ENS Lyon - Ampère excellence scholarship

Ampère excellence scholarship

You will receive 1,000 EUR per month for a Master’s programme at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon) in France. The amount covers 12 months and will be paid in four instalments spread over the academic year. If you commence your first year of the Master’s programme (M1), you may apply for an extension of the scholarship for a further 12 months in the second year (M2), bringing the total duration to 24 months in total. This extension is not automatic and requires a short new application. The scholarship is awarded by the ENS de Lyon, a French higher education and research institution.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolling on a Master’s programme at the ENS de Lyon in France. You are applying for a place on the programme and for the scholarship at the same time. It is not possible to apply for the scholarship separately.
• Degree level: You are starting the first year of your Master’s degree (having completed a Bachelor’s degree, 180 ECTS credits) or the second year of your Master’s degree (having completed an M1, 240 ECTS credits). A four-year foreign Bachelor’s degree is not automatically recognised as an M1.
• Field of study: Almost all of ENS de Lyon’s Master’s programmes are eligible for this, covering the natural sciences as well as the humanities, social sciences and arts. A very small number of programmes are excluded.
• Nationality: You hold a nationality other than French. If you are a French national (including those with French nationality combined with non-European dual nationality), you are not eligible to apply.
• Age: You are 26 years old or younger (born on or after 1 January 2000 for the 2026–2027 season). This age limit is strictly enforced; no exceptions are permitted.
• Not already at ENS: You have not yet enrolled at the ENS de Lyon on a scholarship.
• Other funding: You do not receive any other grant apart from social assistance from the CROUS (state student grant in France).

How to apply

Please complete the online application form on the ENS de Lyon website. The specific form you need to complete depends on your profile. Please do not use the ‘Études en France’ platform. The application deadline is 23 January (23:59 CET) for the 2026–2027 intake. An admissions committee will review the applications, and you will receive the result in writing in mid-March.

How realistic are your chances?

This grant is aimed at a small target group. You must be a non-French national, aged 26 or under, and have been offered a place on a Master’s programme at the ENS de Lyon, one of France’s most selective higher education institutions. Consequently, the number of eligible and admitted applicants is small. Selection depends heavily on your academic performance, as the scholarship and place on the course are awarded jointly. If you clearly meet the age and nationality requirements and can demonstrate outstanding academic performance in your chosen degree programme, your chances are good.