Information for programs commencing in 2013-2014 is now posted.

GPA Requirements
A minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA is required.

Length of Term
14-week term, with 1-week break in mid-November and two weeks of exams at the end of the term; 11 weeks of lectures.

Term Dates
Caltech students can only apply to study abroad for Ecole Polytechnique's Year 3 curriculum, for the first term at the Ecole, which runs from mid-September to mid-December. Ecole Polytechnique's Year 2 is on a semester system, which runs from September through January and, therefore, does not work with the Caltech academic schedule. Note that Year 3 classes are typically equivalent to senior year or first year graduate student level. Students should not assume Year 3 classes are equal to junior year CIT classes.

Places Available
Students apply to Ecole Polytechnique for a limited number of spots and are competing with students from Ecole Polytechnique partner universities around the world. This number of spots varies each year.

Accomodations
There is guaranteed and very affordable housing on campus as well as dining facilities.

Coursework
MOST CLASSES ARE TAUGHT IN FRENCH AND ALL DISCUSSIONS, ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS ARE IN FRENCH. STUDENTS MUST HAVE VERY GOOD ABILITY IN SPEAKING, READING AND WRITING FRENCH BEFORE APPLYING FOR THIS PROGRAM.

Students study in Ecole Polytechnique's Programme d'Approfondissement (PA), which is comparable to a Caltech option. Students must take four classes in their Programme d'Approfondissement (PA) and cannot take classes in any other PA. They can take one additional class in the social sciences or humanities and MUST take a mandatory French language course. Students are placed in a French class that is taught at the level of the student's French language proficiency.

Note that because all social science and humanities classes are taught in the same time block (except for the French language class), only one class in these fields is possible.

When looking through courses, students should note that only courses in the 500 series are available. The 400 series classes are for Year 2, which is not an option for Caltech students due to the scheduling conflicts noted above.

As stated above, the 3rd year courses at Ecole Polytechnique are at the same level as Caltech's senior or graduate level courses. If a student would like to go as a junior, he/she must demonstrate his/her adequate preparation for the higher-level course by the end of sophomore year.

Note: Students may not return to the U.S. during the term abroad.

Application Information
The EPT Scholars Program has a slightly different application process than other Caltech study abroad programs. The FASA deadline is January 15, and students must complete both the Caltech application forms AND the Ecole Polytechnique application Forms. Students will NOT directly submit application materials to Ecole Polytechnique at this time, but will complete the EPT forms and turn them in to Caltech's FASA Office. Applicants will be reviewed by the Committee on Exchange Programs and Study Abroad (CEPSA) for nomination.

Students may apply to one or more of the other Caltech Scholars Programs, however if they are nominated to the Ecole Polytechnique Scholars Program, their applications will be withdrawn from the other programs.

The application forms for the EPT Scholars Program are downloadable below. Students should carefully read through the information sheet and application directions. To access the Ecole Polytechnique application forms, follow the link below and download them from their website.

Students must submit the EPT forms along with the Caltech forms to the Fellowships Advising and Study Abroad Office by the Caltech deadline of January 15, which is before Ecole Polytechnique's submission deadline of February 15. Applications will be reviewed by FASA and if deemed competitive, will be nominated by Caltech. Once the student has been selected to study abroad, FASA will submit the forms to Ecole Polytechnique. Applicants should use Ecole Polytechnique's Recommendation Form rather than the Caltech Reference Form. This Recommendation Form is available from the Ecole Polytechnique website below.

Please read the detailed application instructions in the document provided below. Please note the forms below are different from the general forms on the front page, due to different requirements for this program. Use only the forms on this page.

Note all applicants must complete and submit the EPT French Language Evaluation. Students must contact Calech's French instructor, Mme. Christiane Orcel (orcel@its.caltech.edu), for this evaluation.

Ecole Polytechnique application materials can be found here. Required Ecole Polytechnique Application Materials: Application Form, Learning Agreement, Resume/Curriculum Vitae, Abstract of Courses, French Language Evaluation, Recommendation Form (2)

Again, ignore all deadlines on the Ecole Polytechnique website. All materials are turned in to Caltech's FASA Office by the posted FASA deadlines.

Caltech Ecole Polytechnique Scholars Program Application Materials (Writable PDFs):