ENS International Selection (Sélection internationale) 2026

Who can apply

No older than 25 on the application opening date (16 October 2026): you must not have turned 26
Must not have applied to the International Selection before: you can apply only once
Sciences track: at least one year of undergraduate study awarded by a foreign university when applying, and at least two years by the time of enrolment
Sciences track: not registered at a high school or higher education institution in France for more than 6 months in total during the competition year and the year before
Arts and Humanities track: proof of completion of at least three years of study towards a foreign university degree, with complete transcripts, although you may apply while in your third year
Arts and Humanities track: must not have resided in France for more than 10 months during the competition year or the year before
Arts and Humanities track: courses are in French and ENS expects about B1 level, with no official language certificate required; sciences courses are in French or English depending on the department, and no language level is officially required
The Director of ENS may on rare occasions authorise applications from candidates with a non-standard academic background

Two tracks with different entry rules

The International Selection is two competitions that share one application window, and the rules differ more than most applicants expect. The sciences track (biology, chemistry, cognitive sciences, earth science, computing science, mathematics, physics) asks for one completed year at a foreign university when you apply and two by the time you enrol. The arts and humanities track asks for proof of three years of study toward a foreign degree, though ENS says you may apply while you are in your third year. In both cases successful candidates join the third year of a bachelor’s (licence 3) or the first year of a master’s (master 1) at ENS-PSL. Applications go through the OnePSL30 platform, and the competition is open to young graduates of every nationality: ENS sets no nationality rule, only the study and residence conditions.

How selection works

Both tracks start with a review of your file, and a shortlist is then invited to take tests remotely, so nobody travels to Paris to be examined. In sciences there are two oral tests: a scientific oral in your chosen discipline (weight 6) and an interview on scientific culture and motivation (weight 3), and you may answer in French or English. In arts and humanities there is a written exam in French in your discipline (weight 1), an oral in front of a panel (weight 2) and a 20 to 30 minute interview about your background and project (weight 2). The oral and interview are conducted in French, though you may use English. ENS publishes previous exam questions and jury reports, and its own advice is that reading them is the way to prepare, since there is no set reading programme in arts and humanities.

What you send

Both tracks need your CV, university transcripts, a high school diploma, and two to four letters of recommendation, which your referees upload through the platform after you enter their email addresses there. ENS asks that neither you nor your referees use @icloud.com addresses. Sciences applicants add a cover letter of one to three pages, in French or English, naming the training department of the one discipline they choose. Arts and humanities applicants add a motivation letter of one to three pages in French, a research project of up to three pages (about 10,000 characters) with a bibliography of ten works, written in French. Candidates in economics, linguistics or cognitive studies must submit the motivation letter in both French and English and may write the research project in either language. An incomplete file is not considered, and you cannot apply twice.

What the money covers, and what it does not

ENS’s own FAQ gives the grant as €1,000 a month for 36 months, and the grant can only be paid into a French bank account, which you open in September after you arrive. The physics department’s page also mentions a room on an ENS campus. Rent is debited from the student (the FAQ notes none is charged in August), and the room is allocated by a student committee, with no guarantee of housing in the third year if your preferences have run out. Tuition at public universities is paid by the State, but you pay registration fees, and the FAQ says the amount is being updated. The cognitive studies department’s page puts annual fees at about €500 and says canteen meals are subsidised at around €4. The first payment, covering September and October, comes in October 2027 after administrative registration, so you need money for the journey, the visa and your first weeks. You may take up to two gap years, but the grant is not paid during them. Students are not civil servants and are not subject to ENS’s ten-year service commitment. Our guide to studying in France explains the visa and living costs.

How competitive it is

ENS does not publish one number for the whole programme, but the cognitive studies department says ENS offers about 20 of these scholarships a year to international students across all disciplines, and that about 2 of them go to its own department. That is a small number of places for the whole world, so treat it as a long shot worth a well-prepared application, not a safety net. Students who complete the programme graduate with a master’s in their speciality and the ENS diploma, and the same department says they can apply for ENS doctoral scholarships at the end of the grant if they want to continue to a PhD.

How it compares with the Eiffel scholarship

Readers looking at France often find the France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship Programme first. Eiffel’s monthly allowance is higher (€1,200 at master’s level) and adds transport and insurance, but you cannot apply to it yourself: only a French institution can submit you, and tuition is not covered. The International Selection works the other way round. You apply directly to ENS, you are judged by tests rather than a nomination, you can apply from your second year of a sciences degree, and the grant runs for three years alongside a room. It is closer to a place in a small elite programme than to a general scholarship, which is why it suits a young, research-minded student who is strong in one discipline and comfortable being examined orally on it.

ENS International Selection (Sélection internationale)