In Lyon’s Gerland district, on the left bank of the Rhône in the 7th arrondissement, the École normale supérieure de Lyon occupies two campuses named after Descartes and Monod. It belongs to the French family of écoles normales supérieures, a tradition that the school itself dates back to 1794, and it is a founding member of the Université de Lyon.
Teaching is arranged in 12 departments. The sciences are represented by biology, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, mathematics and physics, while the humanities and social sciences include philosophy, economics and foreign languages. The school reports about 2,400 students, among them more than 400 doctoral students.
The school is also home to the French Institute of Education (IFÉ), a platform for research and innovation on educational questions, and it hosts research units. In the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2026 (ShanghaiRanking) it stands in the 301-400 band. Entry routes, programmes and calendars for French and international applicants are presented on ens-lyon.fr, and each department describes its own courses.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Part of Université de Lyon COMUE. Numerous international research partnerships.
Research:
Fundamental physics and chemistry, Pure and applied mathematics, Computer science and AI, Molecular and cellular biology, Geosciences and environmental science.
Famous Alumnis:
Cédric Villani (alumnus & professor)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
800
Current students***:
2300
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Excellence in fundamental research and education, highly selective, strong laboratory connections, interdisciplinary environment.
Cons
Primarily focused on research careers, very demanding, relatively small student body.
Best For
Elite institution for research and higher education in fundamental sciences and humanities.
The nearest counterpart is École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay, another public normale school, which pairs engineering sciences with physics and chemistry.
École Normale Supérieure de Rennes is a smaller public sibling focused on mathematics, computer science and engineering sciences.
Within the same city, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 is a public university for life and health sciences, chemistry and computer science.
ESPCI Paris - PSL, public and in Paris, trains scientists in physics, chemistry and bioengineering.
IHES in Bures-sur-Yvette is a private research institute devoted to mathematics and theoretical physics.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa in Italy is a public school of the same kind, with physics, mathematics and chemistry.
Germany's Georg-August-Universität Göttingen is a public university where physics, chemistry and molecular biosciences are central.
In the Netherlands, Universiteit Leiden is public and covers life sciences, natural sciences and data science.
Switzerland's Université de Genève teaches physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and earth sciences as a public institution.
Kyodai, a public university in Japan, gives prominence to chemistry, physics and life sciences.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the school located?
It sits in the Gerland area of Lyon's 7th district, beside the Rhône near the Pont Pasteur. Its two campuses are named Descartes and Monod.
What kind of institution is an école normale supérieure?
It belongs to a French tradition of schools founded for training teachers and researchers, which ENS de Lyon traces to 1794. The school combines study with research.
How many students and departments are there?
The school counts about 2,400 students, including more than 400 doctoral candidates, in 12 teaching departments. The departments cover both sciences and humanities.
Which subjects can a student pursue here?
Departments include biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, philosophy and economics, along with other sciences and human and social sciences. Foreign languages also have their own department.
What is its relationship with other Lyon institutions?
ENS de Lyon is a founding member of the Université de Lyon, the grouping of higher-education bodies in the area. It also hosts the Institut français de l'Éducation.
How is it positioned in world rankings?
ShanghaiRanking's 2026 list places it in the 301-400 band. Because French schools are organised differently from large universities, rankings capture only part of what the school does.
How can prospective students find admission details?
The official site ens-lyon.fr describes the admission routes for French and international applicants. Calendars and eligibility rules change yearly, so consult the current pages.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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