas, and it pays students to help fix it. Under the contrat d'engagement de service public (CESP), health students receive a monthly allowance while they study, and in return they agree to practise for a few years in an area that lacks medical care. The rules were updated on 21 October, and applications for the 2026-2027 academic year open on 2 November 2026.
How much and for how long
Signatories receive 1,200 euros gross a month for the whole of their studies, or for the whole of their skills consolidation pathway.
In exchange, they commit to:
- continue in the course they chose and attend as required,
- after graduating, practise in one or more places in an area with insufficient medical provision or poor access to care,
- practise there for as long as they received the allowance, and for at least two years in any case.
Each regional health agency (ARS) publishes a list of these areas every two years and can update it in between.
Who can apply
- Students in medicine, dentistry (odontologie), midwifery (maïeutique) and pharmacy who have passed at least the first year of the first cycle. Students on the industrial pharmacy track are excluded.
- Health professionals with a diploma from outside the EU and EEA who have been authorised to follow a parcours de consolidation des compétences in medicine or dentistry in France. This is relevant for many international doctors and dentists going through the PADHUE route.
The official notice does not list a nationality condition. If you are an international student, confirm your eligibility with your faculty's selection committee before you apply.
How to apply
Applications are made on the national CESP platform from 2 November 2026. Your file must include, among other documents, a certificate of enrolment for the current year and a cover letter describing your professional project, including the specialty and the place where you plan to practise. A practical guide is available on the platform under "Contacts et liens utiles".
Each faculty of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and midwifery has a selection committee. It ranks candidates mainly on the quality and coherence of their project, assessed in an interview. Some strong candidates are selected at a pre-assessment stage without an interview. You can apply for up to five places of practice, ranked by preference.
Think before you sign
1,200 euros a month is a real help with rent and living costs. But it is a binding commitment that shapes the first years of your career, and it ends in a contract with terms for suspension and termination. Read the contract carefully, ask your faculty how repayment works if you change your plans, and check that the regions on the list are places you could see yourself living.