How to apply (well)

This page gives you advice on how to to apply well, i.e. how to make a good application file.

First, do read "Should I apply ?" to know whether you should apply / what are your chances (self-evaluation)

To see the details about the technical procedure on how to apply, see details-about-the-application BUT you should first read the current page, to get a feeling of what we expect from your application (if you want an actual chance of getting in, follow our advice).

How can I increase my chances / build a good application file?

The jury receives hundreds of applications. To increase your chances (and help us!), you should put forward your strong points in the cover letter.

See below about the motivation letter/cover letter.

Can I apply if I am NOT a Computer Science (CS) major?

Yes, but you should meet the prerequisites. CS, Math, Statistics, or Physics majors are best prepared. (see /should-i-apply )

Note: if you come from another field, we expect you to balance this weakness by some other strength, as e.g. professional experience in AI, internships in AI or some outstanding project you completed (related to AI, of course). This is especially true of the M2, in which most students have completed a whole year of AI-focused studies.
Low quality publications in low-rank journals or (even worse) predatory journals are not considered positively.

Should I write my CV and letter in English or French?

What should I put in my motivation letter ? (cover letter)

The goal is not so much for you to tell us about your childhood fantasies about robots, as it is to help us get a quick view of your profile as a whole. You have to understand that we go through hundreds of applications, each of which has its own way of displaying the grades, the ranking, name the subjects, the years.. if you help us by summarizing your file, it helps us (which can only help you). General advice:
- use bold to emphasize the important points: we skim through your letters, help us!
- mention your English level (B2, C1, C2)
- Also, indicate whether you plan to do a PhD and why you are motivated by research (particularly important if you want to apply for a scholarship).
Besides what we advise you to put, you can tell us a bit about why you want to go into AI, what you plan to do later, etc (like in a regular cover letter).

Then, there are various cases (you may somehow fall in several of these categories):

• If you are a regular applicant, e.g. a CS Major in L3 with good grades in the appropriate subjects, then you can just :
  - mention your good grades, possibly the ranking associated to them.
  - If some classes you followed are especially adequate, mention these classes (and your grade in them).

• If your curriculum is peculiar (interruption of studies for 1 year, changing major mid-course, re-took a year, etc), then
  - tell us about it (or make it appear very clearly in your CV/Résumé) -- don't hide it.
  - explain to us what happened (briefly).

• For M1, If you followed a major that is not obviously related to AI, but you believe that you have the requirements needed, then
  - emphasize the subjects (and your grades in them) that are somewhat related with AI,
  - convince us that you still have the requirements (pre-requisites). You may have them through some professional experience, or some classes you followed, etc.
  - yet, convince us that you will benefit from the M1/M2. Give us precise, concise arguments, not general ideas about the fact you love ML/AI/robots/whatever.

• If you already have an M2 in AI/DS/ML/Big Data:
  - see the question I already have an M2 in AI or Data Science, should I apply (in M2) ? (page should-i-apply )
  - convince us that you will learn new things / explain to us why this is very useful to you.

• If you are working now, make it clear how your work is related to ML and why you need a Master.

• For M2, If you have solid ML/AI (self-taught) professional experience (and are applying to the M2),
  - tell us about your ML experience.- it is crucial that you get at least one reference from a manager or peer in the companie(s) you've worked in (using the company email and not private emails).
  - if you published papers related to AI (peer-reviewed only ! Otherwise to us it's pure noise), outline it and state your contribution to them.
  - if you have an M1 in something, you can apply to our M2 (if you think you're ready for it). 

• If you only have a Bachelor and a lot of professional experience, then you may need to either (a) apply in M1 (?) OR (b) do the VAPP thing to get your professional experience recognized as equivalent to an M1 (good luck + careful, it might take time).

What should I put in my CV/Résumé ?

• Make it easier to the reviewers by prominently outlining your greatest achievements in your CV. Basically, some of the information that is relevant (like overall grade per year) that you didn't put in the cover letter, put it here. 

• Year per year indicate your Grade average/GPA and RANK in your promotion for past studies. 

• List your internships or work experience and what your achievements are.

• Indicate prizes/scholarships you may have received. 

• Indicate volunteer work, hobbies, extra classes you took that are relevant to complement your preparation. 

• Keep your CV one page long. (if you published papers, mention them. Then you may exceed one page)

About reference letters (recommendation letters):

Internship references also work, especially if the internship was in the field of AI. Make sure that your teachers/instructors/internship tutors know you and appreciate you, so you get good and meaningful letters of recommendation. A good letter of recommendation should be very personal: the person who recommends you should not just list generic qualities that apply to anybody, he/she should be very specific about what your achievements are.

• References for international students:

International students are asked to provide 2 contact persons to serve as reference to recommend you. This is redundant with "Recommandation letter or internship evaluation". You can either upload the recommendation letter manually (yourself) in this section, or skip it. Your references will be contacted anyways separately to provide a recommendation.Preferably use the institutional emails of your references to make the references more credible.

• References for students from the local Licence d'informatique:

We know your instructors, so these reference letters from Upsaclay are useless for you.

What are the most important admission criteria?

The jury will consider all applications and rank them according to:
- reputation of undergraduate/M1 degree,
- pre-requisite classes taken,
- grades,
- past job experiences, (in particular if you have quit academia some time ago and your pre-requisites are fulfilled from your professional experience),
- recommendations,
- mini-test,
- and motivation.
Everything counts.

What do I need to do to increase my chances of acceptance?

Basically, you should try to have each document in your file be as convincing as possible. So:
(1) GET GOOD GRADES (ok at this stage you don't choose that any more)
(2) Include ALL required documents in your application. Incomplete applications are always discarded.
(3) Write a good CV (see above)
(4) Write a good letter of motivation (see above)
(5) Get good reference letters (see above)
(6) Complete the evaluation questionnaire with care to demonstrate motivation and the capability of studying/understanding material on your own, then explaining it well in your own words. Keep your answers concise (about 5 lines each is enough for most questions)

When can I apply ? 

• See the page "what is this master program" for the 2024 dates.
  
  

When should I apply ? / Which wave should I apply to ?

Applicants should have their grades from the first semester of the current year, at least. If possible, some additional transcripts from part of the second semester is appreciated. If you do not have your first semester grades at least, try to wait !           

When will I know whether I am accepted?

(M1): See TrouverMonMaster. For inception applicants, probably late May 2024 at worst.

(M2): Typically within 2 months of depositing your files (validated and submitted by you). This is why it's bad to apply early: we cannot compare you with all others, so we are more strict

What are the tuition fees?

In 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the Saclay inscription fees were the same for EU and non EU citizens. So, about a few hundred euros (and not ~6000€ like expected from the "Welcome France" (ill-named) program).
However, once you are inscribed, the fees won't go up as long as you pass each year. The fees are similar for all students, regardless of origin. All students must pay the CVEC.

What about Campus France for some non-European citizens?

As far as we know, you don't need to go through Campus France for this master. You may have to use Campus France for your visa. For applying to our master you can directly go to https://inception.universite-paris-saclay.fr/