Grants for IMO and IPhO medallists

What does the Olympic scholarship program entail?

The program offers the successful candidate the opportunity to enroll at the ENS-PSL and obtain a Master's degree in Mathematics (for IMO medallists) or Physics (for IPO medallists) from ENS. 

The first year of the ENS is roughly equivalent to the third year of undergraduate studies. If the successful candidate has the required level, he or she will be admitted directly to ENS-PSL. If the candidate's knowledge does not immediately allow this, the candidate will first continue their studies at the prestigious Lycée Louis-le-Grand (hyperlink https://louislegrand.fr) for one or two years, to prepare for the studies at ENS. During that time, the student will

• receive a scholarship of 500€ per month
• enroll in a French language course (unless they are already fluent in French)
• be assigned a mentor from the ENS with whom they will maintain regular contact 

At the end of this period at Lycée Louis-le-Grand (and subject to a favorable opinion from the teaching team) the successful candiate will enroll at ENS-PSL. 

After admission to ENS-PSL, the student will

• have the status of normalien (a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure) and be attached to the mathematics/physics department
• pursue the ENS-PSL diploma, which includes a master's degree in physics
• receive a scholarship of €1,000 per month, for three years
• maintain regular contact with his/her mentor

Students are also eligible for subsidized housing and receive one round-trip ticket per year to their home country.

Eligibility conditions and how to apply?

Eligibility conditions to apply for the Olympic Scholarship program:

• have won a gold or silver medal at the International Mathematics/Physics Olympiad (not necessarily this year)
• be in their final year of high school or within the first three years of higher education
• not have been enrolled in a high school or higher education institution in France for more than six months during the last two academic years.

The online application form is available here (hyperlink https://formulaires.ens.psl.eu). The following supporting documents will be asked when applying:

• transcripts for the current and previous years
• a certificate of a silver or gold medal at the International Mathematics/Physics Olympiad
• a letter from the candidate describing their background and their study plans for the next three years, in French or English
• a curriculum vitae.

Remark: third year students are no longer eligible for this scholarship, but can apply for the International Selection entrance exam to ENS.

We welcome your applications!

Mathematics and Physics departments

More information about the departments can be found here:

https://www.math.ens.psl.eu

https://www.phys.ens.fr

We welcome your applications!

If you have questions regarding the olympic scholarship program in physics, please contact olympiades@ens.psl.eu

Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at ENS

The Department of Mathematics and Applications of the ENS (DMA) is both a teaching department and a research laboratory of the CNRS (Unité Mixte de Recherche 8553).

The DMA therefore has two missions:

• training through research to prepare for a wide range of career opportunities,
• a research mission.

Link to the Mathematics Department
Useful contact : olympiades@ens.psl.eu