The Guillaume Dupaix International Excellence Scholarship is the University of Luxembourg's main award for incoming Master's students. It is a living-cost stipend, not a tuition waiver. Winners get €11,526 per year (paid as €5,763 per semester) for up to two years, plus priority access to a room in a university residence. Only 30 are given out each year, so this is a competitive award for students with strong academic records.
For a Pakistani student, the appeal is simple. Tuition at the University of Luxembourg is relatively modest (the university describes it as typically a few hundred euros per semester), but Luxembourg has one of the highest costs of living in Europe. This scholarship goes after the expensive part of studying there. You can read the full scholarship details on our scholarship page, and this guide covers how the award actually works, who has a realistic shot, and where applicants slip up.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | University of Luxembourg |
| Country | Luxembourg |
| Level | Master's (all fields) |
| Funding | Partial: €5,763 per semester (€11,526 per year) for up to two years |
| Number of awards | 30 per year |
| Deadline (2026 cycle) | 24 March 2026 for the Master's application; missing scholarship documents by 31 March 2026 |
| Official site | University of Luxembourg Dupaix scholarship page |
A stipend for living costs, not a free degree
The first thing to get straight is what the money is for. The stipend is meant to cover part of your living expenses and accommodation. Tuition stays your responsibility. The word "part" matters here: the source material is clear that the stipend does not cover the full cost of living in Luxembourg City, one of Europe's most expensive capitals. If you plan around the stipend alone, you will come up short.
What you get:
- €5,763 per semester, which comes to €11,526 per academic year, for up to two years (the standard length of a Master's in Luxembourg)
- Priority allocation of a room in a University of Luxembourg residence, if you apply for housing promptly once notified
- No obligation to pay the stipend back once you complete your degree
The housing benefit is easy to underrate. Luxembourg City's private rental market is tight and expensive, and for a student arriving from Pakistan with no local references, a guaranteed route into university housing removes a real headache. The catch is that the housing window is narrow. If you win, apply for a residence room the moment you are told.
How the 30 awards are split, and where Pakistan fits
The university awards 30 scholarships a year, ten per faculty across its three faculties. Within each faculty, the awards are split evenly between "regular" students of any nationality and students nominated from a list of target countries. In practice that means 15 regular awards and 15 target-country awards each year.
The target country list includes several Western Balkan and Ibero-American nations, plus Thailand, Vietnam, Belarus, Egypt, India, Moldova, Russia, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Ukraine. Pakistan is not on that list. The award is open to EU/EEA, Luxembourg national and non-EU applicants alike, so Pakistani students can apply, but you will be competing for the 15 regular places against strong applicants from everywhere else in the world.
That is the honest picture. This is a scholarship for Pakistani students who are genuinely at the top of their class, not one to treat as a likely backup. If your grades are solid but not outstanding, apply to the Master's programme for its own sake and treat the Dupaix award as a bonus rather than the plan.
Why your Master's application is the scholarship application
There is no separate scholarship form or portal. Everyone who applies to a University of Luxembourg Master's programme is automatically screened by the programme director. If the director judges your application academically excellent, you receive an email invitation to apply formally for the Dupaix award. Only then do you submit the scholarship-specific documents.
This changes how you should think about effort. Many students write a quick admission application and save their energy for the "real" scholarship essay. Here that approach backfires, because a weak admission file means you never get invited at all. Your transcripts, personal statement and any writing samples are what decide whether you are even in the running.
Eligibility conditions you must meet
- You must be a full-time applicant to a University of Luxembourg Master's programme, in any field.
- Your application must be judged academically excellent by the programme director.
- You must not be a recipient or applicant of Luxembourg's State Financial Aid for Higher Education (MENGStudien).
- Your programme must not include a mandatory outgoing mobility semester or year abroad.
That last point catches people. Some Master's programmes build in a compulsory semester at a partner university outside Luxembourg. If the programme you want has one, it is excluded from this scholarship. Check the programme structure before you set your heart on a particular course.
The MENGStudien rule is less likely to affect a Pakistani applicant, since it is Luxembourg's own state aid scheme. Still, if you have any reason to think you might qualify for or apply to it, know that the two are treated as mutually exclusive.
Papers to have ready before the invitation arrives
You only submit the scholarship documents after you are invited, but the timing is tight. In the 2026 cycle, invitations went out around 24 March and the missing documents were due by 31 March. One week is not long enough to chase a professor in Lahore or Karachi for a reference letter. Prepare everything in advance.
- A completed University of Luxembourg Master's programme application, submitted through the online admissions portal
- A motivation letter written specifically for the Guillaume Dupaix scholarship
- Two letters of academic or professional recommendation, with your referees' contact details
- Any academic transcripts or certificates your Master's programme asks for
For the motivation letter, do not recycle your admission personal statement. The admission statement explains why you want the programme. The scholarship letter should explain why you are among the strongest candidates and what you will do with the opportunity. Be concrete about your academic record and plans.
For the transcripts and degree certificates, check what form the programme wants them in. If it asks for attested copies, our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide explains the Pakistani side of that process, which can take longer than you expect.
The 2026 timeline, step by step
Here is how the 2026 cycle ran. Future cycles may use different dates, so confirm the current timeline on the official scholarship page before you plan around it.
- Submit your Master's programme application through the University of Luxembourg online admissions portal by 24 March 2026.
- If the programme director judges your application excellent, you receive an email invitation to apply for the Dupaix scholarship, around 24 March 2026.
- Submit the outstanding scholarship documents, including the motivation letter and two recommendation letters, by 31 March 2026.
- Wait for the outcome, sent by email around 15 May 2026. You will hear either that you have an offer or that you are on the waiting list.
- If you receive an offer, confirm acceptance within three working days.
- Sign the formal scholarship agreement, which recipients are invited to do no sooner than October, once the academic year begins.
Two parts of this deserve attention. The three-working-day acceptance window is very short, so keep checking your email (including spam) around mid-May. And the agreement is only signed from October 2026, after you arrive. Plan your finances and travel with that gap in mind, and confirm with the university what written proof of the award you can use before October.
Programme directors assess applications on a rolling basis, so do not leave your Master's application until the last days before the deadline. An early, complete file gets more time and attention.
Budgeting around the shortfall
Since the stipend covers only part of living costs, you need your own money for tuition and for the gap between the stipend and your actual expenses. If your visa application asks you to show funds, a partial stipend is unlikely to be the whole answer. Our guide to bank statements and proof of funds explains how Pakistani students usually put this evidence together.
Who should skip this? A student with no family support and no savings, hoping a scholarship will pay for everything, will struggle in Luxembourg even with this award. A student with excellent grades and some family backing, who wants a small, English-taught, international university at the centre of the EU, is the person this suits best. The university is strong in finance, law, data science and interdisciplinary research, and most Master's programmes are taught in English.
Mistakes that cost applicants the award
- Treating the Master's application as a formality. It is the filter that decides who gets invited.
- Asking referees for letters only after the invitation email. With about a week to submit, that is too late, especially for referees outside Europe.
- Choosing a programme with a compulsory mobility semester abroad, which makes you ineligible.
- Missing the three-working-day acceptance window in May.
- Delaying the residence application after being notified, and losing the priority housing slot.
- Assuming the stipend will fund everything and arriving without a plan for tuition and the remaining living costs.
If you are comparing this with other options in the country, see our overview of all Luxembourg scholarships.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Guillaume Dupaix scholarship pay tuition fees?
No. It is a stipend of €11,526 per year toward living and accommodation costs. Tuition fees, which are relatively low at the University of Luxembourg, remain your responsibility.
Can Pakistani students apply?
Yes. The award is open to non-EU applicants, and Pakistanis can compete for the 15 regular awards that are open to any nationality. Pakistan is not on the target country list, so the other 15 awards are not available to Pakistani nationals.
Is there a separate scholarship application form?
No. You apply to a Master's programme, and if the programme director judges your application excellent, you receive an email invitation to submit a motivation letter and two recommendation letters.
Do I need to reapply every year?
No. The award is made for the standard two-year duration of the Master's in a single decision, though you are expected to stay enrolled in good standing.
Can Bachelor's or PhD students apply?
No. This award is only for students admitted to a Master's programme. The university offers separate awards for other levels, such as the Guillaume Dupaix International PhD Scholarship. The University of Luxembourg scholarships overview lists the options.
The 2026 deadline has passed. What now?
The dates in this guide are from the 2026 cycle. Check the official page and the University of Luxembourg website for the next intake's Master's application deadline, and start preparing your documents and referees well before it opens.
Before applying, confirm the current dates and rules on the official Guillaume Dupaix scholarship page, and keep the Guillaume Dupaix scholarship page handy for the full details.