Study Mathematics at ENS
There are three ways to enter the Department of Mathematics and Applications. Either via the entrance exam after the preparatory classes, or via the international selection, or via the student normalien exam.
The ENS entrance exam
The majority of our students come from the Ecole Normale Supérieure entrance exam. This exam recruits French or foreign students who have followed a preparation similar to the one given in the French preparatory classes. Students who pass the entrance exam follow a four-year paid course at the ENS and are housed on the ENS campus.
The international selection
The International Selection is open to all foreign students, there is no specific program or preparation. Successful students follow a three-year paid course at the ENS, and are housed on the ENS campus. International selection is the main method of recruiting non-French speaking foreign students.
The “Concours normalien étudiant”
The “concours normalien étudiant” is open to students (French or foreign registered in a French university) who do not take the entrance exam to the École normale supérieure during the same year. Students who are admitted can prepare for the ENS diploma by following the department’s curriculum, but do not receive a salary.
