Undergraduate Applicants: Tips for Writing Your Admissions Essays

Do you plan to enrol at Sciences Po for your Bachelor’s degree for the 2025 intake? Applications are now open.

• They will close on 16 April 2025 if you are preparing to sit for a non-French secondary school certificate or diploma,
• They will close on 3 April 2025 if you are currently preparing for the French Baccalauréat and applying via the Parcoursup platform,
• For dual degrees admissions, the schedule and admission process are specific to each programme.

You will be expected to join written pieces to you application. Here are some useful tips and reminders to help you succeed.

What written pieces must I join, depending on my situation and the programme I apply for?

For Bachelor’s applicants via the international admission pathway, or dual degrees applicants via Parcoursup

The written evaluation is the third part of the application. 

The aim is to gain a better understanding of the candidate’s background, motivation for Sciences Po, as well as writing and thinking skills, through a series of written essays included in the application file.

This section consists of two written pieces:

1. Motivation and future plans at Sciences Po, in the form of one or three questions depending on the chosen programme

For international candidates, on the Sciences Po portal, you will need to answer three questions:

• Academic excellence is at the heart of Sciences Po’s project, do you value hard work? When and in which circumstances have you had to demonstrate personal effort? (2,500 to 3,000 characters incl. spaces),
• Can you select a work of literature that has contributed to your personal intellectual development? Please develop your answer (1,500 to 2,000 characters incl. spaces),
• The Sciences Po College curriculum is offered on several campuses and via a variety of study programmes, can you specify the two programme choices in which you would like to study and explain in detail your interest in each? (1,500 to 2,000 characters incl. spaces).

Please note: The third question is not graded. It provides the evaluator with elements of understanding regarding the application.

For candidates applying for dual degree programmes on Parcoursup, you will need to respond to a single motivation question in the “Projet de formation motivé” section.

2. Essay on one of the proposed subjects:

• An author has contributed to changing the way you look at a societal issue. Please specify which issue, then provide details and explain why (3,000 to 4,000 characters incl. spaces),
• Write an uchronia imagining that a major scientific or technological discovery of the 20th century had not occurred. Specify which discovery you are referring to and imagine the related political, economic or social implications (3,000 to 4,000 characters incl. spaces).

This section of the application gives candidates a chance to demonstrate their critical thinking and writing skills through an essay responding to one of two subjects.

Candidates who apply via the Sciences Po portal can write in French or English, based on the language of the selected programmes.

Please note: Written pieces are made available to the interview committee (for candidates who have obtained a sufficient score in the application evaluation, and are invited to the interview). It is therefore imperative to provide thoughtful, argued, and authentic responses.

For Bachelor’s applicants (except for dual degrees) via Parcoursup

For the 2025 campaign, all applicants for the Bachelor's programme via the Parcoursup portal are required to write their motivation statements in their application by answering two questions.

• How does Sciences Po correspond to your study project? Detail your motivation for the content of the Undergraduate College programme (2,500 to 3,000 characters, including spaces). This first motivation question is found in the "Projet Motivé" section.
• Undergraduate programmes are offered on 7 campuses in France, can you specify the two programme choices you would like to join and elaborate on your interest in each? (1,500 to 2,000 characters, including spaces). This second motivation question is found in the form.

You need to explain your programme choices (including sub-choices "sous-voeux") in an argued manner. You must demonstrate a knowledge of our study project and how you envision the coming years of your training.

For the first question, you need to demonstrate an understanding of our programme and how you envision your studies at our institution. For the second question, you must explain your two program choices (your sub-choices), with reasoned arguments.

Please note: these motivational elements will not be graded during the evaluation of the application, but will be made available to the interview committee (for candidates who have obtained a sufficient score in the application evaluation, and are invited to the interview). It is therefore imperative to provide thoughtful, argued, and authentic responses.

For applicants to dual degree programmes managed by our partner universities

Admissions to dual degrees with Columbia University, Berkeley University, University of British Columbia, University College London, National University of Singapore and Sydney University are managed by our partner universities.

Applications must be submitted on the partner universities' platforms. Schedules, admissions processes, including written pieces to join the application, are specific to each programme. Applicants are invited to check the websites of partner universities for further details.

Our advice to succeed

Your Written Pieces are Yours and No One Else’s

Of course, it is always reassuring to ask for an outside opinion on your writing. But be careful about how many proofreaders or revisions you seek out. A few adjustments can improve the text as a whole, but too many changes can distort your essays and ultimately compromise their authenticity.Yet, you are the person in the best position to know and talk about your talents, motivations, and personality. You should recognise yourself in the final version of the essays and be proud of them.

Moreover, plagiarism will have disciplinary consequences, make sure you don’t pass off other people’s ideas as your own!

“Sell Yourself” but Stay Humble: A Question of Balance

Don't be afraid to highlight your strengths and your achievements, just be sure that they are relevant to your academic goals and your application. And remember to contextualise them by giving specific examples that illustrate what you want to convey. This allows you to present your strengths in a justified and thoughtful way, without sounding conceited.

Don't Send the First Draft and Don't Wait Until the Last Minute

You cannot finish the final draft of your essays in one sitting. Do not start them the day before the deadline: you need time to think, construct your arguments, and proofread with a fresh pair of eyes to make improvements when necessary and verify that each essay checks all the boxes of our requirements.

You will also need time to integrate edits and advice from a proofreader (which must be limited, as per our previous advice), and of course, to make any spelling and grammar corrections necessary! Do you have a formal or more personal style? That’s not what is important, so long as you stay consistent and sincere. Try to write essays that are pleasant to read, with clear and relevant ideas. Aim for simplicity and efficiency! And stick to the required length, which also takes time.

Find Out More

• Everything you need to know about being admitted as a first year,
• The New Admission Procedure Through Parcoursup for First-Year Bachelor Applicants.