ENS Bachelor & Master Scholarship in France

Are in the 3rd year of your bachelor degree or starting your master degree? do you want to continue your studies in a high academic institution in France ?
The École Normale Supérieure invites applications from international students of diverse backgrounds for enrollment in the third year of a Bachelor’s degree (Licence 3) or the first year of a Master’s degree (Master 1). The International Selection exam is open to those with a background in Arts and Humanities or Sciences, who have completed at least one year in an undergraduate program at a foreign university and achieved outstanding academic results.

By passing the International Selection exam, students gain access to world-class education in an elite academic environment, working alongside leading researchers. International students are fully integrated into the ENS community and pursue their studies simultaneously at ENS and a partner university. They benefit from a generous €1,000 monthly scholarship for three years and are provided with on-campus accommodation. Upon graduation, students earn a master’s degree in their chosen field along with the prestigious École Normale Supérieure diploma.

The selection process includes two stages: an initial review of applications followed by remote written and oral examinations for shortlisted candidates.

ENS offers 10 positions in Sciences and 10 positions in Arts and Humanities through this competitive program

Brief Details:

Art & Humanities:

• Arts and Humanities Application Period: October 16 – December 15, 2026 (14:00, Paris time)
• Shortlist Notification: From January 21, 2027
• Written and Oral Tests: Between February 15 and February 26, 2027
• Admission Results: From March 9, 2027
• Administrative Registration: September 2027
• First Payment of Scholarship: October 2027
• Language of Instruction: French

Science:

• Application Period for Sciences: October 16 – December 15, 2026 (14:00, Paris time)
• Shortlist Notification: From January 27, 2027
• Tests: Between March 3 and March 19, 2027
• Admission Results: From March 26, 2027
• Administrative Registration: September 2027
• First Payment of Scholarship: October 2027
• Language of Instruction: French/English

Number of Scholarships:

Number of scholarships: 20 (10 for Science and 10 for Arts & Humanities)

Areas of study:

Arts and 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.

Sciences:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Earth science
• Computing science
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Cognitive sciences

Benefits:

• Opportunity to access excellent training
• Studying at ENS and university simultaneously
• 1000 euros per month for three years
• One room on campus
• Tuition fee paid by state, student need to pay only registration fee
• Gaining a master’s degree and an ENS diploma after graduation

Am I eligible to apply?

• Be under the age of 26 at the time of application
• Application must be made one time.
• Not have lived in France more than 10 months during the selection year (September 1st – August 31st) Nor the previous year.
• Candidates must provide documentation for at least one year of undergraduate study completed outside of France during the calendar year prior to the application deadline.
• Candidates must demonstrate that they will have completed at least two years of undergraduate study by September 1st, outside of France, in a foreign university.

Note: The Director of ENS may, on rare occasions, approve applications from candidates with non-standard academic backgrounds.

Required Documents:

For Art & Humanities:

• Detailed application form (editable form, download and save before completing)
• Passport, first page only (for candidates from outside of Europe), or ID card (for European candidates)
• A diploma from high school
• University transcript
• Personal statement
• Motivational letter (1 to 3 pages long, font: Times New Roman, 12 pt and 1.5 line spacing) – authored in French; Candidates must submit their motivation letter in both French and English for the economics, linguistics, and cognitive studies programs.)
• Research Project only for Arts & Humanities (3 pages max., 10, 000 characters including spaces).
  • This is not a cover letter; it is a research project. It should address a clearly defined topic, deal with a central problem, then present a few hypotheses and a set of supporting arguments. The sources used for the research project must be specifically identified (e.g., fieldwork, corpus, database, archives, etc.).
  • The research project uses a limited number of pertinent and well-informed references while referencing an existing body of scientific literature. A bibliography is included in this project (list of 10 books, including articles or literary works you have read and which turned out to be important in your intellectual career). It is a supplement to the study project. – authored in French;
  • Candidates can submit their project in either French or English for the fields of Economics, Linguistics, or Cognitive Studies.

Note: Once you have completed your initial application form, you will receive a link to a platform where all of these documents must be submitted. They must be combined into a single PDF (Family Name-Given Name.pdf).

Your referees should send 2 to 4 letters of recommendation via email; you can download an editable sample (with an email address) HERE.

For Science:

• Detailed application form (editable form, download and save before completing)
• First page of passport (for non-Eu candidates) & ID card (for Eu candidates)
• Diploma of high school
• Transcript of university
• CV
• Motivation letter (1 to 3 pages long : Times New Roman, 12 pt and 1.5 line spacing) – written in French or English

Note: Once you have completed your initial application form, you will receive a link to a platform where all of these documents must be submitted, combined into a single PDF, (Family Name-Given Name.pdf) must be the name of this particular pdf file.

Your referees should send 2 to 4 letters of recommendation via email; you can download an editable sample (with an email address) HERE.

How to apply?

Once you have completed your initial application form, you will receive a link to a platform where all of these documents must be submitted, combined into a single PDF.

Apply Now

Note: This opportunity needs a registration fee. You can find more details by checking the FAQ part here.

Selection Procedures:

Utilizing the calendars below, submit an application for international selection.

• Your file will be presented to the jury if it is complete.
• You will be invited to take written and oral tests if the jury chooses your dossier.
• The list of accepted students is determined by the test results.

Note: Anyone interested in applying to the Department of Cognitive Studies (DEC) may do so using either the Science or Arts & Humanities forms. This document illustrates the differences between these two options. All candidates MUST contact the DEC to determine the best course of action based on their individual academic backgrounds.

Examination:

The examination process involves two steps: application selection, followed by oral and written exams (for arts and humanities and sciences, respectively) or just oral exams (for sciences).

Download and check the exam samples from previous years here

For more information about tests and other application procedures, please visit the ENS scholarship website.

You may also like these scholarships:

• Cambridge University MBA Scholarship 2026 by Boustany Foundation
• Pakistan 4500 Scholarships for Afghanistan (3rd phase of Allama Iqbal Scholarships)
• 2027 ‘Honjo International Scholarship Foundation’ Scholarships – Japan
• Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Research Internship Program in Japan
• Korea Development Institute (KDI) Master Degree and PhD Scholarships 2026