PhD Track
Applications for the PhD Track are now closed for the 2025 intake.
For more information on Master’s program applications, click here.
The PhD Track is aimed at high-potential students who wish to take up the scientific challenges of tomorrow within the research and development centers of companies and major universities.
This program enables selected students to benefit from the first-class ecosystem of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris and to be closely associated with the research activities carried out in the Institute's labs from the first year of the Master's program. Each student benefits from individual and personalized supervision by a faculty member and will interact directly with the scientific community of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, within a world-renowned innovation cluster.
The first two years of the program, leading to the Master's degree, are designed to enable students to acquire the tools necessary for the successful completion of an ambitious research project, supervised by an academic tutor. The following three years are entirely dedicated to the student’s research project and lead to the PhD degree from the Institut Polytechnique de Paris. Each student who follows this program benefits from the unique and individualized supervision of a faculty member recognized in his or her discipline. The best candidates are eligible for excellence scholarships.
During the first two years, students are enrolled in a Master's program, build on the Master's courses with a tailored approach, and start working on their research project. The Master's degree is the gateway to the three-year PhD program.
Prerequisites
Candidates for the PhD Track program must hold a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) to enter the program at the M1 level and a M1 certificate of completion (or equivalent – 180 ECTS + 60 ECTS completed) to enter the program at the M2 level. Applicants must be fluent in English, have an excellent academic background and wish to become researchers.
Tracks
Applicants can choose from 12 different tracks: Advanced Materials, Bioengineering and Quantitative Life Sciences, Chemistry and Interfaces, Computer Science, Data & Artificial Intelligence, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Energy for Climate, Mathematics, Mechanics, Physics and Quantum Science and Technologies.
Please find more information on the tracks at the bottom of the page.
The application period for the PhD Track program runs from October to January. The dates for the next session will be announced on this website.
Application Process
The required supporting documents for the application process are the following – all documents must be either in French or English:
• an ID-size photograph: recently taken, in colour, white background, no reflection if you wear spectacles;
• a detailed Curriculum Vitae;
• a personal statement: written specifically for the program you are applying to, mentioning both personal and professional projects;
• all post-secondary diplomas and transcripts;
• an English language test result (IELTS, TOEFL, TOIC, etc.) or an official certificate from your university stating that the language of instruction is English (for the degree(s) you hold or will hold);
• two dated and signed letters of recommendation: at least one of the referees must be a professor/lecturer in your major at your current institution. Your referees cannot be members of your family or family friends, and you cannot write your recommendation letters yourself. Your referees must submit their recommendation letters themselves. We will not accept letters sent by the candidates.
The Institut Polytechnique de Paris awards excellence scholarships each year to PhD Track students, covering their Master's years as well as doctoral funding commitments with a monthly salary.
No additional steps are required when applying to the PhD Track program. If you are admitted, your application will also be reviewed by a jury for the potential award of a PhD Track scholarship. You will then be contacted by the Institut Polytechnique de Paris; otherwise, you will be placed on a funding waiting list.
The funding awarded by IP Paris to PhD Track students is divided into three types of scholarships:
- Full Package (FP): 5-year (or 4-year) funding, including a Master's excellence scholarship (€10,000/year) for 2 years (or 1 year) and a doctoral funding commitment for 3 years (a total minimum gross funding of approximately €82,800 over 3 years).
- Master’s Scholarship (BM): 2-year (or 1-year) funding, including only a Master’s excellence scholarship (€10,000/year).
- Doctoral Package (DP): 3-year doctoral funding commitment, covering only the doctoral studies (a total minimum gross funding of approximately €82,800 over 3 years).
We also subsidize tuition fees for all PhD Track admitted students, whether they receive a scholarship or not:
- Years 1 and 2: fees reduced from approximately €7,000 per year to €243 per year*.
- Years 3, 4, and 5: tuition fees set at €380 per year*.
For more information, please contact phd-track@ip-paris.fr.
* These are the official tuition fees set by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR) for the 2023-2024 academic year, and they may be subject to change by decree.
To read some interviews of PhD Track students:
https://www.ip-paris.fr/en/news/interview-sascha-rienacker-phd-track-student-plamas-physics
https://www.ip-paris.fr/en/news/viktoria-zakharova-phd-track-student-plasma-physics
To start the application process, click on "Application Portal."
You can contact the PhD Track team at the following email address: phd-track@ip-paris.fr
FAQ
Education programs
It is possible to apply for both Master and PhD Track programs with a bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS).
A Master is a 2-year program and certifies a master’s degree (300 ECTS).
A PhD Track is a 5-year excellence program, with a focus on research. It includes both a Master program with tailored choice of courses and research internships and a PhD program. It certifies both a master’s degree and a PhD degree (420 ECTS).
Please note that you may visit the dedicated PhD page if you wish to candidate directly to a 3-year PhD program, provided that you have completed a master’s degree.
The means of instruction of the PhD Track program is English.
Classes begin in September. The start dates for each program are available in the following schedule:
Courses will take place on the Palaiseau or Évry premises, depending on the master program you are registered to. Courses’ localization is mentioned on the page dedicated to each Master.
Contacts for each track of the program are mentioned at the bottom of this page.They will answer your questions about the program: courses, program prerequisites, etc.
Application process
Yes, you can apply to up to 5 programs, master and/or PhD Track.
However, each application is assessed independently. Supporting documents (résumé and supporting statement) must be written specifically for each application.
Beware: it is strictly forbidden to apply twice for the same program.
Eligibility Requirements for the PhD Track:
- A Bachelor's degree (Bac+3 and 180 ECTS) or an international Bachelor's degree is required to apply for the PhD Track.
- Direct entry into the second year of the program may be offered if you already hold a Master’s degree or have completed 60 ECTS in a Master’s program (240 ECTS post-secondary education). To request entry into the second year, please indicate this in your statement of purpose.
Required Documents:
- You must provide a document certifying the ECTS credits you have earned during your academic program.
- If your academic credits are not based on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), you must include an official document explaining your institution's grading system to establish an equivalence in ECTS.
Instructions for completing the "Academic Background" section of your application:
- If you have a GPA: Convert it to a 20-point scale.
- If you do not have a GPA: Indicate your annual average on a 20-point scale.
- Institutions attended: List the institution(s) where you were officially enrolled during the past three years, including any gap years or international mobility programs.
This information is available on the application portal. Once you have filled in your application form, you may follow the progress of your application by clicking on the “Application Tracker” button, in front of the name of the program you have applied to.
For PhD Track application, you will receive an official reply by e-mail up to 2 months after the end of the session you applied to.
Your application is evaluated by an admissions jury, which decides whether:
- You are accepted in one or several programs,
- One or several of your applications have been rejected (the reasons of this rejection are available on your application file).
Applicants placed in the waiting list will receive a rejection or an acceptation notification by e-mail.
Once your application has been accepted by the jury, you will receive an e-mail to register to the Institut Polytechnique de Paris.
If you have been accepted to more than one program, you must access the application portal to make your choice.
Please note that it is crucial to proceed with the registration as soon as possible to benefit from all the advantages and services when you arrive on the campus (student card, education certificate, badge providing access to facilities and to benefit from the collective catering offer…).
The reason for refusal is written in the e-mail which has informed you of the jury's decision.
No additional information will be delivered by e-mail by the Institut Polytechnique de Paris’ administration team.
If you wish to contest the refusal decision, you may send a postal mail explaining why you are contesting the refusal decision. You have up to two months to send your letter. Please forward it to this address:
Graduate School – Pôle Master
Institut Polytechnique de Paris
Route de Saclay
91128 Palaiseau
France
Please note that it is unnecessary to send documents already provided in your application form.
Applying to one or several of our PhD Tracks is entirely free. Furthermore, the Institut Polytechnique de Paris will never ask you to send your bank details in order to submit an application.
The application file is simplified for engineer students at the Ecole Polytechnique, ENSTA Paris, ENSAE Paris, Télécom Paris or Télécom SudParis.
When you log in to the application portal for the first time, please use the drop-down menu and select your school, then write down your school e-mail address. This will allow the admission jury to identify your file and may automatically fill some fields in your application.
Recommendation letters are not mandatory to submit your file and have your application accepted. You still have to fill in the application file with two referees' e-mail address but they are not required to write an actual recommendation letter. The lack of recommendation letters will not be held against you by the application jury.
Master 1 students at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris can apply to the PhD track program at the Master 2 level.
The application session and process are the same for all applicants.
Congratulations! Proceed with your registration now.
Do you have a question? Please contact us: phd-track@ip-paris.fr
Cost of studies
You don't have to pay anything.
You must pay 159€ for your double diploma.
Note: the schools of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris are the Ecole Polytechnique, ENSTA Paris, ENSAE Paris, Télécom Paris and Télécom SudParis.
You don't have to pay anything.
An official Campus France certificate will be required during the registration process.
All PhD Track students benefit from an attractive rate of 243€. They can also benefit from an excellence scholarship during their master's year(s) and then from a doctoral contract with a monthly salary as part of the PhD.
No additional action is required when you apply for a PhD Track. If your application is successful, your file will automatically be processed by a jury to decide whether or not you are eligible to benefit from a PhD Track scholarship.
If your application is successful and you are eligible for a PhD Track scholarship, the Institut Polytechnique de Paris will contact you.
No PhD Track scholarship application will be evaluated by the admissions team.
A monthly budget of 600-900€ (730-1100$) is necessary to live in Paris, depending on the type of accommodation you plan to live in.
Students at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris must apply for housing when they register. Allocations will be made according to predefined criteria (international students, scholarship holders, PhD tracks, etc.). As the number of available housing units is extremely limited, students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
There also private residence available around the campus.
International students
You do not need a visa to come study in France if you are a citizen from the aforementioned countries or the EU.
A long-stay student visa (VLS-TS) is mandatory to study in France. You may find all information regarding VLS-TS requests here.
The International Office will be your main point of contact in order to facilitate your arrival : internationalstudents@ip-paris.fr
All supporting documents must be translated either in French or English. If you need a French version you can contact the French embassy who can carry out a sworn translation of these documents.
The Institut Polytechnique de Paris is not connected to the application website of Campus France. Applications submitted on Campus France’s website will not be reviewed by the Institut Polytechnique de Paris. Any application must be carried out from the application website of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, which you can access from this page.
If you have another question related to your status as an international student please click here.
If you did not find an answer to your question, you may contact: phd-track@ip-paris.fr
