-!- For 2025-2026 academic year, the 4-year Degree is NOT opened to non-EU students. -!-

ENS de Lyon 4-Year Degree

The ENS de Lyon 4-year Degree is the common framework of the "Nomalien" education. The program lasts 4 years for students entering the first year of the degree and 3 years for those entering the second year.

All students admitted through the competitive exam or through an application on record must register for the ENS de Lyon 4-year Degree to complete a full training course at ENS de Lyon.

This course can be organized differently, depending on whether students holds 120 ECTS or 180 ECTS when they join ENS de Lyon.

More info (on the French website)

This application procedure concerns NON-EU Students.

Non-EU students are students:
- who don't have the nationality of one of the countries of the European Economic Area (the 27 countries of the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), or of Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra.
and
- who have obtained a higher education degree in a foreign country.

For French, EU students or non-EU students who have obtained a higher education degree in France, we invite you to follow the procedure described in the page Application for the ENS de Lyon 4-year Degree - EU/EEA.

[Ces informations sont disponibles en français à cette page.]

General information

If the student holds 120 ECTS: registration for the first-year of the degree and mandatory validation of the 15 ENS credits in that first year and enrollment in the final year of a degree course (L3 in French) at a partner university on the School’s site.

If the student holds 180 ECTS, there are two options:

• Enrolment in the first year of the degree and compulsory validation of the 15 ENS credits in this first year, followed by a year of training at ENS de Lyon equivalent to 60 ECTS OR registration in another final year degree course other than the student already holds, to build up the additional training necessary for his/her academic and professional project.
• Enrolment in the second year of the degree and compulsory validation of the 15 ENS credits in the first year of the diploma and registration in the first year Masters degree (M1) according to a study plan validated by ENS de Lyon.

Please note:

• Students admitted to the ENS de Lyon 4-year Degree by application on record obtain "Nomalien étudiant" status.
• Applications on record for the ENS de Lyon 4-year Degree are subject to the decision of the ENS de Lyon admission commission.

Conditions

To apply for the 1st year of the degree from ENS de Lyon:

• Justify an L2 registration (2nd year of a Bachelor's degree) or a certificate of validation for the L2.
  In the event of admission, you will need to justify an achievement of 120 ECTS, the following year.
• Applicants who have studied abroad will have to justify an equivalent level of L2.

To apply for the 2nd year of the ENS de Lyon 4-year Degree:

• Justify having registered for L3 registration (3rd year of a Bachelor's degree) or a certificate validating L3. The application for integration in the 2nd year of the degree is necessarily linked to an application in M1 at ENS de Lyon.
  In the event of admission, it will be requested to justify an achievement of 180 ECTS, the following year.
• Applicants who have studied abroad will have to justify an equivalent L3 level.

To apply for both the 1st and the 2nd year of the ENS de Lyon 4-year Degree:

• Two application files must be compiled and submitted.

Application process

1. Complete and submit the online form 
   Apply directly on this form (CLOSED FOR 2025-2026)
    
2. Application review
   All applications are reviewed by the admission committee of ENS de Lyon. No results will be given by phone.
    
3. Results
   Incomplete applications will not be considered. Results will be published on February on the online platform.
    
4. Admissions and enrolment
   If your application is accepted, you will receive a letter of pre-enrolment and the procedures to be followed for enrolment.

Information to prepare your stay in Lyon

Schedule

Call will not open for 2025-2026 academic year

Documents to be provided

Documents to be uploaded on the online form:

• All candidates must upload the following documents (official documents only):
  • A certified transcript of your grades for your past and present studies, in French or in English
  • Certified copies of university degrees, in French or English
  • Copy of your passport or national ID card
  • Resume
  • Cover letter
  • Reference letter
  • If you are applying for a Master’s program in the Arts, Humanities, Languages or Social Sciences: a summary of your research project in French (3 pages maximum)
  • Certificate of Language Proficiency (French and/or English, depending on the areas) : All information about level and certificate of Language Proficiency can be found on this page

Incomplete files will not be considered.