Other Exchange Programs and Scholarships

BIOSANTEXC Franco-Indian Campus in Life Sciences

The Biosantexc project, involving ENS-PSL, the three other French Écoles normales supérieures, the six Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), and other associated partners, is one of the four selected projects from the call for proposals launched by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, for the creation of a Franco-Indian campus in life sciences for health.

The Indo-French Life Sciences Campus “BIOSANTEXC” (BSX) offers two types of visiting programs aimed at enabling permanent researchers and academic staff to initiate or develop joint teaching and/or research projects within the network.

Eligibility :

• Open to French and Indian researchers and academic staff — professors or assistant professors — affiliated with one of the institutions or laboratories that are members of the BSX consortium.
• Disciplinary fields: life sciences, health, and interdisciplinary projects related to life sciences, including humanities and social sciences.

Financial conditions:

• The program supports mobility for a maximum period of one week;
• It covers travel costs (airfare up to €800) and living expenses (up to 7 per diems). Additional costs may be covered by the home or host institution.

Evaluation criteria :

• Relevance and coherence of the project with the objectives of the BSX initiative;
• Candidate’s motivation to develop research collaborations with BSX network partners and/or to engage in study programs (e.g., development of joint degrees);
• Expected impact in terms of training or research activities and their dissemination within the BSX network.

Submission :

Information to come.

Jean Walter Zellidja Research Grants 2026 (Granted by the Académie Française)

History

Mr. Jean Walter, an architect, made a donation to the Académie française. These funds are earmarked for travel and study grants for French youth.
Since 1976, these grants have been awarded to students from grandes écoles or universities who, outside of their degree, wish to participate in a different training or pursue personal research through a stay abroad of about a year.

Conditions

• Must be younger than 30 years old at the time of the application
• Must be a doctoral or postdoctoral student at the ENS
• Must be a French-speaker

Applications

Please send the following documents to: dri@ens.psl.eu before January 18, 2026:

• your CV
• your research project ( 1-2 pages minimum)
• an invitation letter from the host university

To the attention of selected students: a dossier with required information will be sent to you. Make sure to duly complete it and, please send it back to the DRI before February 10, 2026.

For further information, you can contact the secretary of the Académie française : 01 44 41 87 63.

Other Information

• Only applications for stays starting in July of the competition year will be considered
• Winners are informed by post of the decision.
• No report of the deliberations of the committee is publicly available.
• Applying to the scholarship under the conditions required does not confer any rights.

ENS Group - China Scholarship Council (CSC) PhD

The three Écoles Normales Supérieures (Ulm, Lyon, Rennes) have signed a cooperation agreement with the China Scholarship Concil (CSC) which provides funding for 15 PhD students in the ENS group, on the basis of a selection by the ENS and by the CSC. 

The selection criteria will take into account the quality of the application, the host laboratory at ENS’ interest in the topic of research, and the existing cooperation with the home university of the candidates.

Eligibility Criteria :

• The scholarship is for a maximum duration of 4 years. Its amount is 1350 €/month. In the case of a joint supervision, the scholarship will be granted for the periods in which the student is in France.
• Candidates must be citizens and permanent residents of the People’s Republic of China at the time of the application and must not be currently working abroad
• Successful candidates must return to China upon completion of their PhD studies or after a postdoctoral stay abroad (upon agreement by CSC)
• Candidates must fulfill the general admission and selection requirements of ENS and doctoral studies department and obtain the agreement of the relevant doctoral school. They must have a good level in English for candidates in science, or in French for candidates in the humanities.
• Candidates must be accepted by a laboratory supervised by ENS Ulm.

PhD Project Proposals:

The call for proposals is currently open.

To submit a PhD topic, please complete the form below and return it to dri@ens.psl.eu no later than November 14, 2025.

Procedure :

2026 Timeline

• Call for thesis subject proposals: from October 15, 2025 to November 14, 2025
• Publication of PhD project proposals and application open to candidates : from December 15, 2025, to February 13, 2026
• Selection by the ENS group: February 27, 2026
• Application on CSC platform : from mid to end of March 2026
• Final selection: end of June 2026
• Registration at ENS : July 2026

Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Program

The Eiffel Scholarship Program is a tool developed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to enable French higher education institutions to attract the best international students into master’s and doctoral degree programs. 

Its aim is to train future foreign decision-makers from both the public and private sectors in priority fields of study, and to encourage applications from students from emerging countries at the master’s level and from both emerging and industrialized countries at the doctoral level.   

Fields of Study Covered by the Eiffel Scholarships and Offered at ENS:

• Science and Technology:
  • Biology and Health
  • Ecological Transition
  • Mathematics and Digital Sciences
  • Engineering Sciences
• Sciences humaines et sociales :
  • History, French Language and Civilization
  • Law and Political Science
  • Economics and Management

Funding (2026)

•    Master’s level:  ENS does not submit applications for the Eiffel Scholarship at the master’s level.
•    Doctoral level: Eiffel scholarship holders receive a monthly allowance of €2,100, along with direct coverage of several additional benefits: international and domestic transport, insurance, housing assistance, cultural activities, etc.

How to Apply for the Eiffel Scholarship at ENS?

Check your eligibility:

• Duration of the scholarship: : The scholarship is awarded for the academic year corresponding to the call for applications. The stay must begin between September 1 and November 30 of the year in which the scholarship is granted. The Eiffel scholarship may be awarded for 12, 18, or 36 months, depending on the situation:
  • 36 months: Only for students enrolled in the first year of a PhD.
  • 12 or 18 months: Depending on the year of registration, for all other candidates, including those already enrolled in a joint supervision (codirection) or joint PhD (cotutelle):
    - Up to 12 months for those in the 2nd or 3rd year of doctoral studies.
    - Up to 18 months for those in the 1st or 2nd year of doctoral studies.
• Age limit: Candidates must be 35 years old or younger during the 2026 application campaign (born after March 31, 1990).
• Nationality: Open only to non-French nationals. Dual nationals with French citizenship are not eligible.
• Geographical situation: Students currently studying abroad have priority over those already residing in France, although the latter remain eligible.

Send your complete application to the International Relations Department (DRI) at dri@ens.psl.eu specifying the program to which you wish to apply.

Please attach the following documents:

• A copy of your identity document showing your full name, date of birth, and nationality.
• Your CV, written in French or English (1–2 pages), detailing your academic background and any professional experience.
• Degree certificates and academic rankings: Copies of your most recent diplomas, indicating date, field, distinctions, and any document attesting to excellence or performance.
• Language certificate or diploma (if applicable).
• Transcripts from the past three academic years, whether obtained in France or abroad.
• A professional project statement, written in French or English (1–2 pages), possibly supported by a letter from an external party (e.g., company).
• A PhD project proposal, written in French or English (maximum 5 pages), clearly outlining the topic, objectives, research hypotheses, innovative aspects, impact, and expected benefits.
• A detailed academic assessment of the scientific quality of the PhD topic:
  • Must be written by a university professor, research director, or qualified research supervisor (HDR);
  • Must be external to the applicant’s home institution;
  • Must belong to the same research field or CNU section as the proposed PhD topic;
  • Must not have co-authored publications with the proposed PhD supervisor. 

This document provides the Eiffel jury with evidence that the thesis project is realistic, feasible, and scientifically sound. 

• The CV of the expert who wrote the evaluation (maximum 2 pages).
• The overall financial plan for the PhD project.
• For joint supervision (cotutelle) or co-supervision (codirection): the signed agreement between French and foreign institutions, including the schedule of alternating stays if applicable. For 36-month scholarships without cotutelle/codirection, attach a blank page instead.

Application deadline: November 23, 2025

The DRI will determine whether your application can be supported by ENS.

The DRI will then submit your application online to Campus France.

Results Publication: Successful candidates will be contacted by Campus France via email.

Regulations

Please consult the official program regulations below as well as the Campus France website for the Eiffel Scholarships 2025 call.

Campus France

All information can be found on the Campus France website. For any practical questions, please write to candidatures.eiffel@campusfrance.org

Also see

• The Campus France Scholarship Directory
• The France Diplomacy website

Lafayette Fellowship for American Master's students in France  

Created to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, the Lafayette Fellowship celebrates the historic Franco-American bond. This program allows 30 outstanding American students to complete a one-year master’s program at a partner university in France, while immersing themselves in French culture, science, and politics.

For more information about the program and participating institutions, please visit the Lafayette Fellowship website.

Eligibility:

• Open to applicants who have obtained a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution (completed between January 2023 and June 2026);
• GPA of no less than 3.7 on a 4.0 scale;
• Applicants must be 27 years old or younger as of July 1, 2026. 

Eligible ENS Master’s Programs:

• Master in Fundamental Physics (taught in English)
• Master in Cognitive Science (taught in English, Master 1 only)
• Master in Life Sciences (taught in French and English)
• Master in Analysis and Policy in Economics (taught in English)
• Master in Public Policy & Development / Applied Economics (taught in English)
• Master en Philosophie (taught in French)

Fellowship Funding:

• A €1,500 monthly stipend from mid-July 2026 through the end of June 2027 to cover living expenses;
• One year of tuition at a partner French institution for eligible programs;
• Application fee waivers for French academic institutions and master’s programs;
• Student visa fee waivers for one academic year;
• A round-trip flight to and from France at the start and end of the program;
• Coverage of travel costs and activities related to the French-American Leadership Program.

Application Submission:

• Applications must be submitted directly through the Lafayette Fellowship platform by November 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (UTC-5)..
• In parallel, candidates must also apply directly to the desired master’s program.

For more information about the application procedures, please consult the document available here.