International selection
Key dates
To apply, fill the initial application form HERE
International selection in Arts&Humanities 2025:
- Application : October 17 to December 12, 2024 (23h59, Paris time)
- Shortlist : January 16, 2025
- Written tests : Between February 3 and February 7, 2025
- Oral tests : Between February 10 and February 14, 2025
- Admission results : March 6, 2024
International selection in Sciences 2025:
- Application : October 17 to December 12, 2024 (23h59, Paris time)
- Shortlist : January 27, 2025
- Oral tests : Between March 4 and March 14, 2025
- Admission results : March 20, 2025
Presentation
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.
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 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.
The examination takes place in 2 steps: a selection based upon application, then oral and written tests remotely for shortlisted candidates.
ENS opens 10 positions in Sciences and 10 positions in Arts& Humanities.
Eligibility criteria
- Candidates must not be after their 26th birthday on December 1st.
- Candidates must not have applied to the International Selection before.
- 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 during the calendar year preceding the start of applications.
- Candidates justify at least two years of undergraduate studies in a foreign university, on the 1st of September following admission.
On rare occasions, the Director of ENS may authorise applications from candidates whose academic background is non-standard.
Procedure
- You must fill and validate the initial application form: https://candidatures.ens.psl.eu/
- Within 2 days, you receive an email to activate an account on Dematec, an application where you must upload the required documents in PDF format.
- If your file on Dematec is complete, it is submitted to the jury.
- If the jury selects your dossier, you are invited to take written and oral tests remotely.
- The marks obtained at the tests determine the list of admitted students.
NB: Applicants interested in the Department of Cognitive Studies can apply using the Science or Arts&Humanities forms indiscriminately. For more information, please visit the Cogmaster website.
International selection in Arts & Humanities
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 dossier
List of documents to be submitted on the dedicated platform:
- Detailed editable application form (editable form, download and save before filling it out)
HERE1019.55 KB - 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
HERE665.7 KB
If incomplete, your application will not be taken into consideration.
Schedule in Arts and Humanities
|
Dates |
Actions |
|
October 17 - December 12 |
|
| January 16 |
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 3 - February 14 |
Admission tests by videoconference: -One writen test -Two oral tests |
|
March 6 |
Admission results published online and at ENS All candidates receive an Email, whether they are admitted or not |
|
Spring 2025 |
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 |
|
|
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 |
|
|
Beginning of the French courses for foreigners |
|
Septembre 2025 |
Administrative registration with: · Setting up of the scholarship · Dossier for the residency permit application (if needed) |
|
October 2025 |
1st payment of the scholarship (September and October). The next payments are made monthly, between the 5th and the 10th. |
Competition tests in Arts & Humanities
There is no specific reading programme. After the pre-selection, the board of examiners conceives tests in order to evaluate candidates’ abilities to analyse, conceptualise and synthesise information. They also assess the scientific or literary culture and intellectual curiosity of candidates as well as the relevance of their projects.
The 3 exams are:
- A written exam in French, related to the candidate’s discipline - Duration: see here - Weight 1.
- An oral exam in front of a panel of the candidate’s discipline - Duration: see here - Weight 2. Warning: the duration in the candidate's discipline might change from year to year.
- An interview about both the candidate’s academic background and project, in front of a single panel for all candidates - Duration: 20 to 30' - Weight 2.
The regulations for distance tests are avialable for consultation HERE.
Both the oral exam and the interview are conducted in French. The candidate may use English.These exams will be organised as distance exams. They will be detailed later on our Web page
Disciplines proposed are : Anthropology, Archeology, Classical studies (Greek, Latin), Cinema, Theater studies, History of Art, Musicology, Cognitive studies, Economy, Political studies, geograph, History, History and Philosophy of Law, History and Philosophy of Sciences, Linguistic, Literature, Philosophy, Sociology.
Dictionaries or any personal document are forbidden.
Reports and previous examination questions
Reports are written each year by the President of the Board of Examiners as well as test coordinators. They provide information on requirements and examiners’ expectations to help candidates with their preparatory work.
Results of International selection in Arts & Humanities
International selection in Sciences
Program and choice of academic disciplines
Students from the International selection are driven by curiosity, open-mindedness and a taste for research and innovation. Benefiting from good material and financial conditions (they are accommodated and receive a grant), they can dedicate themselves to their studies within a prestigious institution, while discovering Paris and living a good life.
They benefit from advanced training in their major scientific discipline and also from a multidisciplinary training, which allows them to improve their knowledge in other disciplines in Sciences and Humanities. The pursued training is customised thanks to a mentoring system. From the outset, the training is research-oriented, with lessons in their major disciplines given by the best researchers and with internship periods in laboratories.
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.
When applying, students are invited to indicate their choice of training department, constituting their major discipline. Applicants can indicate an additional minor discipline in the case of a training project across two scientific departments. The choice of a minor assumes a minimum theoretical background in this discipline and involves additional evaluation by the jury of this department during interviews.
Read more about the ENS graduate degree in Sciences
Academic disciplines offered through International selection in Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Earthscience, Computing science, Mathematics, Physics, Cognitive sciences
Curriculum for the medallists of the International Mathematical Olympiad: HERE
Application dossier
List of documents to be submitted on the dedicated platform:
- Detailed editable application form (editable form, download and save before filling it out) -
HERE1019.55 KB - Passport-1st page only (for non-European candidates) or ID card (for European candidates)
- High school diploma
- University transcript
- Curriculum vitae
- Argued cover letter (between 1 and 3 pages, Times New Roman, font 12, line spacing 1.5), in French or English, specifying the interest in joining the ENS and the training department of the chosen discipline and succinctly presenting the study plan (particular interests, planned courses, research themes, possible secondary discipline of interest, choice of a minor, etc.)
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
HERE665.7 KB
If incomplete, your application will not be taken into consideration.
Schedule in Sciences
|
Dates |
Actions |
|
October 17 - December 12 |
|
|
January 27 |
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 |
| January 27-March 3 | Personnal invitation to the tests is sent by Email |
|
March 4 - March 14 |
Oral tests by videoconference according to the schedulle decided by each scientificdepartement
|
|
March 20 |
Admission results published online and at ENS All candidates receive an email, whether they have passed this second step or not |
|
Spring 2025 |
The admitted candidates receive, or can be handed directly at the SAE: · An invitation letter · An attestation for the visa (by email and postal mail, or they can come to the SAE and be handed it) . 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 |
|
|
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 |
|
|
Beginning of the French courses for foreigners |
|
September 2025 |
Administrative registration with: · Setting up of the scholarship · Dossier for the residency permit application (if needed) |
|
October 2025 |
1st payment of the scholarship (September and October). The next payments are made monthly, between the 5th and the 10th. |
Competition tests in Sciences
There is no specific reading programme. After the pre-selection, the board of examiners conceives tests in order to evaluate candidates’ abilities to analyse, conceptualise and synthesise information. They also assess the scientific or literary culture and intellectual curiosity of candidates as well as the relevance of their projects.
The 2 oral tests are:
- Oral interview on your major, 1 hour at least. This test might include a written preparation - Weight 6
- Oral interview on the candidate’s scientific culture, major and minor (if applicable), and motivation, from 45 minutes to 1 hour, including 15 minutes of preparation - Weight 3
Exercises are both in French and in English. The candidate chooses to answer either in French or in English.
Disciplines proposed are: Biology, Chemistry, Cognitive studies, Earth Science, Computing science, Mathematics, Physics. Candidates choose 1 major (mandatory) and 1 minor (optional).
Calculators or any personal document are forbidden.
Reports and previous examination questions
Reports are written each year by the President of the Board of Examiners as well as test coordinators. They provide information on requirements and examiners’ expectations to help candidates with their preparatory work.
Results of International selection in Sciences
Mis à jour le 18/10/2024