The International Selection at the Ecole normale superieure PSL in Paris is unlike almost anything else on this site, and understanding why is the key to deciding whether to apply. It is not a scholarship you win on top of an admission. It is a competitive examination, a concours, that admits a small number of outstanding young graduates from around the world directly into the community of normaliens, with a monthly grant and a room on campus attached. Applications for the 2027 session open on 16 October 2026 and close on 15 December 2026.
ENS-PSL is one of France’s most selective institutions, a grande ecole founded in 1794 and sitting outside the mainstream public university system. Its alumni include Louis Pasteur, Jean-Paul Sartre and Michel Foucault, and as part of Universite PSL it was ranked 34th in the QS World University Rankings 2027. Successful candidates study at ENS-PSL and at a partner university at the same time, and graduate with both a master’s degree in their speciality and the diploma of the Ecole normale superieure.
Two features shape everything about how you should approach this. First, you enter at the third year of a bachelor’s degree or the first year of a master’s, so this is for students partway through their studies rather than finished graduates. Second, the selection runs as two separate competitions, one in Arts and Humanities and one in Sciences, with different eligibility rules, different documents and different tests. The Arts and Humanities track in particular expects you to write in French. Read the right set of rules for your track, because mixing them up wastes an application you only get one shot at.
Scholarship benefits
- A grant of 1,000 euros for three years, paid monthly between the 5th and the 10th of each month, with the first payment in October covering September and October.
- A room on one of the ENS-PSL campuses in central Paris, which removes the single hardest cost of student life in the city.
- Full integration into the community of normaliens, studying at ENS-PSL and at a partner university simultaneously.
- Graduation with both a master’s degree in your speciality and the diploma of the Ecole normale superieure.
- A personalised, research oriented training from the outset, with teaching by leading researchers, laboratory internships in the Sciences track, and a mentoring system.
- An induction of a welcome day plus three weeks of conferences, department visits, intensive French lessons and cultural activities before studies begin.
- Genuine multidisciplinary freedom, with the chance to build knowledge outside your main field across both Sciences and Humanities.
One honest note on scope. The official ENS page describes the grant and the campus room, but does not state that tuition or registration fees at the partner university are covered. Budget for those separately, along with your travel to France, and check the position with the Pole Concours before you make financial plans.
Eligibility checklist
✔ You are under 26 on the day applications open. In Arts and Humanities the rule is stated as being no older than 25 as of the application opening date, meaning you must not have turned 26.
✔ You have studied at a foreign university, meaning outside France. For Sciences you need at least one year of undergraduate study, and at least two years by the time you enrol. For Arts and Humanities you must provide proof of completion of at least three years of study toward a foreign university degree, with complete transcripts for all university coursework.
✔ You meet the residence restriction. For Arts and Humanities, you must not have resided in France for more than 10 months during the academic year of the competition or the one before it. For Sciences, you must not have been registered at a French school or higher education institution for more than six months in total across those two years.
✔ You have never applied to the International Selection before. This is a one attempt competition.
✔ You are ready to enter at the third year of a bachelor’s degree or the first year of a master’s. You may apply while you are currently in your third year of study.
✔ For Arts and Humanities, you are comfortable working in French, since ENS recommends fluency and the written application must be in French. Candidates in Economics, Linguistics or Cognitive studies have partial English options.
✔ Your discipline is on the list. Arts and Humanities covers Anthropology, Archeology, Classical studies, 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 and Sociology. Sciences covers Biology, Chemistry, Earth science, Computer science, Mathematics, Physics and Cognitive sciences.
Application tips for African students
- Treat the research project as the heart of an Arts and Humanities application. ENS is explicit that this is not a cover letter. In three pages or 10,000 characters you must define a topic, identify a core issue, develop arguments, propose hypotheses, and describe precisely the material you would work from, whether fieldwork, a corpus, a database or archives. It must engage with existing scholarship and include a bibliography of ten works that mattered to your intellectual development. Start it weeks before the deadline, not days.
- If you are applying in Arts and Humanities, be realistic about your French. The motivation letter and research project must be written in French, and the oral exam and interview are conducted in French even though you may use English during them. If your French is not yet strong, either invest in it seriously now or consider whether the Sciences track, which accepts a cover letter in French or English, fits you better.
- Request your recommendation letters immediately when applications open. You need two to four letters, and you must request them through the OnePSL30 platform by entering your referees’ email addresses. ENS specifically warns applicants not to wait until the final days of the application window when contacting referees. Brief your referees in October, not December.
- Do not use an icloud.com email address. ENS states plainly that neither candidates nor referees should use icloud addresses, because of delivery problems. Use a reliable university or Gmail address for yourself and ask your referees to do the same, then confirm their letters arrived.
- Follow the formatting instructions exactly. The motivation letter must be one to three pages in Times New Roman 12 point with 1.5 line spacing, and the Arts and Humanities documents must be uploaded in the specified order, while Sciences applicants merge everything into a single PDF. An incomplete application will not be considered at all, so there is no margin for sloppiness.
- Get your transcripts and school diploma certified early. You must submit complete university transcripts and your high school diploma. Certification and translation of documents issued by African institutions routinely takes several weeks, so begin as soon as you decide to apply rather than in December.
- Prepare for tests that reward thinking, not memorising. There is no set reading programme. Examiners design the tests to assess your ability to analyse, conceptualise and synthesise, along with your intellectual curiosity and the relevance of your project. Published jury reports from previous years are available on the ENS site and are the best preparation material you will find.
How to apply
Everything runs through one online platform, and applications sent by email are not processed. Follow these steps:
- Step 1. Decide which competition you are entering, Arts and Humanities or Sciences, and read that track’s eligibility rules and document list, since they differ.
- Step 2. Create your application on the OnePSL30 platform once applications open at 14:00 Paris time on 16 October 2026, avoiding icloud email addresses for yourself and your referees.
- Step 3. Enter your referees’ email addresses on the platform so they receive their invitation, and chase them early. You need two to four letters.
- Step 4. Upload your documents. Arts and Humanities applicants submit a CV, motivation letter, research project, university transcript and high school diploma, in that order. Sciences applicants submit a high school diploma, university transcript, CV and argued cover letter, merged into a single PDF, and indicate their chosen training department.
- Step 5. Submit everything before 14:00 Paris time on 15 December 2026. An incomplete application will not be considered.
- Step 6. Watch for your shortlist result, published from 21 January 2027 for Arts and Humanities and from 27 January 2027 for Sciences. Every candidate receives an email either way.
- Step 7. Sit the remote tests by videoconference if shortlisted, between 15 and 26 February 2027 for Arts and Humanities, or between 3 and 19 March 2027 for Sciences. Admission results follow from 9 March 2027 and 26 March 2027 respectively.
Full details, the FAQ and past jury reports are on the official ENS International Selection page. Questions go to the Pole Concours at concours.international@ens.psl.eu.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly does the International Selection offer?
Admission to ENS-PSL as a normalien with a grant of 1,000 euros for three years paid monthly, a room on an ENS-PSL campus, and a research oriented training. You study at ENS-PSL and a partner university at once, and finish with a master’s degree in your speciality plus the ENS diploma. The official page does not state that university tuition is covered, so verify that separately.
Who can apply?
Young graduates under 26 on the application opening date who have studied at a university outside France, have not previously applied to the International Selection, and meet the residence limits on time spent in France. You enter at the third year of a bachelor’s or the first year of a master’s, and you may apply while in your third year of study.
When is the deadline for the 2027 session?
Applications open on 16 October 2026 at 14:00 Paris time and close on 15 December 2026 at 14:00 Paris time, for both Arts and Humanities and Sciences. Shortlist results follow from 21 January 2027 for Arts and Humanities and 27 January 2027 for Sciences.
Do I need to speak French?
For Arts and Humanities, effectively yes. ENS recommends fluency, the motivation letter and research project must be written in French, and the oral exam and interview are conducted in French, although candidates may use English during them. Candidates in Economics, Linguistics or Cognitive studies submit the letter in both French and English and may write the project in either. For Sciences, the cover letter may be in French or English and candidates choose their language for the oral tests.
How does the competition work?
In two stages. First a jury selects candidates on the strength of the application dossier. Shortlisted candidates then sit tests remotely by videoconference, and the marks from those tests determine who is admitted. In Arts and Humanities there is a written exam weighted 1, a disciplinary oral weighted 2 and an interview weighted 2. In Sciences there is a scientific oral weighted 6 and an interview on scientific culture and motivation weighted 3.
Can I apply more than once?
No. Candidates must not have applied to the International Selection before, so you have a single attempt. That makes thorough preparation of the dossier especially important.
What happens if I am admitted?
From spring 2027 you receive an invitation letter, a visa attestation and a list of documents to prepare, including translated and certified university diplomas and birth certificate. You apply for a long stay student visa if you need one, start French courses for foreigners, complete administrative registration in September 2027, and receive your first grant payment in October 2027.