ENS Paris International Selection Scholarship (France)

The ENS Paris International Selection is one of France’s most selective scholarships, admitting a small group of outstanding international students each year to the École normale supérieure in Paris. Winners receive EUR 1,000 per month for three years plus a room on an ENS campus, while completing the ENS diploma alongside a master’s degree.

Around 20 to 30 places are offered across sciences and arts and humanities, and candidates must be under 26 and not have lived in France during the qualifying period. Selection involves a demanding written and oral examination. Applications for the 2027 session are expected to close in early December 2026.

• Outstanding undergraduates worldwide: about 10 places in Sciences and 10 in Arts & Humanities are awarded each year through a competitive examination.
• Under 26 years old at the time set in the call (you must not have passed your 26th birthday).
• At least one year of undergraduate study completed at a foreign (non-French) university in the calendar year before applications open, and two years completed by the September 1 following admission.
• You must not have lived in France for more than 10 months during the selection year or the year before, and you may apply to the International Selection only once in your life.
• Sciences disciplines include mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, earth science and cognitive science; Arts & Humanities span philosophy, history, literature, economics, political studies, linguistics and more.
• For Arts & Humanities a good command of French is strongly recommended (about B1 or better), and the motivation letter is written in French; Sciences interviews can be taken in English or French.
• Selection is on academic excellence plus curiosity, open-mindedness and a taste for research.

• Monthly scholarship of EUR 1,000 for three years, which is rare for master's-level funding in France.
• A room on an ENS campus in Paris, removing the hardest cost of student life in the capital.
• Study at one of the world's most selective institutions, whose alumni include Nobel laureates and Fields medalists, within the PSL university group.
• Graduates leave with both the prestigious ENS diploma and a master's degree in their specialty.
• A three-week welcome programme with intensive French lessons, conferences and cultural visits eases arrival.
• Direct access to top research labs and, for many scholars, a natural route into fully funded PhD positions afterwards.

• Initial online application form on the ENS platform, which triggers access to the document-upload system (Dematec).
• Detailed application form, passport or national ID, and high-school diploma.
• Full university transcripts with grades.
• Motivation letter (in French for Arts & Humanities; some disciplines ask for French and English versions).
• Research project of up to about three pages describing what you want to study at ENS.
• Curriculum vitae, all merged and uploaded as instructed; exam reports from previous years on the ENS site show what examiners expect.

• Check the discipline lists and past examiners' reports on the ENS website, then choose your single competition discipline carefully.
• Complete the initial form when applications open in autumn 2026; within a couple of days you receive Dematec access to upload the full dossier.
• Recent cycles closed in early-to-mid December (December 3, 2025 for Arts & Humanities and December 15, 2025 for Sciences at midday Paris time); expect similar dates for the 2027 intake and confirm them on the admissions page when the call opens.
• If your dossier is shortlisted, you sit written and oral tests (Arts & Humanities) or oral exams only (Sciences), with interviews answerable in French or English for Sciences.
• Admission results follow in spring, and admitted scholars enroll for the September intake with housing arranged on campus.
• Prepare seriously for the interviews: examiners probe depth of understanding in your chosen discipline, not just grades.