The 2025-2026 application is now closed. The 2026-2027 competition will open in Spring 2025.

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Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

Artist

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

FPA

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org.

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program.

France

4 Fulbright Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS) Paris-Saclay Award

Accepted Degree Levels
  • Bachelor's
  • Master's
  • Doctoral
Grant Period
September Start
Grant Length
6-10 Months
Award Type
Special Study/Research
Fulbright Graduate Degree Grants
  • Yes
Award Profile

Two to four awards of 6 to 12 months each are offered to pursue a master's degree or research at the Ecole normale supérieure (ENS) Paris-Saclay (previously ENS Cachan) in the fundamental sciences, engineering sciences, or social sciences humanities.

The ENS Paris-Saclay is a prestigious school for research and higher education careers. Its rigorously selected students follow advanced courses in fundamental sciences, humanities and social sciences, and engineering sciences.

The École also offers a number of original research study programs on topics such as quantum technology, artificial intelligence, creative and immersion research, and in science for environmental transitions in famous international laboratories.

Situated on the plateau de Saclay since 2020, ENS Paris-Saclay, a component institution of Université Paris-Saclay, coordinates the Graduate School of research and higher education careers. Since its creation, Université Paris-Saclay is among the top-ranked universities (15th in the world, 1st in Mathematics and 9th in Physics - ARWU 2023).

The École’s new building, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, brings to life the pedagogy of the École normale supérieure, by blending the areas allocated to research and classrooms and promoting interdisciplinarity.

Along with 3 other French ENS (Lyon, Paris, and Rennes), its public service mission aims to prepare the best students for academic careers, as all these careers in both the public and private sectors require great scientific expertise.

Grant Length
6-10 Months
Grant Period
September Start

Grants are awarded for 6-12 months for doctoral candidates, and 10 months for Master's students.

Grants will generally begin on September 1 through June 30 for university attendance.

Orientation
In-Country Orientation

Grantees will be required to attend a mandatory 1- to 2-day in-country orientation in late September, and a 2-day mid-year conference in February (organized by the Fulbright Commission in France).

Grantees will also be required to attend the general meeting for new international students at ENS Paris-Saclay at the beginning of September.

Candidate Profile

Graduating college seniors, recent graduates, master's, and Ph.D.-level candidates interested in pursuing studies and/or research at ENS Paris-Saclay in the following fields are eligible to apply: fundamental sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Applicants must either:

    • Plan on applying to and enrolling in a Master's program offered at ENS Paris-Saclay, or;
    • Have doctoral candidate status in the United States and propose a research project.
What is life like for Fulbrighters in the host country?

Being a Fulbrighter in France is an unforgettable experience! When not engaged in their project, Fulbrighters enjoy the benefits of the French lifestyle: wonderful food, excellent life-work balance, and enthusiasm for lively debate and discussion. We encourage Fulbrighters to travel the country (and discover its many amazing heritage sites, museums, landscapes, and diverse society), and to get involved in community service or other local activities. They are thus able to build strong cross cultural ties between France and the United States.

It is important to note, however, that while the Fulbright Commission is dedicated to assisting Fulbrighters as much as possible to make their transition to France as smooth as possible, Fulbrighters are responsible for securing their own housing and making other administrative arrangements themselves. We recommend that Fulbrighters prepare their stay well ahead of time.

 

For more information on daily life in France, see: https://www.usa.campusfrance.org/daily-life

Eligibility
Residency in host country NOT permitted in year prior to grant
Indicate how many months is considered residency:
9 Months
Dual citizens of this country are eligible
Degree Level of Applicant
  • Bachelor's
  • Master's
  • Doctoral
Special Application Instructions

In the Fulbright online application, please select ENS Paris-Saclay Grant from the Award Name drop-down menu.

Foreign Language Proficiency
Recommended - Intermediate

For Master’s programs taught in French, an intermediate level of French is required (B2 on the European scale).

For Master’s programs taught in English and research projects, a basic knowledge of French may be sufficient.

Additional Information: French as an exchange language courses are offered for free at ENS Paris-Saclay throughout the academic year according to students’ proficiency.

In the Fulbright online application, applicants should include the Language Self-Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation by a professional language instructor in relation to their language proficiency.

Fulbright Proposal Types
Independent Study/Research:
Yes
Graduate Degree Enrollment:
Yes
Affiliation
Independent Study/Research:
Letter required for independent study or research at deadline
Graduate Degree Enrollment:
Letter required at deadline

It is the applicant's responsibility to secure affiliation with ENS Paris-Saclay. 

Applicants are required to first contact the ENS Paris-Saclay International Office (ri-incoming@ens-paris-saclay.fr) who will put the applicants in touch with the appropriate department and/or laboratory. Each proposed project has to be submitted for verification to the ENS Paris-Saclay International Office (ri-incoming@ens-paris-saclay.fr) (cc cgoodwin@fulbright-france.org) before applying.

A letter of affiliation signed by the relevant supervisor at ENS Paris-Saclay should be submitted with the application for applicants pursuing both degree-seeking and research projects. Applicants enrolling in a degree seeking program must apply to ENS Paris-Saclay as well, once they have been confirmed as Fulbright grantees. 

Please note that ENS Paris-Saclay is not the same institution as ENS in Paris itself (often referred to as “ENS Ulm”). In addition, while ENS Paris-Saclay is a member institution of the Université Paris-Saclay, not all Université Paris-Saclay programs are affiliated with ENS Paris-Saclay. Candidates need to be sure that the study and/or research projects they propose are indeed through ENS Paris-Saclay. Please reach out to the International Relations Office for complete and accurate information on programs of interest before beginning the application.

Affiliation Fees/Tuition
Affiliation Fees/Tuition covered in grant benefits

A full tuition waiver is granted.

Please note that, according to French law, all students are required to pay administrative fees ("contribution de vie étudiante et de campus" or CVEC) as part of enrollment. In 2023-2024, these fees were 100 euros.

Award Benefits
  • A stipend broadly based on the cost of living in the host country. These funds may be used by the grantee to support housing, meals, and incidental costs during the grant period.
  • International travel benefits
  • Accident & sickness health benefits
  • 24/7 mental health support line for urgent and non-urgent situations
  • 12 months of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) hiring status within the federal government
Stipend Amount

This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.

Between 1550 and 1800 monthly stipend amount in
€ [Euro]

Degree-seeking students receive 1550 Euros per month.

Doctoral candidates receive 1800 Euros per month.

One-Time Allowances

This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.

1200 in
€ [Euro]

All Fulbright grantees receive 1200 Euros in travel allowance.

Additional Grant Benefits
  • Mid-year seminar
Estimated Cost of Living

Consider using cost of living comparison websites to gain a better understanding of the potential costs in your host country.

The Université Paris-Saclay (of which ENS Paris-Saclay is a member) provides detailed information on cost of living as a student here.

Dependents
Dependent financial support is NOT available
Housing Arrangements

The Fulbright Commission provides grantees with a guide to life in France that includes resources and links on finding housing. Grantees may also seek assistance from the international students office to secure student housing opportunties through ENS Paris-Saclay.

Fulbright Program Management Contact
FBstudent.EUR@iie.org
Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Website
https://fulbright-france.org/en
Portrait of an alumna

Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Contact
Charlotte Goodwin: cgoodwin@fulbright-france.org
Additional Online Resources
Directory of Master’s Programs:: https://ens-paris-saclay.fr/en/formations/masters
Directory of Laboratories at ENS Paris-Saclay:: https://ens-paris-saclay.fr/en/entites/laboratoires
More Information About ENS Paris-Saclay: : https://ens-paris-saclay.fr/en/school/ens-paris-saclay
Video presentation of ENS Paris-Saclay: https://youtu.be/j_tPq4PRt5M