The ARD/HEC Paris Scholarship supports officers from all branches of the French armed forces as they move into civilian careers through Défense Mobilité, also known as ARD. Recipients join the 16-month HEC Paris MBA in Jouy-en-Josas, France.
Applicants must first earn admission to the MBA and follow the required ARD transition procedures. HEC Paris accepts MBA applications throughout the year for January and September intakes, so each applicant’s scholarship schedule follows the relevant admission round.
Benefits & funding
- The scholarship contributes €16,000 toward MBA tuition and is deducted from the final tuition installment.
- For a double degree, HEC Paris prorates the award.
- The combined value of the HEC Excellence, Forté Foundation, ARD and Paris-Saclay scholarships cannot exceed 50% of tuition fees.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be officers from any branch of the French armed forces who have begun the ARD transition process and have been admitted to the HEC Paris MBA.
- The necessary ARD procedures must be completed before the applicant can benefit from the scholarship.
- MBA admission normally requires an undergraduate degree from an accredited university; HEC Paris may waive that requirement for applicants with secondary education and at least five years of professional experience, including three managerial years, or for national-level athletes.
- The scholarship page states no separate nationality, residency, gender or age requirement.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Education required
High School · Bachelor
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Application process
- 1Choose a published MBA application round and submit the complete online application, including essays, two recommendations, an English résumé, academic records, identity documents, required test scores and the €200 fee.
- 2If pre-selected, complete two separate interviews with HEC Paris MBA alumni.
- 3Complete the required ARD procedures and coordinate the scholarship application with HEC Paris within one week after MBA admission.
- 4HEC Paris states that the scholarship decision is made one week after admission and applies any award to tuition.
Program timeline
Next published MBA application deadline.
20 September 2026
Decision date for that MBA application round.
23 October 2026
One week after admission
ARD/HEC Paris Scholarship application deadline and decision date.
MBA program intake.
January or September