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École Polytechnique Scholars Program

ÉCOLE POLYTECHNIQUE SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Ecole Polytechnique Campus

École Polytechnique (EPT) in Palaiseau, France

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 École Polytechnique's Year 3 curriculum, for the first term at the École, which runs from mid-September to mid-December. 

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

Accommodation
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.

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 classes at Caltech, although juniors have studied abroad at École Polytechnique. 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.

Students study in École 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.

Students may take one additional class in the social sciences or humanities.

Students 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.

Student Life
This brochure has information on student life at École Polytechnique. Scroll through the brochure to find information on housing, the Kes (like ASCIT), sports, and the Binets (clubs), of which there are many including club sports. More information on official sports teams can be found here.

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

Application Information

Applicants for the EPT Scholars Program complete the regular Caltech Study Abroad Application, with the same January deadline as all of the other scholar programs. All applicants will then also need to complete and submit the EPT French Language Evaluation. Students will need to arrange a time for this directly with one of Caltech's French instructors. Students will NOT directly submit application materials to École Polytechnique at this time, but will complete the EPT online application at a later date. 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 École Polytechnique Scholars Program, their applications will be withdrawn from the other programs.

Once the student has been nominated to study abroad, FASA will move forward with processing the student onward to complete the École Polytechnique online application. The EPT online application is not released until later in the winter term and FASA will guide students to when it is available for their submissions.

Please read the detailed application instructions in the document provided below. All materials are turned in to Caltech's FASA Office by the posted FASA deadline.

Note: Application material will be posted in November 2024.