- TypeUniversities
- LocationLyon 7e, France
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The École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon) is a higher-education institution in Lyon that trains students through and for research. It covers all disciplines except law and medicine, from the sciences to the humanities, social sciences and arts. Its main site is at 15 parvis René Descartes, and it also has a second site, Jacques Monod.
Students can follow a programme from the third year of a bachelor's degree (L3) up to the doctorate, with individual study plans:
- Diplôme de l'ENS de Lyon, a four-year programme that confers the master's degree level and includes at least three months abroad
- Master's programmes: 20 subject areas (mentions) with 54 tracks
- Doctoral training with 10 doctoral schools and 23 research units
- CPES Sciences et société, a diploma at bachelor's level
Students enter the ENS diploma either by competitive exam (concours) or by application (sur dossier). The school welcomes international students for one semester or a full degree, about 13% of its students are international, and it publishes a list of courses for exchange students. It holds the three-star "Bienvenue en France" label for the quality of its support for international students, awarded in 2020 and renewed in 2025.
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Public University
+33437376000
15 parvis René Descartes, Lyon 7e, Rhône, France, 69342
The four-year Diplôme de l'ENS de Lyon confers the master's degree level. It combines three years of research-based study (L3 or pre-master, M1, M2) with a specific fourth year (long research project, higher-education teaching, senior civil service or a complementary programme), individual tutoring, and the Cambridge Advanced (C1) English certificate, whose first registration fee is paid by the school.
Departments include biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, earth sciences, foreign languages and literatures, literature and arts, philosophy, social sciences and economics. With the Lycée du Parc, the school also runs the CPES Sciences et société, a diploma at bachelor's level.
The ENS de Lyon offers 20 master's subject areas (mentions) with 54 tracks, either research master's programmes or FEADéP master's programmes that prepare for the agrégation teaching exam. Fields are grouped into:
- Arts, literature and languages
- Law, economics and management
- Humanities and social sciences
- Science, technology and health
Doctoral training is organised through 10 doctoral schools and 23 research units. Double degrees with partner institutions in France or abroad are also available.
Admission to the ENS de Lyon is selective and follows several routes:
- Competitive exam in arts and humanities (Concours Lettres et Sciences humaines)
- Competitive exam in exact and experimental sciences
- Application to the ENS diploma on the basis of a file (sur dossier)
- Application to a research-oriented master's programme
Students admitted by exam become normaliens élèves and those admitted on file normaliens étudiants. International students can also come for one exchange semester; a list of courses for exchange students is published.
Several schemes help students finance their studies. The Cécile DeWitt-Morette scholarships are for women admitted on file (normaliennes-étudiantes) to the Diplôme de l'ENS de Lyon in computer science and mathematics.