StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The International Selection is the École Normale Supérieure – PSL's dedicated admission route for remarkable students from outside France. Each year roughly twenty candidates — about ten in the Sciences and ten in Arts and Humanities — join ENS for a three-year programme built around intellectual freedom, multidisciplinarity and research. Teaching is research-led, mentoring is personal, and scholars receive intensive French courses alongside laboratory placements and departmental visits. Scholars are housed on an ENS campus and receive a monthly grant, widely reported at €1,000 a month.
Eligibility
- Younger than 26 on 16 October 2026 (must not have turned 26).
- At least one year of undergraduate study completed at a foreign university (two years by the time of enrolment).
- Must not have lived in France for more than 10 months during the competition year or the preceding year (Arts and Humanities; 6 months for Sciences).
- Must never have applied to the International Selection before.
- In rare cases the Director of ENS may authorise candidates with non-standard academic backgrounds.
Benefits
- Monthly grant for three years (reported at €1,000/month).
- Guaranteed room on an ENS campus in Paris.
- Research-oriented training with mentoring, intensive French courses and laboratory placements.
- Administrative support: visa attestation, health insurance guidance and help opening a French bank account.
Documents required
- Curriculum vitae
- Motivation letter, 1–3 pages (in French; Economics, Linguistics and Cognitive Studies candidates submit in French and English)
- Research project, maximum 3 pages / 10,000 characters with a bibliography of 10 works (Arts and Humanities)
- University transcripts and high-school diploma
- 2–4 letters of recommendation, requested directly through the OnePSL30 platform
How to apply
- Read the official ENS international selection page carefully, including the discipline-specific instructions.
- Begin the application on the OnePSL30 platform (avoid iCloud email addresses for yourself and your referees).
- Merge all documents into a single PDF and upload it on the platform.
- Invite your referees through the platform well before the deadline — late letters sink applications.
- Submit before 15 December 2026, 2:00 PM Paris time — late or emailed applications are not considered.
FAQs
Yes — the selection is open to all nationalities. The key condition is that your university study has been outside France.
For Arts and Humanities, fluency in French is strongly recommended and the exams are held in French. For Sciences, the cover letter may be written in French or English.
Around 20 — roughly ten in the Sciences and ten in Arts and Humanities.
No — candidates who have previously applied to the International Selection are not eligible.
Verified 20 Oct 2026 against the official ENS-PSL admissions page (applications 16 Oct–15 Dec 2026, 14:00 Paris time, both disciplines; under 26; 2–4 recommendation letters; grant plus accommodation), with the monthly amount and place split cross-checked via Scholars World, KAIST Scholarship and PCV Express (€1,000/month for three years; about 10 Sciences + 10 Arts and Humanities places).
