The École normale supérieure (ENS) is a grande école, meaning it is outside the mainstream public university system in France. ENS is based in Paris and was originally conceived during the French Revolution, to provide the fledgling French Republic with a new body of professors, trained in the critical spirit and secular values of the Enlightenment.
Providing a platform for students to pursue careers in government and academia is still its priority, and during their studies some ENS students actually hold the status of paid civil servants. Its alumni have gone on to make a significant contribution to the fields of science, math and philosophy. They include Louis Pasteur, the chemist who evented pasteurization, and world-renowned thinker Michel Foucault.
The school is small and selective: there are only 2,400 students in total, with 400 undergraduates, and 1,400 academic members of staff. The core student body, called normaliens, are admitted through a competitive exam called the concours. There are classes to prepare for the concours exam that last two years, and lead to two hundred normaliens being enrolled each year, half in the sciences and half in humanities. They receive a monthly salary of around €1,300 and in exchange sign a 10-year contract to work for the state.
Student life at École Normale Supérieure is somewhat different from at other universities. For a start, students have the opportunity to live and study in the very heart of Paris. The university’s main Ulm campus is located in the Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter), with its ancient main building and cloistered courtyard, the Cour aux Ernest, which is adorned with busts of French thinkers, researchers and scientists who left their mark on history.
It’s here amid the rue d’Ulm and rue Lhomond that the humanities and sciences departments are based, and where many students live. The district is renowned for its student life and lively streets, its numerous cinemas, theaters and bars, as well as some of the most prestigious academic institutions of Paris, such as the Sorbonne universities, the École des Mines de Paris, and the École des Arts décoratifs.
The École normale supérieure (ENS) is a grande école, meaning it is outside the mainstream public university system in France. ENS is based in Paris and was originally conceived during the French Revolution, to provide the fledgling French Republic with a new body of professors, trained in the critical spirit and secular values of the Enlightenment.
Providing a platform for students to pursue careers in government and academia is still its priority, and during their studies some ENS students actually hold the status of paid civil servants. Its alumni have gone on to make a significant contribution to the fields of science, math and philosophy. They include Louis Pasteur, the chemist who evented pasteurization, and world-renowned thinker Michel Foucault.
The school is small and selective: there are only 2,400 students in total, with 400 undergraduates, and 1,400 academic members of staff. The core student body, called normaliens, are admitted through a competitive exam called the concours. There are classes to prepare for the concours exam that last two years, and lead to two hundred normaliens being enrolled each year, half in the sciences and half in humanities. They receive a monthly salary of around €1,300 and in exchange sign a 10-year contract to work for the state.
Student life at École Normale Supérieure is somewhat different from at other universities. For a start, students have the opportunity to live and study in the very heart of Paris. The university’s main Ulm campus is located in the Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter), with its ancient main building and cloistered courtyard, the Cour aux Ernest, which is adorned with busts of French thinkers, researchers and scientists who left their mark on history.
It’s here amid the rue d’Ulm and rue Lhomond that the humanities and sciences departments are based, and where many students live. The district is renowned for its student life and lively streets, its numerous cinemas, theaters and bars, as well as some of the most prestigious academic institutions of Paris, such as the Sorbonne universities, the École des Mines de Paris, and the École des Arts décoratifs.
The QS World University Rankings® 2018 are here, ranking over 900 of the best universities in the world. Find out which universities are in the overall top 10, as well as which is the top university in each country.
Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris (ENS Paris) has been ranked as the best university in France in the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.
Ecole normale supérieure, Paris
# 43
QS World University RankingsEcole normale supérieure, Paris
The École normale supérieure (ENS) is a grande école, meaning it is outside the mainstream public university system in France. ENS is based in Paris and was originally conceived during the French Revolution, to provide the fledgling French Republic with a new body of professors, trained in the critical spirit and secular values of the Enlightenment.
Providing a platform for students to pursue careers in government and academia is still its priority, and during their studies some ENS students actually hold the status of paid civil servants. Its alumni have gone on to make a significant contribution to the fields of science, math and philosophy. They include Louis Pasteur, the chemist who evented pasteurization, and world-renowned thinker Michel Foucault.
The school is small and selective: there are only 2,400 students in total, with 400 undergraduates, and 1,400 academic members of staff. The core student body, called normaliens, are admitted through a competitive exam called the concours. There are classes to prepare for the concours exam that last two years, and lead to two hundred normaliens being enrolled each year, half in the sciences and half in humanities. They receive a monthly salary of around €1,300 and in exchange sign a 10-year contract to work for the state.
Student life at École Normale Supérieure is somewhat different from at other universities. For a start, students have the opportunity to live and study in the very heart of Paris. The university’s main Ulm campus is located in the Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter), with its ancient main building and cloistered courtyard, the Cour aux Ernest, which is adorned with busts of French thinkers, researchers and scientists who left their mark on history.
It’s here amid the rue d’Ulm and rue Lhomond that the humanities and sciences departments are based, and where many students live. The district is renowned for its student life and lively streets, its numerous cinemas, theaters and bars, as well as some of the most prestigious academic institutions of Paris, such as the Sorbonne universities, the École des Mines de Paris, and the École des Arts décoratifs.
The École normale supérieure (ENS) is a grande école, meaning it is outside the mainstream public university system in France. ENS is based in Paris and was originally conceived during the French Revolution, to provide the fledgling French Republic with a new body of professors, trained in the critical spirit and secular values of the Enlightenment.
Providing a platform for students to pursue careers in government and academia is still its priority, and during their studies some ENS students actually hold the status of paid civil servants. Its alumni have gone on to make a significant contribution to the fields of science, math and philosophy. They include Louis Pasteur, the chemist who evented pasteurization, and world-renowned thinker Michel Foucault.
The school is small and selective: there are only 2,400 students in total, with 400 undergraduates, and 1,400 academic members of staff. The core student body, called normaliens, are admitted through a competitive exam called the concours. There are classes to prepare for the concours exam that last two years, and lead to two hundred normaliens being enrolled each year, half in the sciences and half in humanities. They receive a monthly salary of around €1,300 and in exchange sign a 10-year contract to work for the state.
Student life at École Normale Supérieure is somewhat different from at other universities. For a start, students have the opportunity to live and study in the very heart of Paris. The university’s main Ulm campus is located in the Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter), with its ancient main building and cloistered courtyard, the Cour aux Ernest, which is adorned with busts of French thinkers, researchers and scientists who left their mark on history.
It’s here amid the rue d’Ulm and rue Lhomond that the humanities and sciences departments are based, and where many students live. The district is renowned for its student life and lively streets, its numerous cinemas, theaters and bars, as well as some of the most prestigious academic institutions of Paris, such as the Sorbonne universities, the École des Mines de Paris, and the École des Arts décoratifs.
University information
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees Domestic
Minimum amount
0
Maximum amount
2000
Tuition fees Domestic (In State)
Minimum amount
Maximum amount
Tuition fees Domestic (Out of State)
Minimum amount
Maximum amount
Tuition fees International
Minimum amount
Maximum amount
Rankings & ratings
QS World University Rankings
QS WUR Ranking By Subject
Graduate Employability Ranking
QS World University Rankings
Ranking criteria
Campus locations
Similar Universities
# -
QS World UniversityRankings
30
Availableprograms
# =373
QS World UniversityRankings
59
Availableprograms
# -
QS World UniversityRankings
26
Availableprograms
# 8
QS World UniversityRankings
266
Availableprograms
# -
QS World UniversityRankings
-
Availableprograms
# =252
QS World UniversityRankings
6
Availableprograms
# -
QS World UniversityRankings
1
Availableprograms
# -
QS World UniversityRankings
-
Availableprograms
# -
QS World UniversityRankings
-
Availableprograms
# -
QS World UniversityRankings
-
Availableprograms
Related content
Want to study in Europe but can’t decide where? Explore the top universities in Europe by country.
Want to study abroad in English, but on a budget? Find out where you can get a degree for less than US$5,000 a year.
The QS World University Rankings® 2018 are here, ranking over 900 of the best universities in the world. Find out which universities are in the overall top 10, as well as which is the top university in each country.
Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris (ENS Paris) has been ranked as the best university in France in the latest version of the QS World University Rankings®.
Discover the top universities for mathematics worldwide, based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.
Explore the top universities in the world, based on the QS World University Rankings 2016-2017.
Discover the world’s top universities for physics and astronomy, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016.
Fancy studying physics and astronomy at one of the world’s top physics schools? Get the results of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2015.
Discover the top universities for mathematics worldwide, based on the QS World University Subject Rankings 2015.
Discover the top universities in the world, according to the 2014/15 edition of the QS World University Rankings.