Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris
École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris is France's most prestigious institution for training scholars, researchers, and intellectual leaders. Founded in 1794 during the French Revolution to create teachers for the Republic, ENS has evolved into one of the world's most distinguished centers for advanced education in sciences and humanities. The institution's small size belies its enormous influence, having produced more Nobel laureates and Fields medalists per capita than any other institution. The history of ENS encompasses the development of modern French intellectual life. The Rue d'Ulm campus in the Latin Quarter has hosted legendary figures across disciplines, from Louis Pasteur in sciences to Jean-Paul Sartre and Michel Foucault in philosophy. The institution's unique model of nurturing exceptional students for scholarly careers has produced generations of professors, researchers, and public intellectuals who shape French and global culture. The concentration of exceptional achievement at ENS is extraordinary. The institution counts 14 Nobel Prize laureates, 13 Fields Medal winners, and numerous other major prize recipients among its alumni and faculty. Philosophers including Henri Bergson, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Jacques Derrida studied at ENS, as did mathematicians and scientists who transformed their disciplines. Contemporary normaliens continue this tradition of scholarly excellence. ENS's culture is intensely intellectual and research-focused. The approximately 2,400 students (normaliens and master's students) engage in rigorous study with exceptional faculty in an atmosphere emphasizing original thought. The expectation is not merely competence but genuine scholarly contribution. International students, approximately 40 percent of the population, bring global perspectives to this distinctive environment.
- Acceptance Rate
- 65.0%
- SAT Range
- 1050–1250
- ACT Range
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- Avg GPA
- 3.25
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Student Life & Environment
Life at ENS unfolds in an environment of unusual intellectual intensity where academic conversation continues well beyond classrooms and seminars. The historic buildings on Rue d'Ulm include student residences where normaliens live in community, sharing meals, discussions, and the particular experience of this extraordinary institution. The legendary courtyard, adorned with a basin and fountain, serves as a gathering place where students from different disciplines encounter each other. Libraries provide resources for research while common rooms host formal and informal gatherings. The institution's small size means that students quickly come to know their classmates and professors in ways that larger universities cannot replicate. Traditions accumulated over two centuries shape the community, from the vocabulary normaliens use to the rituals that mark academic life. Student organizations cover interests from politics to theater to sports, though academic pursuits often dominate student attention. Paris itself serves as an extended campus, with students taking advantage of museums, archives, cafes, and cultural events throughout the city. The pressure of academic expectations runs high, and the community provides support while also generating the creative tension that drives achievement. Many lifelong intellectual partnerships and friendships form during these years of intense shared experience.
Location & Surroundings
The Latin Quarter of Paris provides perhaps the most storied setting for academic life anywhere in the world, and ENS sits at its heart. The neighborhood takes its name from the Latin once spoken by students who have studied here since medieval times, creating a tradition of intellectual life stretching back centuries. The Sorbonne, the Pantheon, and other landmarks of French education and culture surround the school, while the Luxembourg Gardens offer green space for contemplation just moments away. Bookshops, cafes, and libraries fill the streets, supporting the scholarly work and intellectual discourse that define this neighborhood. The Seine flows nearby, its bridges and quays providing beautiful walks and access to other parts of the city. Museums including the Louvre, Orsay, and countless smaller institutions make Paris one of the world's great cultural capitals. Student life in Paris can be expensive, though ENS students receive salaries that help offset costs. The Metro system makes the entire city accessible, with neighborhoods offering different characters from the elegance of Saint-Germain to the multicultural energy of Belleville. French cuisine, from humble bistros to legendary restaurants, surrounds students, while international cuisines reflect Paris's role as a global city.
Costs & Career Outcomes
Ecole Normale Superieure Paris offers an education that prepares students for the highest levels of academic and intellectual achievement. Those who gain admission join a lineage of thinkers who have shaped not just French but world culture and knowledge across sciences and humanities. The small community creates bonds and intellectual relationships that last throughout careers, with the ENS network providing connections in academia, government, and other fields. The freedom to pursue ideas across disciplinary boundaries encourages original thinking that might be constrained in more structured programs. Living in Paris during formative years exposes students to art, history, ideas, and experiences that expand perspectives and inspire ambition. The challenges of gaining admission and succeeding at ENS build confidence and capabilities that serve graduates throughout their lives. Research opportunities with leading scholars provide training that launches academic careers. For students with the ability and determination to compete for a place at ENS, the institution offers an education unlike any other, at one of the few schools in the world that can legitimately claim to train genius.
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