Sapere Aude

"Dare to know", is the motto of Université PSL.

Mission statement

The vision of Université PSL was born out of the long intellectual and scientific history of its schools, which decided to join forces and build a common future in order to create a radical new institution. Wholly committed to excellence in education, training and research, PSL is a global university, which aims to reflect, represent and influence society today and the world of the future in all its diversity. The university’s collegial ethos is a major asset, ensuring that dialogue takes place between all areas of knowledge, innovation and creativity in science, humanities, social sciences, arts and engineering.

PSL offers an education led by the research carried out in its laboratories while encouraging discussion and mobility between disciplines and across schools. Our university exercises critical thinking and fosters creativity. Students are selected on the basis of their potential and talent. The university champions equal opportunities and promotes social, cultural and geographic diversity, and students are guaranteed individual mentoring, small class sizes and personalized academic pathways. The PSL student community enjoys a rich network of student societies and makes the most of the many opportunities that Paris can offer. Whether they opt later for a career in senior management, academia, business, the artistic or cultural world or the non-profit sector, PSL students become citizens who are fully aware of their individual, social and environmental responsibilities.

PSL champions independent research and academic freedom. The range of our disciplines and the ways in which PSL approaches them lead to disruptive thinking and breakthrough innovations and ensure that our university can contribute to solving today’s major problems and challenges. It has one of the world’s strongest scientific environments. It maintains strong partnerships with leading international universities and contributes pro-actively to the global circulation of ideas, skills and talent.

PSL is active in promoting science, technology, knowledge and the arts in all sectors of society. We consider it essential to communicate to leaders in the public and private sectors the full importance of the scientific method and the urgency of engaging with the most up-to-date and rigorous research findings. Our approach is based on wide and effective scientific and cultural dissemination, innovation transfer, and the creation of new businesses. PSL also has a large and diverse world-wide community of alumni.

PSL is a responsible university. Our staff members have a public service role, and they contribute to national and international debates and the development of public policies. Our university encourages and values the social commitment of its students, both individually and through their student societies. Awareness of sustainable development goals is incorporated into all our research, teaching and all our other activities. We champion the value and importance of research integrity, and we are committed to an open data policy. Our human resources policy prioritizes quality of life at work, career development and inclusivity.

PSL includes eleven Schools: Collège de France, Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique - PSL, Dauphine - PSL, École nationale des chartes - PSL, École nationale supérieure de Chimie de Paris - PSL, École normale supérieure - PSL, École Pratique des Hautes Études - PSL, ESPCI Paris - PSL, Institut Curie, Mines Paris - PSL, Observatoire de Paris - PSL.

PSL works closely with three research entities: CNRS, Inria, Inserm.

PSL from A to Z

They Made PSL What It Is


By coming to Université PSL, students and researchers follow in the footsteps of our most illustrious alumni and can likewise have an impact on society, whether in academia or in the private sector.

mos portrait Emile Durkheim
Emile Durkheim
Sociology
marie curie
Marie Curie
Physics & Chemistry
Jean-Paul Sartre Littérature Philosophie PSL
Jean-Paul Sartre
Literature & Philosophy
Aimé Césaire Poète Homme politique PSL
Aimé Césaire
Poetry & Politics
Claude Levi-Strauss Anthropologue et ethnologue PSL
Claude Levi-Strauss
Anthropolgy & Ethnography
Assia Djebar Littérature PSL
Assia Djebar
Literature
Frédéric Mazzella Fondateur de BlaBlaCar PSL
Frédéric Mazzella
Founder of BlaBlaCar
Louis Pasteur biologie chimie physique PSL
Louis Pasteur
Biology & Chemistry
Paul Langevin physique PSL
Paul Langevin
Physics
Isabelle Huppert Actrice PSL
Isabelle Huppert
Dramatic Art
Charles Sainte-Claire-Deville Géologue PSL
Charles Sainte-Claire-Deville
Geology
Pierre-Louis Lions Mathématiques PSL
Pierre-Louis Lions
Mathematics
Maurice Allais Economie PSL
Maurice Allais
Economics
Fernand Braudel Historien PSL
Fernand Braudel
History
François Arago Mathématiques Physique Astronomie PSL
François Arago
Mathematics Physics Astronomy
Jean Rochefort Acteur PSL
Jean Rochefort
Dramatic Art
Philippe Aghion Economie PSL
Philippe Aghion
Economics
François de Wendel Homme d'Etat PSL
François de Wendel
Politics
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes Physique PSL
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
Physics
Alain Juppé Homme d'Etat PSL
Alain Juppé
Politics
Simone Weil Philosophie & Littérature
Simone Weil
Philosophy & Literature
Serge Haroche Physique PSL
Serge Haroche
Physics
Laurent Fabius Homme d'Etat PSL
Laurent Fabius
Politics
Jean-Pierre Marielle Acteur PSL
Jean-Pierre Marielle
Dramatic Art
Henri Poincaré Mathématiques Physique PSL
Henri Poincaré
Mathematics & Physics
Jean-Pierre Serre Mathématiques PSL
Jean-Pierre Serre
Mathematics
Irène Joliot-Curie Chimie Physique PSL
Irène Joliot-Curie
Physics & Chemistry
Raymond Aron Philosophie PSL
Raymond Aron
Philosophy
Olivier Blanchard Economie PSL
Olivier Blanchard
Economics
Claude Cohen-Tannoudji physicien PSL
Claude Cohen-Tannoudji
Physics
Jean-Christophe Yoccoz Mathématiques PSL
Jean-Christophe Yoccoz
Mathematics
Georges Charpak ESPCI Paris by harcourt creative commons
Georges Charpak
Physique
Isabelle Kocher - Wikimedia commons
Isabelle Kocher
Business woman
Esther Duflo - Wikimedia commons
Esther Duflo
Economics