Scholarship & Exchange Program

In 2024, La Société Française de Bienfaisance Mutuelle (SFBM) established a groundbreaking endowment fund to strengthen connections between the San Francisco Bay Area and communities across France’s provinces. The Marcel and Louise Kapulica Educational Fund, a program within the SFBM endowment fund, is dedicated to fostering exchanges and collaborative efforts in arts, humanities, and sciences between the University of Pau and educational institutions in the Bay Area. In 2025, the program will support its first class of scholarship students in a wide range of disciplines for a curated course of study at the University of Pau. Students, including applicants from the French-American community, are welcome to apply for these scholarships.

Studying abroad in France offers American students a transformative blend of academic rigor, cultural depth, and career-boosting global experience.

Language mastery happens naturally as students order coffee in Parisian cafés, debate philosophy in Lyon classrooms, and navigate daily life entirely in French — turning textbook knowledge into real-world fluency far faster than any stateside course could achieve.

Cultural immersion extends beyond museums and monuments; students absorb French art de vivre through weekend markets in Provence, wine traditions in Bordeaux, and the intellectual discourse that permeates everyday conversations, developing nuanced global perspectives that reshape how they view America and the world.

Career advantages prove substantial — studies show study-abroad alumni earn $7,000 more in starting salaries, with 41% of employers offering higher pay to candidates with international experience, recognizing the adaptability and cross-cultural skills honed through navigating life abroad

Personal growth accelerates as students master public transportation systems, build friendships across cultures, and develop the confidence that comes from thriving outside their comfort zone — skills that prove invaluable long after they’ve returned home. Help us prepare American students for an increasingly interconnected world while creating memories that last a lifetime.