Foreign students at the chemistry department of ENS
Why Join ENS?
At the Ecole Normale Supérieure, located in the center of Paris, students benefit from stimulating surroundings, a diversified offerings in many fields of study and a multidisciplinary environment ranging from sciences to the arts. A personal tutor also helps the students to build their own academic projects. Enrollment at ENS Chemistry Department is offered to students for study to obtain a Master’s degree (120 ECTS) and the ENS diploma in chemistry (120 ECTS).
Why studying chemistry at the Department of Chemistry of ENS ?
« I recommand this Department because it is much more personal ; you can always ask for help … you are not just a number … »
Applying to Study at ENS
A) The International Selection
International selection is open to students with a foreign degree (see specific conditions in the webpage below). International selection by ENS provides a great opportunity to join this renowned center of French educational excellence. The selection process takes place in two steps: (1) an initial selection based on a review of transcripts and academic achievements (2) a written and an oral examinations. If selected, the student works towards a Master’s degree (120 ECTS), and a special ENS degree with multidisciplinary electives (120 ECTS). A personal tutor provide students with optimal conditions for study.
Additional information: International Selection of ENS – website
B) Regular Selection
Regular selection is open to students (French and foreigners) to join the department of chemistry, but with no fellowship support. The selection process is based on a review of transcripts and academic achievements with a personal interview that can be conducted by video-conference. Students prepare a Master’s degree, and a special ENS degree with multidisciplinary electives.
Additional information: Regular Selection of ENS – website
C) Erasmus Student or Other Foreign Students
The ENS chemistry department is an international center for higher education. Every year, we welcome Erasmus students from third and fourth year undergraduate studies. A maximum of ten students will be welcomed per year. We transfer the credits obtained at ENS to the home institution. Details about the application are available below.
The list of available courses can be found on via the following link: 1A and 2A
The program of studies will be organized according to an agreement between a faculty advisor at the student’s home university with the director for the international exchanges at ENS-chemistry department (Jérôme Delacotte jerome.delacotte@ens.psl.eu).
Internships in research laboratories are also possible in the chemistry department of ENS. To apply, the student should go to the research website of the chemistry department and select the group he/she wishes to join. These internship programs will also be organized in agreement between the research group, a faculty advisor from the student’s home institution and the director(s) for the international exchanges at the ENS-chemistry department.
Steps for the application
(a) the student must choose the courses he/she wishes to attend in agreement between the home institution and the chemistry department.
(b) when the program of studies is ready, he/she should send to responsible(s) for the international exchanges (see above) and to administrative assistant (enseignement.chimie@ens.psl.eu) an application file including:
1. a CV
2. a few lines explaining his/her motivation to come and study at ENS
3. the program of studies or the intership program
(c) He/she should also have the registrar or the reference professor for the exchange send his/her transcripts to the director of the international exchanges at ENS-chemistry department. This transcript should provide all the student’s grades as well as the percentile in which the student belongs (5% top, 5-10 %, 10-20%, 20-50 %, 50-80 %, below)
A committee will examine the application. If the student is accepted, an agreement will then be signed between ENS and the student’s university (typically, an ERASMUS agreement in Europe). This procedure may take some time. Therefore, we recommend to get in contact with the director of the international exchanges at ENS-chemistry department at least 6 months in advance of the start of the program.