Ecole Polytechnique Internship Program for International Students
Opportunity Description:
Located in the heart of the Université Paris-Saclay research cluster, the l'X laboratories offer the chance to work on cutting-edge research topics in a highly internationalized environment. The Internship Program for International Students gives undergraduate and graduate students coming from international partner universities of l’Ecole Polytechnique the opportunity to complete a 3- to 6-month internship at one laboratory of its research center.
With 23 research facilities devoted to 8 major specialized or transverse fields, 600 researchers and a €95-million research budget, l'X is ranked 66th in the world for the scientific impact of its publications and for the number of articles co-authored with international institutions (Leiden ranking).
A description of research activities at École Polytechnique is available here.
Application Process:
Overview
Each year in October, the International Affairs Office collects the internship subjects from the laboratories for the following year. The internship subjects are then published at the end of November on the website. Partner institutions are informed of the opening of the application session.
Applications that have been pre-selected by partner institutions will be given priority. To find out if your institution is a partner of the program, please contact the international relations or mobility office of your institution. If your application is part of an existing collaboration with an Ecole Polytechnique researcher or laboratory, please indicate this clearly in your cover letter and choose the subject code SSDS. Applicants should indicate a maximum of three internship topics of interest for which they meet the criteria of level and profile, ranked in order of preference.
Between the end of January and the end of February, the applications are evaluated by a committee composed of representatives from the International Affairs Office and Directorate for Academic Affairs and Research. The selection criteria are based on the applicant's academic profile and motivation. More precise criteria of level or academic prerequisites are communicated in each subject description. The committee reserves the right to accept or reject an application. Candidates may be contacted by the supervisors for interviews at a distance or by email.
Accepted applicants will be informed by email at the beginning of March and finalize the details of their stay at l’X with our support (visa, gratification, exact dates and duration of the internship).
The internship program is intended for international students. You may be asked to provide a school certificate including the period of the internship to validate your admission. If you are in your final year of study, please provide us with a certificate proving that you have been admitted to the next year at your home university.
How to Apply
Applications are made using the online application platform, which you can access here (choose "Exchange Programs / Internship Program for International Students").
Before beginning the online application, please prepare the following documents:
- Approval by your home institution. Applicants must obtain approval from their home institution and must ensure that their student status will be maintained for the duration of their internship. The template for this document is available online on the application website. This document is mandatory.
- Detailed résumé
- Statement of purpose in French or in English (including internship subjects you are interested in, and why you are qualified for these subjects)
- Official transcripts of records including full details of all university-level courses (scanned copies)
- Contact details for two referring professors, who will be contacted automatically by the application platform.
- Scanned copy of your passport
It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that he/she has the required language skills in English or French. No language certificate is required.
Application deadline varies from year-to-year.