Data AI 2026-2027
For new students, DataAI will start on Tuesday September 8, 2026, at 10:00 in room 0C03 of Telecom Paris with the DataAI Basics course (obligatory for all new students).The courses (for all students) start on September 14th.
Overview
The DataAI study track is a two-year master’s program at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris to prepare students for a PhD. It is concerned with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and large-scale data management. To apply, you can browse the official IP Paris webpage for the the M1 and for the the M2.The program is taught in English. It teaches students the basics of Machine Learning, Logic, Deep Learning, and Databases, before diving into applications in advanced machine learning, symbolic AI, natural language processing (language models), explainable and trustworthy AI, visual computing, and robotics. Students can choose from a wide variety of courses, collective intelligence, including on the reinforcement learning, multi-agent systems, graph mining, text mining, navigation for autonomous systems, the symbiosis of language models and structured data, AI reasoning, privacy-preserving data analysis, as well as social issues in AI.
The program has a focus on research, and aims to prepare students for a PhD. Therefore, it familiarizes students from the beginning with scientific work through scientific projects and internships.
- Language of instruction: English
- ECTS: 120
- Orientation: PhD
- Duration: 1 year (M2) or 2 years (M1+M2)
- Start: September
- Course Location: Quartier Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France
Admissions
As this is a master's program, applicants need a Bachelor's degree or equivalent to apply. students should have a solid background in the basics of algorithms, math, and statistics. That said, we are open to diverse profiles as long as they can demonstrate their knowledge of math and computer science.
As courses are in English, the applicants need to justify their capacity to follow a course in English. We don't require a specific certificate or a specific grade but the candidate are encouraged to include a test (e.g. IELTS, TOEFL), be native speakers or have followed previous programs in English.
More information and the technical information to apply are available on the official IP Paris webpage for the the M1 and for the the M2.
If you have questions about the specific rules or organization of the Data AI master you can contact the master team at the address master-dataaiFrequently Asked Questions
For questions related to the admission process at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, please refer to the FAQ on the admission website: https://www.ip-paris.fr/en/education/masters/faqs.
- Do I need a recommendation? Yes, recommendation letters are important for us to know the candidates better. The only exception are for students coming from one of the IP Paris schools who can leave the recommendation empty (the system asks for a valid mail address but you can put not_needed@ip-paris.fr).
- Can I have a scholarship? Can you submit my name to the Eiffel scholarship? The Data AI master does not have scholarships to offer nor does it submits names to scholarships. Students who wants to do research after the master are encouraged to apply directly to a PhD track program (it is a combined master + PhD program) where students can receive scholarships as well as funding for their PhD. The most relevant PhD track in IP Paris for Data AI students is the Data AI PhD track. More information about scholarships can be found on the IP Paris website here.
- I have a bachelor in economics/math/cs/biology can I still apply? You can always apply and that is the only way to get an answer on whether you will be accepted but, as stated above, "following our program requires a solid background in both math and CS with a good knowledge of at least one programming language". If the jury fears that you don't have the required background they will not accept you. Note that CS is not just coding.
- Can I still apply if I have two bachelors/a bachelor and a master/two masters/ a bachelor from 10 years ago? You can always apply if you have at least one bachelor (see question above).
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What should I put in my motivation letter (a.k.a. statement of
purpose)? A motivation letter should demonstrate your
motivation and therefore there is not one good answer as the
best motivation letter will be different for different
applicants. Here are some important information that the jury is
generally looking for: why did you apply to our master? what do
you plan on doing after the master (long and short terms),
e.g. are you planning on doing a PhD? are there specific topics
that interest you? do you have experience with research? if you
have a background not in CS, how do you plan on catching up?
The length of the motivation letter can vary on what the candidate has to say but generally one page is enough. - I have an average of ... at university ..., would I be selected? Only the jury can get a definitive answer so one would need to actually apply to get an answer. We receive a lot of applications, much more than the number of positions that we have to offer and therefore the master is highly selective. We cannot give a "grade threshold" on acceptance as different countries, different universities and even sometimes different curricula have different grading scales or different grading systems. Furthermore, acceptance relies on more than just an average and on more than just grades.
- Should I apply to the M1 or the M2? The Bachelor's degree is followed by the first Master year (M1) and the second Master year (M2). Thus, if you have just a Bachelor's degree (or will have one by September this year), apply to M1. If you have already studied for one more year after the Bachelor's degree (and have earned 240 ECTS in total, or will have obtained this number of credits by September this year), you can apply to the M2. If you have doubts you can apply to both the M1 and the M2. In any case, the jury will determine your admissibility. If you already hold a master degree please state in your personal statement why you need a second one (as opposed to applying to a PhD directly).
- When can I apply? Admission dates can be found on the IP Paris website. If the dates for next year are not already published it is because we don't already have them but the dates for the current year should give a good estimate.
- What is the admission timeline? The admission proceeds in sessions (see here for the session dates: www.ip-paris.fr/en/education/admissions). As soon as a session opens, the student can submit their application. As soon as the session closes, applications to this session are no longer possible. The applicants are then sent a supplementary questionnaire to gather further information. Please watch out for this email in the week after the session closes, and answer it! The jury then examines the applications, and it needs around 2 months. As we receive hundreds of applications per session, please refrain from intermediary inquiries. Just wait, and you will be notified of acceptance or rejection. In case of acceptance, you can request a letter of acceptance that you can use for visa applications.
- When do the course start? Courses generally start on the first week of September.
- What are the fees? You can consult the fees for Data AI on the IP Paris website in the section FAQ for the masters or directly here (for 2024). Note that Data AI falls in the "international master" category.
- I have difficulties with the admission website. Here is a short video showing you how to create an application.
- Can do follow the program in "alternance"? Can I do the program while I am working for a company? The program is meant to be a full time occupation. We don't offer "alternance" and we strongly advise against having a part time or a full time job on the side.
Institutional partners
- ENSTA Paris
- École Polytechnique
- Télécom Paris
- Télécom SudParis
Each course of the program takes place in exactly one of these schools, all schools offer at least one course of the program, and all schools are located at the same campus in the city of Palaiseau in France, just south of Paris. The final diploma will be delivered by Institut Polytechnique de Paris.