ENS PSL Grant – International selection 2024-25, Paris, France

by Samrach · November 16, 2023

Deadline for applications: 11 December 2023

International selection in Arts&Humanities 2024:

Application : October 17 to December 11, 2023 (23h59, Paris time)
Shortlist : January 24, 2024
Written tests : Between February 28 and March 1st, 2024
Oral tests : Between March 4 and March 8, 2024
Admission results : March 13, 2024

International selection in Sciences 2024:

Application : October 17 to December 11, 2023 (23h59, Paris time)
Shortlist : January 25, 2024
Oral tests : Between February 26 and March 7, 2024
Admission results : March 12, 2024

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 in Paris 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: http://www1.ens.fr/recrutement-si/
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 in Paris.
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.

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) – 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.

Source / More information: Official Website HERE.