Ampère Excellence Scholarship 2027 at ENS de Lyon: EUR 1,000 a Month, Eligibility and Deadline

The Ampère Excellence Scholarship pays international master’s students EUR 1,000 a month for 12 months at the École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon), one of France’s selective grandes écoles. It covers almost every ENS de Lyon master’s in the exact sciences, the arts and the human and social sciences, for either the first year (M1) or the second year (M2), and M1 winners can be renewed for M2. You apply for the scholarship in the same online form as your master’s admission.

For the 2027 to 2028 intake, the Deadline is 23 January 2027 at 11:59 pm Paris time (CET). ENS de Lyon publishes its full calendar in November; last year the form opened on 14 November 2025, the call closed on 23 January 2026 and results came out in mid-March 2026, for a September start.

Ampère Excellence Scholarship at a glance

Dates are based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens. Details were checked on 25 October 2026 against ENS de Lyon’s admissions page, its excellence scholarship table and the Ampère rules.

What the Ampère scholarship pays and how

You receive EUR 1,000 a month for 12 months, so EUR 12,000 a year. ENS de Lyon pays it in four instalments: at the end of September, at the end of November, in February and in May, each covering a set number of months. The first payment arrives only after you have enrolled and arrived, so bring enough money for your first weeks in Lyon.

Renewal for the second year

An M1 scholar can receive another 12 months in M2 if two things happen: you pass M1, and the head of your master’s selects you for renewal. It is not automatic, so treat your M1 grades as the renewal application.

Costs the scholarship does not cover

• Registration fees. Ampère does not pay them. France charges higher fees to many non-EU students at public institutions, and ENS de Lyon’s board can approve exemptions that bring some of them down to the national rate. Ask the International Student Office what you will pay.
• Rent in Lyon, whether in a student residence or private housing.
• Visa and travel. You apply for a long-stay student visa through Campus France in your country and pay for flights yourself.
• Health cover and daily costs.

Ampère Excellence Scholarship eligibility

1. Nationality: you hold a foreign nationality. French citizens are excluded from Ampère (the separate Graduate+ scholarship accepts dual French nationals).
2. Age: in the 2025 to 2026 table you had to be born on or after 1 January 1999, meaning 26 or younger. Check the 2027 to 2028 table for the updated cut-off when it appears.
3. For M1: a French Licence (L3, 180 ECTS) or an equivalent foreign bachelor’s degree.
4. For M2: an M1 (240 ECTS) or an equivalent foreign level, for example a four-year bachelor’s plus relevant study.
5. Programme: you are applying to an eligible ENS de Lyon master’s in the exact sciences, arts or human and social sciences. FEADéP master’s and a few others listed in the Ampère rules are excluded.
6. Admission: the admission committee must accept you into the master’s.

Who cannot hold an Ampère scholarship

• Foreign normaliens already studying at ENS de Lyon.
• Students who want a study or research stay abroad during the scholarship year.
• Students who want to do their internship in a laboratory not attached to ENS de Lyon.
• Anyone holding another scholarship at the same time, since Ampère cannot be combined.

Edge cases

• Your degree is not finished yet: you can apply in your final year. The diploma must be provided before the academic year starts.
• You have a three-year bachelor’s and want to enter M2: you need M1 level (240 ECTS) or equivalent, so you would normally apply for M1.
• You are from the United States, Canada or India: ENS de Lyon runs partner schemes with the French embassies. US students enrolled at a US university can be considered for the Lafayette Fellowship (EUR 1,500 a month for 12 months, plus tuition and a return flight).
• Your documents are not in French or English: you need certified translations.

Ampère or Graduate+: which one fits you?

ENS de Lyon offers a second excellence award with the same monthly amount. Graduate+ is funded by the French government’s SFRI programme and is limited to certain graduate tracks.

Graduate+ programmes for 2026 to 2027 included European Studies and Advanced Economics (CORE); Biosciences, Biosciences-Healthcare and Biosciences for Modelling Complex Systems (DynLifeSys); master’s tracks in mathematics, computer science and machine learning (MathInfi); and M2 tracks in physics, chemistry, earth and climate sciences, optics and cosmology (PACE).

Rules you accept as an Ampère scholar

• Take part fully in your master’s, sit every exam and sign an attendance sheet on set dates.
• Do your M1 internship in a laboratory affiliated with ENS de Lyon, with no exemption. In M2 you may ask in writing for an exemption in specific cases.
• Internships in your home country are never authorised.
• No study or research stays abroad during the scholarship.
• If you leave your studies during the year, you will usually have to repay what you received. A medical withdrawal stops payments without reclaiming the months already spent at ENS.

These rules are strict for people who hoped to spend a semester elsewhere or run fieldwork at home. Read the full Ampère rules on the ENS de Lyon admissions page before you apply.

How to apply for the Ampère scholarship: step by step

1. Pick your master’s: browse ENS de Lyon’s master’s programmes and check the language of teaching and any extra documents the programme wants.
2. Check the calendar in November 2026: ENS de Lyon posts the 2027 to 2028 dates, forms and eligibility table on its master’s and scholarships application page.
3. Choose the right form: there are separate forms by profile, and an application on the wrong form is not considered. Graduate+ applicants for programmes run with Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 or Université Jean Monnet use those universities’ forms.
4. Register and fill in the form: tick the scholarship request alongside your master’s application.
5. Upload every document: if one is missing, upload a PDF explaining why instead of leaving the slot empty.
6. Submit before 23 January 2027, 11:59 pm CET: late, emailed or incomplete applications are rejected.
7. Wait for results in mid-March: ENS de Lyon does not give results by phone. If admitted, you receive a pre-enrolment letter.
8. Apply for your visa: start the Campus France procedure in your country as soon as you have the letter.

Documents

Writing a motivation letter that wins an Ampère award

Selection is by the admission committee of your master’s, so the letter is read by academics who will teach you. They look for evidence that you can follow a research-heavy French master’s: grades in core subjects, projects or theses, and a clear idea of which laboratory or research area at ENS de Lyon you want to join.

• Open with your academic question and keep personal background short.
• Name the ENS de Lyon laboratory or team whose work matches yours and say why. The internship rule means your project will happen there.
• Show your level with specifics: courses, rank in class, a thesis or a publication.
• Explain the language you will study in and how you will handle daily life in French.
• End with your plan after the master’s, such as a PhD in France.

A short example opening: “My bachelor’s thesis modelled how drought changes nitrogen cycling in Sahel soils, and the questions it left open are the ones I want to pursue in an ENS de Lyon laboratory during my M1 internship.” If your programme asks for referees, our recommendation letter guide helps you brief them.

Common mistakes

• Using the wrong online form for your profile or for a partner university.
• Missing the 23 January cut-off by a few hours because of time zones (11:59 pm CET is 22:59 GMT).
• Applying while holding, or planning to hold, another scholarship.
• Planning a semester abroad or an internship at home during the scholarship year.
• Uploading documents in a third language without certified translations.
• Leaving a slot empty instead of explaining a missing document.

Ampère compared with other scholarships in France

Because Ampère cannot be combined with other grants, a candidate who wins both Ampère and Eiffel would have to choose. More options are in our list of scholarships in Europe.

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you are 26 or younger, your grades are near the top of your class, and you want a research-oriented master’s that could lead to a PhD. EUR 1,000 a month covers modest student living in Lyon, and I think the ENS de Lyon name is worth more on a PhD application than the money itself.

Look elsewhere if you need a semester abroad or fieldwork in your home country during the year, if you already hold another scholarship you want to keep, or if you need your registration fees and travel paid in full.

FAQ

What is the Ampère scholarship deadline for 2027?

The Deadline for the 2027 to 2028 intake is 23 January 2027 at 11:59 pm Paris time. ENS de Lyon posts the full calendar in November 2026.

How much is the Ampère Excellence Scholarship?

EUR 1,000 a month for 12 months, paid in four instalments. M1 winners can be renewed for 12 more months in M2.

Can I combine the Ampère scholarship with Eiffel or another grant?

No. The Ampère scholarship cannot be held with another scholarship. The Graduate+ scholarship is the ENS de Lyon award that can be combined or used as a top-up.

Do I need to speak French for the Ampère scholarship?

It depends on the master’s. Some ENS de Lyon programmes are taught in English and others in French, and each sets its own language requirement, so check the programme page.

Sources and updates

This guide uses ENS de Lyon’s master’s and scholarships application page (2026 to 2027 calendar, documents, Graduate+ programmes, partner schemes and contacts), its 2025 to 2026 excellence scholarship table (renewal, age limit, nationality, cumulation and internship rules), the current Ampère rules (payment schedule, obligations and repayment) and ENS de Lyon’s scholarship news page. The Scholars4Dev listing was the starting point; its meta description gave 31 January 2026 as the deadline, while ENS de Lyon’s page gave 23 January 2026. Last checked 25 October 2026.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.