How to apply

Terms of student recruitment

Students are recruited on the basis of their application and possibly an interview, whereby both the students' prior degree course and personal career plans are taken into account.

First-year recruitment

MPRI is a two-year programme. First-year recruitment concerns students who wish to take the whole programme. The following students may apply for MPRI within this framework:

  • students with level L (third year) qualifications (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) from a French or foreign college or university.

Second-year recruitment

MPRI is also open to students who wish to enter the programme directly in the second year. These students must have done their first year either:

  • within the framework of another research or professionally oriented Master at a French college or university, or
  • at a foreign university.

Entrance requirements

We have set, for both first and second year recruitment, entrance requirements, which should allow students to appreciate the knowledge required in order to join MPRI.

M1 entrance requirements

M2 entrance requirements

Application Process

Prospective students may apply to the first year (M1) or second year (M2) of MPRI. While the M2-MPRI program is unified, there are four distinct M1-MPRI programs, run respectively by Université Paris Cité, ENS Paris (rue d'Ulm), University Paris-Saclay (faculté des sciences or ENS Paris-Saclay), and IP Paris.

Applying to M1

The first year of MPRI (M1) is organized independently by each partner institution. This includes recruitment: in order to apply to M1 MPRI, prospective students should choose one of the partner institutions, and apply there. There is no central recruitment. Below is a list of partner institutions, and contact links.

Applying to M2

There are 5 cases.

Case 1

Students who are awarded a scholarship by a partner institution to attend the M2 MPRI are automatically admitted and they will enroll in the partner institution granting the scholarship.

Learn more about scholarships and the corresponding application processes.

Case 2

Applicants who have validated an M1 at ENS Paris (rue d'Ulm) should contact the ENS Paris study director and secretariat (see contact). Admitted students will enroll at ENS Paris.

Case 3

Applicants who have validated an M1 at University Paris Saclay should apply to the M2 Parisian Computer Sciences Research of University Paris-Saclay. Admitted students will enroll at ENS Paris-Saclay.

Case 4

Applicants who have validated an M1 at IP Paris should apply to the Master Foundations of Computer Science of IP Paris. Admitted students will enroll at IP Paris.

Case 5

All other applicants should apply to enroll at University Paris Cité in the M2 INFORMATIQUE - Master Parisien en Recherche Informatique - FI - Campus GM. We request a recommendation letter from a professor willing to attest that you possess the abilities and skills necessary to take the MPRI programme, and in which said professor justifies their standpoint. The letter should be sent directly by e-mail from the professor to the study director of the students enrolled in University Paris Cité; it is the applicant's responsibility to make sure that the letter of recommendation reaches the study director in time. As a rule of thumb, the 3 main conditions to be accepted in the M2-MPRI programme are: a very good scholar curriculum, a clear motivation to do research in the areas covered by the Master MPRI, and a (good) recommendation letter from a recognized researcher.

Future prospects

Most MPRI graduates continue on with a doctorate program (Ph.D.), although some students successfully enter professional life after obtaining their Master's degree from MPRI. The MPRI + doctorate program combination naturally leads to careers in academia (teaching-research positions at universities, full-time research positions at research institutions), or in industrial research and development.


Scholarships

The tuition fees for Masters are quite modest in France, about €250 per year. Nonetheless, the living expenses near Paris are high.

Several programs offer scholarships for both French and foreing students. Those scholarship programs are handled directly by the partner institutions. You can have a look at this page. Students applying to a fellowship at an institution different from the institution they should enroll at should follow the application procedure at both institutions.

Guidelines

  • Apply early. Deadlines for scholarships tend to be well before the deadline for applying to MPRI; some of them are as early as December or January.
  • When choosing the institution where you apply for a grant, remember that while the M2 program is unified, there are really 4 distinct M1 programs, run respectively by Université Paris Cité, ENS Paris, ENS Paris Saclay, and École Polytechnique.
  • The rankings of the various institutions are not coordinated. To increase your chances, you may apply to several grants in parallel.
  • Criteria for getting a grant are more severe than for getting an admission to the program, i.e., if you fail to get a grant you may still apply for admission. In that case, you should follow the process here.
  • Prepare a Motivation Letter and a Curriculum Vitae with the details of your grades, and possibly your research experience, and contact the Study Director of the institution you are applying to.

Links

Here are some scholarship opportunities in MPRI partner institutions:


PhD grants

Specific PhD announcements for 2025–26

Other sources

Here are some mailing lists and websites that regularly announce PhD grants in areas close to the core of the MPRI master. If you are aware of other relevant lists, or if you find that one of the links below is obsolete or simply not working, please write to the MPRI director (see here).

In general, all applications to a French PhD School or Foundation require an advisor who is working at a laboratory attached to the School/Foundation, and who presents a PhD project; and a PhD student.