French higher education : Higher Educational Institutions ("grandes écoles")

There is a large number of higher educational institutions in France. They are either public (subsidised by the French State) or private. Enrolment fees in public institutions (universities, high schools and higher institutions under contract with the State) are less expensive than in private institutions.   Among these institutions, “grandes écoles” (business schools, engineering schools, Institute of Political Studies…) are the most prestigious. To be admitted, you must have a very high school record. • Engineering schools and business schools To be admitted to an engineering school or business school, you must pass an entrance exam. The preparation takes two years in “classe préparatoire” (“prépas”). Some of these schools recruit at the level of the school-leaving exam. In this case, applicants are not requested to have attended a “prépa”. Furthermore, in certain schools, specific entrance exams are organized for foreign students. Studies generally last three years after the two years of “prépa”. - Engineering schools : students follow a scientific program to become engineers after obtaining their diploma.
The most famous schools are : Polytechnique, Centrale, les Mines, l’INSA…
Please note that there are also engineering trainings in universities. Applicants are recruited on record and after an interview. - Business schools : students follow a commerce and management training to work later in the field of business or become business managers. The most famous schools are : HEC, ESSEC, ESCP-EAP, EDHEC in Lille, EM Lyon, Business Schools (ESC)… Some of these schools are public, others are private. Enrolment fees in public engineering schools amount to approximately 700 euros per year. In business schools, that are often private, it varies between 5000 and 7000 euros per year. • Institutes of Political Studies (IEP) There are 9 IEP in France (also called “Sciences Po”), the most famous is in Paris (www.sciences-po.fr [5]). IEP provide in 4 or 5 year (among which a year abroad) a general, high level general training during the first cycle. It is followed by a specialization in sections (public service, economics and finance, economics and social policy, international relations). Admission on entry examination.
Most IEP offer foreign students an adapted international diploma. • Other higher educational institutions - Ecoles Normales Supérieures (ENS) is the most prestigious route to become a high-level professor or researcher. www.ens.fr [6]
- National School of Administration (ENA) trains policy makers and high-ranking executives for the public service. www.ena.fr [7]
- National School of Charters trains archivists, paleographers. www.enc.sorbonne.fr [8]
-National School of Information and Librarian Sciences (ENSSIB) trains directors of public libraries. www.enssib.fr [9] • Research Institutions - Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) : research in the field of earth and life sciences and historic sciences. www.ephe.sorbonne.fr [10]
- Social Sciences Higher Educational Institution (EHESS) : research in the field of social sciences. www.ehess.fr [11] Do you wish to enrol in an educational institution or a French university ? Consult Campus France website [12] You should also read the files on universities [13] and higher specialized institutions [14]