MVA-CentraleSupelec double degree Admission FAQ

This document is a compilation of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Double-Degree program between ENS Paris-Saclay Master’s degree in Mathematics, Vision, and Machine learning (Mathématiques, Vision, Apprentissage or MVA) and CentraleSupélec.

These notes only specifically concern this particular double-degree program and nothing else. If you are applying to the MVA program outside of this program, these answers almost certainly do not concern you.

These questions and answers are typically updated in April-May of each year due to the admission schedule of the MVA Master’s degree.

Frequently asked questions

Who runs the MVA ? Who decides on admission?

MVA is officially run by ENS Paris-Saclay. The director of the MVA makes the ultimate admission decisions. A team led by Hugues Talbot at CS makes detailed and motivated recommendations for admission into the double-degree program of MVA with CentraleSupéle, with a principal and secondary admission list. Generally, MVA follows our recommendations but not always.

Who can apply ?

Any 2nd year student at CS, whether after a “césure” (gap year) or not, can apply to the MVA double-degree program and can potentially be admitted. However note that only the SDI track in Paris-Saclay and Quantitative MMF tracks have an agreement with ENS. For these tracks, some courses from the SDI track count as courses for the MVA, which reduces the course load significantly. Other tracks do not have this agreement and the course workload is therefore quite significant.

Note that the application evaluation puts a heavy focus on mathematics and general academic achievements.

Can I apply if I’m already in my 3rd year at CS or if I’ve already graduated

Anyone with an M1 equivalent level can apply, this includes people with an M2 diploma or an engineering degree or in the process of getting it. However you cannot be admitted to the double-degree program with CS. The vast majority of MVA students are double-degree students, except students from ENS.

Can I attend the MVA after my final year at CS?

Generally no. The MVA administration does offer a few places for people already graduated from a M2 equivalent diploma (M2 or Engineering degree), but this is truly exceptional. You can of course apply for admission next year and motivate your application as best you can.

Can I attend the MVA as an apprentice?

No. There is no provision in the schedule for people working part-time in a company. The internship is also more difficult to manage.

How can I apply ?

There is only one way for CS students to apply, through the Inception website of the Paris-Saclay university.

How can I get more information about how to apply ?

The reference document is this one.

What is the application deadline?

You can apply between 05/01 and 06/30.

When will results be announced ?

Results are announced typically in the week after 07/14.

What can I do to maximize my chances to be admitted?

• The one key element during your time at CentraleSupélec is to do what you enjoy and not what you think others would like you to do.
• If you enjoy mathematics, computer vision and/or machine learning, then presumably you will have done some extra-curricular projects in one or more of these domains. Highlight those in your CV and your letter of motivation. If you have followed the Digital Tech Year, make sure you highlight the relevant projects.
• Similarly, highlight the internships (“stages”) that you have done in these domains. For this reason doing a gap year (“césure”) can help, but is in no way necessary.
• If you have followed a mathematics licence (L3) or 1 year of Master at the same time as your studies at CS, make sure this is also highlighted.
• Make sure you have a recommendation letter from all of your internships supervisors. Typically only one PDF document can be submitted in the application, so merge them together.
• MVA is a research master. If you have followed the research track at CS or done any research-oriented projet or internship, make sure you highlight them and get a recommandation letter from your supervisor.
• This goes without saying but it is essential to get the best grades you can, particularly in mathematics, since MVA is a mathematics master’s degree. The first-year math courses (CIP, EDP), statistics courses and optimisation course are particularly important. Electives in MVA domains are taken into account.

How many students from CS can be admitted to MVA?

The minimal number as per agreement for the double-degree program is 20 students. The maximal number seen in practice in the last 10 years has been 32 students. However, competitions has been fiercer in recent years and in practice the maximal number is around 25 students.

The quota is global for CS and not by tracks. In practice the majority of admitted students are from the SDI track. Last year a few students from MMF and AI were also admitted. None from the other tracks.

What can I do if I’m not admitted ?

Last year there were over 120 applications from CS alone for 25 slots, so most applicants were unfortunately not admitted in spite of their very good results.

If you are not admitted, this is not the end of the world. Typically not doing the MVA has little to no effect to your ability to find an excellent position in whatever domain you choose, whether in research or industry, with almost no exceptions.

You can still follow up to 2 courses at the MVA as an “auditeur libre” even if you are not admitted. You can still follow all the MVA courses offered at CS in the mathematics department. Altogether, in terms of offering, you will not necessarily miss on much, and the courses you follow you can do more leisurely with less emphasis on getting a good grade. You can also focus more on your other courses and research projects, which can be a good way to continue onto a PhD, if this is what you want to do.

I feel my application was not fairly reviewed, is there something I can do?

Our admission procedure is explainable and auditable. we spend a lot of time and effort on every application but of course we can make mistakes. if you feel you need some explanations, by all means reach out and if we have made a mistake it will be corrected.

Other questions:

English level

A short letter from your english professor is enough for your application. You do not have to go through an official TOEIC/TOEFL, Cambridge certificate or equivalent.

Copie du dernier diplôme obtenu

Provide a copy of the last academic diploma you officially received. Since neither preparatory classes nor CS provide any diploma until the final year, It is perfectly OK to provide a copy of your baccalauréat if this is all you have. This is an administrative requirement. Note that if have received a licence or master’s or engineering degree by some other you have to provide it.

Filière metier “métiers de la recherche”

It is not necessary to follow the “metiers de la recherche” track at CS to apply to MVA. Do what you feel is best for you and defend it in your motivation letter.

Do I need to provide my admission grades (“notes aux concours”)

No, definitely not. These are not comparable from one year to another.

Do I need to state that I’m going to pursue a PhD in my motivation letter, even if I’m not really sure about this.

No need, just be honest in your motivation letter.A

Do I need to do a gap year (“césure”) to have a good chance to be admitted to MVA?

Generally, no. It very much depends on what you want to do. Doing a gap year gives you the opportunity to realize interesting internships or personal projects, which may be difficult to do later in life. Also if you are not sure about what you want to do during your last year at CentraleSupélec, or more generally during your career, a gap year might help. If you are already pretty sure, a gap year may be useless or irrelevant.

However this choice does not affect admission into the MVA very much. The vast majority of students admitted to the CS-MVA DD program have done a gap year but this is a reflection of the fact that most CS students do a gap year, this is not a requirement. It does mean that your application will probably be more academically inclined since you will not have had as much experience, in ML in particular, but this is perfectly fine, we take this into account.

Do you read every document in the application file, even the motivation letter and the recommendation letters?

YES !!! make sure these are well written and as short as possible.

Why are there so few places for CS students?

The MVA is open to every student who has an M1 or equivalent level (ie second year of engineering degree) and it would not be fair to restrict access to a single type of students. Every engineering school and even the ENS have a quota.

Can I attend the MVA if I’m not on the Saclay campus?

No. The MVA is strictly in-person only