The Ecole Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines, or ENS LSH, is one of France's most prestigious institutions for teaching and research in the humanities and social sciences.
The French higher education system is divided between universities and Grandes Ecoles; the latter, which enjoy a reputation in France comparable to that of Ivy League establishments in the US, or Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, attract a very high proportion of the best students in each age group. Admission to a Grande Ecole is gained following success in a highly competitive entrance examination.

The ENS LSH is the only Grande Ecole devoted entirely to the humanities and social sciences. Each year, it recruits a group of students as élèves normaliens, entering at final year undergraduate or Masters level. These students, who must be citizens of the European Union, are considered as civil servants, and are paid a salary during four of their years of study at the Ecole. In return, they owe an obligation of ten years' employment in public service, with the great majority opting to pursue PhD research and a career in university teaching. Places as normaliens are highly sought after; in 2007, almost 3,000 students applied for the 114 places available.

More than half of the ENS LSH's total student body now consists of postgraduate students who are not normaliens. They enrol alongside the normaliens on the ENS LSH's Masters and PhD programmes, which are co-accredited with Lyon's main
universities and supported by the work of twenty associated research structures, including ten backed by the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). Many students also prepare for the agrégation, France's highest competitive teaching examination.
The ENS LSH is increasingly oriented towards international partnerships. Its students benefit from exchange agreements with Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Beijing, Tokyo, Heidelberg, and other leading universities. International students are welcome to apply to the Masters and PhD programmes; 15% of the ENS LSH's student body is now from overseas, and each year, the ENS LSH offers ten international scholarships.
With its attractive and functional architecture, built around advanced information technology, its specialised humanities research library of 1.2 million volumes, a theatre, a music room, a cinema studio, writing workshops, and master-classes in music, drama and cinema, the ENS LSH promotes an allinclusive vision of the humanities and social sciences.