L'École Normale Supérieure - L'École Normale Supérieure Scholarships

Benefit

You will receive 1,000 EUR per month for 36 months (3 years), as well as a furnished room on one of the ENS campuses in Paris (the rent is approximately 315 to 465 EUR per month). The French government covers the tuition fees, although you will need to pay a small enrolment fee each year. Over the course of the three years, you will complete a Master’s degree (M1 and M2) in your field of specialisation as well as the ENS diploma (DENS). From September, you can also take intensive French language courses. The scholarship is awarded by the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris, one of France’s leading research universities, which awards around 20 of these scholarships to international students each year.

Eligibility

• Where you study: You are studying at a university outside France. You must have completed at least one year of higher education abroad before applying, and at least two years by September following your admission.
• Time in France: You have not lived in France for more than 10 months in the year of application or the year before.
• Age: You still have 26 left until the application deadline.
• First attempt: You have never applied for the ENS international selection process before.
• Field of study: You choose one subject from two subject areas. The ‘Humanities and Social Sciences’ area includes subjects such as philosophy, history, literature, economics, sociology, linguistics and art history. The ‘Natural Sciences’ field comprises biology, chemistry, earth sciences, computer science, mathematics, physics and cognitive science.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.
• Language: For the humanities, you need to have a level B in French1, although no certificate is required. For the natural sciences, there is no set language level, and you may sit the examinations in either French or English.

How to apply

You start by completing an online form on the ENS application portal and then upload your documents as a single PDF file. The application deadline is in early December for the ‘Humanities’ programme and in mid-December for the ‘Natural Sciences’ programme. A selection panel will first review your documents. If you are shortlisted, you will sit written and oral examinations as well as an interview, all of which will take place online via video conference.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is extremely selective: only around 20 places are awarded each year. The admission criteria are strict, as you must study abroad, be under the age of 26 and have spent very little time living in France, but the ENS is world-renowned and attracts top-calibre applicants from all over the world. If you have excellent grades, a clearly defined research or study plan, and genuinely meet the criteria, it’s worth giving it a go. Otherwise, the competition is fierce.