University in France
Paris, Île-de-France, France
University profile
The École normale supérieure – PSL (ENS-PSL) is both a grande école and a university, offering research-based training in sciences and humanities in the heart of Paris. Its stated mission is to train, through research, people for teaching and research careers and senior staff for public administrations and for French and European companies, while carrying out a multidisciplinary and international research policy. It is a member of Université PSL, which brings together institutions such as Dauphine, Mines Paris, ESPCI Paris, the École nationale des chartes, the Observatoire de Paris and the Collège de France.
The school welcomes close to 2,400 students each year and has 800 permanent teachers and researchers working in 15 departments and 32 research units. Studies are organised around the Diplôme de l'ENS (DENS), a tutored and individualised programme in which each student builds a yearly study plan with a tutor (caïman), combining a research-oriented master in a main discipline with courses outside it, language study and experiences outside the academic walls. More than 20 modern languages are taught.
Teaching and research are structured in seven science departments (biology, chemistry, cognitive studies, geosciences, computer science, mathematics and applications, physics) and humanities and social science departments (arts, economics, geography and territories, history, literatures and language, philosophy, antiquity sciences, social sciences including a law pathway), together with cross-disciplinary centres: ECLA (languages and cultures), CIENS (strategic issues, with the CEA, the Ministry of Defence and ANSSI), CERES (environment and society), the Centre interdisciplinaire des études européennes, the Observatoire des humanités numériques and the Chaire Espace.
The main campus is on rue d'Ulm and rue Lhomond in the Latin Quarter, with a second campus at boulevard Jourdan in Paris 14e and a third at Montrouge. The campuses provide libraries, a theatre, a music room, sports and cultural facilities, a health centre and boarding rooms (more than 400 at Ulm, close to 100 at Jourdan and 70 at Montrouge). A buddy system, student associations, an arts office and a sports office animate campus life.
International students enter mainly through the international selection competition, the normalien étudiant competition, the Olympic scholarships for medallists of the International Mathematical and Physics Olympiads, or the PSL master and doctoral programmes. The school has more than 200 partnerships with foreign universities and Erasmus+ exchanges, and the Programme Suds supports mobility with partners in the Global South. The ENS is evaluated every five years by the Hcéres.
National registration fees for a master: 255 euros, or 3,950 euros for students subject to differentiated fees (non-EU students); reduced rates of 167 euros and 2,633 euros apply for a gap year or study interruption. Students holding a CROUS social-criteria scholarship, a French Government scholarship or an embassy scholarship, pupilles de la Nation, and students admitted under an international agreement that provides for it are exempt; other exemption requests (refugees, non-EU students, jobseekers, students in serious difficulty or with disability) are examined by an exemption commission under the Director. The CVEC (contribution vie étudiante et de campus) is a separate mandatory 105 euros for 2026-2027.
The Fondation de l'ENS finances international mobility scholarships. See the masters page for details.
Browse the scholarships listed for École normale supérieure – PSL (ENS Paris) and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for École normale supérieure – PSL (ENS Paris) →Entry is by competitive examination. CPGE route: about 100 normaliens élèves are recruited in letters (A/L with compulsory Latin or Greek, and B/L social sciences with mathematics and economics and social science tests) and in sciences (BCPST, Info, MPI, PC, PSI), at the level of two years after the baccalauréat. EU nationals become paid civil-servant trainees (about 1,500 euros net per month for four years, subject to a ten-year commitment); non-EU laureates receive a scholarship of 1,000 euros net per month for four years without commitment.
Normalien étudiant competition: for students from universities or preparatory classes, at L3 level in letters (an M1 student may apply in case of reorientation or a double-degree agreement) and L2 or L3 level in sciences. 142 places were open in 2025. Applications in 2026 ran 23 February to 31 March (letters), 9 March to 24 April (sciences). Letters files include a CV, motivation letter, a research project with bibliography and diplomas; science selection looks for excellent results (for example top 10% ranking), recommendation letters and a motivation letter, followed by a general and a specialist test.
For students who completed their first cycle abroad: applicants must be under 26 at the opening of applications, have validated at least one year of higher education abroad (and a second by admission), not have been enrolled in France for more than six months in the competition year and the preceding one, and not have applied before. Files are submitted on the OnePSL30 platform: CV, transcripts, a letter in French or English describing the path and three-year project, and two to four recommendation letters. For 2027 applications run from 16 October to 15 December 2026, with admission tests online (letters 15-26 February 2027; sciences 3-19 March 2027). Laureates are normaliens étudiants with a monthly scholarship of 1,000 euros for three years and a room on campus, and obtain the ENS diploma and a master.
Gold or silver medallists of the International Olympiads in Mathematics or Physics (since 2025) who are in their final school year or the first three years of higher education may apply on OnePSL30; applications for 2027 run from 16 October 2026 to 18 January 2027, with auditions possible in French or English.
PSL masters operated or co-sponsored by the ENS last two years (M1, M2). Students are normaliens or master students selected by the master's jury; an L3 certificate or diploma gives access to M1.
Doctoral training takes place under a thesis director attached to an ENS-PSL laboratory within a PSL co-accredited doctoral school; the target duration is three years, ending with a public defence. Thesis funding is awarded by competition by the doctoral schools.
The health centre (pôle santé) at 45 rue d'Ulm offers a preventive-medicine doctor and a nurse, and the school runs a disability policy with dedicated referents and takes part in the Atypie-Friendly programme.
Study programmes offered at École normale supérieure – PSL (ENS Paris).
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