École normale supérieure de Lyon

L'École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon) is a French grande école located in the city of Lyon. It is one of the four prestigious écoles normales supérieures in France.

The history of the École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon) can be traced back to the founding of the École normale supérieure de Fontenay-aux-Roses (ENS Fontenay), a girls' school, in 1880, and the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud (ENS Saint-Cloud), a boys' school, in 1882. Both schools were founded by Jules Ferry, the French Minister of Public Instruction, as part of his plan to reform the French educational system.

In 1973, the scientific departments of ENS Fontenay and ENS Saint-Cloud were merged and relocated to Lyon, in the premises of the current Monod campus. The relocated institution was named ENS Lyon.

In 1987, the humanities and social sciences departments of ENS Fontenay and ENS Saint-Cloud were also merged and relocated to Lyon, creating a unified École normale supérieure de Lyon.

In 2011, ENS Lyon welcomed the Institut français de l'Éducation (IFÉ), a national research institute on education.

Today, ENS de Lyon is a leading French grande école, offering training and research in a wide range of disciplines. The school is known for its highly selective admissions process, its rigorous academic programs, and its distinguished alumni.

Based on the QS World University Rankings of 2025, École normale supérieure de Lyon is positioned as the #187 top university in the world, which makes it the #5 top university in France. The university's global rank decreased by 3 points from last year.