ENS PSL International Scholarship France Last updated: 10 November 2023 | October 11 - Dec 7 (Every Year)
About the Scholarship:
The Ecole normale supérieure aims at varying its students’ profiles and incorporates students to be enrolled in the 3rd year of bachelor (licence 3) or 1st year of master (master 1), coming from all over the world and from all disciplines. The competitive examination of the International selection is intended to young graduates in Arts & Humanities as well as Sciences, who justify at least of one year undergraduate studies in a foreign university and distinguish themselves with outstanding results.
The examination takes place in 2 steps: a selection based upon application, then oral and written exams (Arts & Humanities) or oral exams only (Sciences) for shortlisted candidates.
ENS opens 10 positions in Sciences and 10 positions in Arts& Humanities.
Joining ENS through the competitive examination of the International selection gives access to training of excellence, through contact with exceptional researchers, in a privileged training and research environment. Integrated to the community of the normaliens, international students continue their studies at ENS and at the university at the same time, while benefiting from a 1000 euros/month grant for 3 years and from a room on one of the ENS campuses. At the end of their studies, these students have graduated with a master degree in their speciality and with the diploma of École normale supérieure.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Candidates must be under 26 when they apply (must not have reached their 26th birthday)
- Candidates apply only once to the International Selection
- Candidates must not have lived in France more than 10 months during the academic year of the selection (September 1st – August 31st) nor the previous year.
- Candidates must justify at least one year of undergraduate studies awarded by a foreign university (outside France) during the calendar year preceding the start of applications.
- Candidates justify at least two years of undergraduate studies in a foreign university (outside France), on the 1st of September following admission.
Application Guidelines:
Application to International selection according to the calendars below.
- If your file is complete, it is submitted to the jury.
- If the jury selects your dossier, you are invited to take written and oral tests.
- The marks obtained at the tests determine the list of admitted students.
NB: Applicants interested in the Department of Cognitive Studies (DEC) can apply using the Science or Arts & Humanities forms indiscriminately. This documentshows the differences between these 2 options. All candidates MUST contact the DEC in order to choose the right way, based on their personal academic background.
Program and choice of academic disciplines
During their 3 years of study, students from the International selection discover Paris in exceptional conditions. Above all, they benefit from the intellectual freedom and multidisciplinarity characterising training at the ENS. Beyond the outstanding academic results expected from the candidates, ENS looks for young students driven by curiosity, open-mindedness and a taste for research. ENS is rich of the diversity of its students’ profiles, experiences and origins, and is concerned with enhancing the aptitudes of each one. For studying Arts& Humanities, we recommend you to be fluent in French.
The training begins with a welcome event (1 day) and 3 weeks of conferences and debates in Sciences and Humanities, department visits, intensive French lessons, cultural visits of Paris as well as activities and entertainments organised by the various student associations of ENS.
Read more about the ENS graduate degree in Arts & Humanities
Academic disciplines offered through International selection in Arts&Humanities: Anthropology, Archeology, Classical studies (Greek, Latin), Cinema, Theater studies, History of Art, Musicology, Cognitive sciences, Economics, Political studies, Geography, History, History and Philosophy of Law, History and Philosophy of Sciences, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Sociology.
Application Procedure
List of documents to be submitted on the dedicated platform:
- Detailed editable application form (editable form, download and save before filling it out) – HERE
- Passport-1st page only (for non-European candidates) or ID card (for European candidates)
- High school diploma
- University transcript
- Curriculum vitae
- Motivation letter (1 to 3 pages long fon : Times New Roman, 12 pt and 1.5 line spacing) – written in French; Candidates in Economics, Linguistics or Cognitive studies must submit their motivation letter both in French and in English
- Research project of 3 pages maximum (10 000 characters including spaces). This is not a cover letter but a research project: it should address a well-defined topic and deal with a core issue, then develop a set of arguments and provide for a few hypotheses. The material the research project relies on (e.g. fieldwork, corpus, database, archives, etc.) has to be precisely described. The research project refers to an existing scientific literature while selecting a small range of relevant and informed references.This project includes a bibliography (list of 10 books, including articles or literary works you have read and which turned out to be important in your intellectual career). It comes in addition to the study project. – written in French; Candidates in Economics, Linguistics or Cognitive studies can submit their project either in French or in English
All these documents must be deposited, merged as a unique Pdf, on a platform whose link will be sent once you have filled your initial application form on HERE
This unique pdf must be named “Family Name-Given Name.pdf”
- 2 to 4 letters of recommendation sent by Email by your referees; Editable sample (with Email address) to download HERE
If incomplete, your application will not be taken into consideration.
Schedule in Arts and Humanities
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Dates |
Actions |
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October 11 – December 7 |
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| January 18 |
Admissibility results published online and at ENS Shortlist on: https://www.ens.psl.eu/en/academics/admissions/international-selection All candidates receive an Email, whether they have passed this first step or not |
| February 6 – 14 |
Admission tests by videoconference: -One writen test -Two oral tests |
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February 16 |
Admission results published online and at ENS All candidates receive an Email, whether they are admitted or not |
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Spring 2023 |
The admitted candidates receive: · An invitation letter · An attestation for the visa (by Email and/or postal mail) · A list of documents to prepare for the administrative registration in September (University diplomas translated and certified, a birth certificate translated and certified, 3 ID photos,..) · Information about French lessons · Information about ENS, administrative registration, multifunction card, Health office, Health insurance (i.e sécurité sociale), liability insurance, opening a French bank account, residency permit |
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The admitted candidates must: · Apply for a visa for studies, i.e “visa long séjour pour études” · Prepare the documents required by ENS for the administrative registration |
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Beginning of the French courses for foreigners |
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Septembre 2023 |
Administrative registration with: · Setting up of the scholarship · Dossier for the residency permit application (if needed) |
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October 2023 |
1st payment of the scholarship (September and October). The next payments are made monthly, between the 5th and the 10th. |
https://www.ens.psl.eu/en/academics/admissions/international-selection