Grande école facts for kids

Gate of the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris

A grande école (pronounced "grand eh-kohl") is a special type of top-level school in France. You can also find them in some countries that used to be French colonies, like Morocco or Tunisia.

These schools are different from regular French public universities. They focus on teaching, research, and training students for specific jobs. This can be in areas like engineering, architecture, business administration, or even public service.

Getting into a grande école is very competitive. Students usually have to pass tough national exams called concours. Most successful students spend two or three years in special "preparatory classes" (called classes préparatoires) before they even try to get in. Because they are separate from universities, most grandes écoles give out master's degrees, not undergraduate (bachelor's) degrees.

Most grandes écoles get money from the government, so their tuition fees are usually low. However, some, especially business schools (Écoles de commerce), are private and cost more.

What are Grandes Écoles?

How they started

The idea of grande école began in 1794, after the French Revolution. Important schools like the École normale supérieure and the École centrale des travaux publics (which later became the École polytechnique) were created. The Conservatoire national des arts et métiers also started around this time.

Before 1794, some schools already existed that were similar. They trained people for government jobs, like engineers for bridges and roads, or supervisors for mines. For example, the École royale des ponts et chaussées (for bridge and road engineers) was founded in 1747.

In 1802, Napoleon created the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr. This school trains army officers and is also considered a grande école.

During the 1800s, many more grandes écoles were set up to help with industry and business. These included schools for engineering and business, like the École supérieure de Commerce de Paris (now ESCP Business School), founded in 1819.

France now has a unique education system. There are smaller, specialized graduate schools (the grandes écoles) that exist alongside the traditional university system. Some subjects, like medicine, are mostly taught at universities. Other subjects, like architecture, are often found only in grandes écoles.

Grandes Écoles today

There isn't one official list or definition for grandes écoles. The term isn't even used much in French education laws. Instead, they are often called "écoles supérieures" (higher schools) to show they are different from universities.

The Conférence des grandes écoles (CGE) is a group of these schools. They have a broad idea of what a grande école is. Being a member of this group doesn't mean a school is more selective or famous.

Getting into a Grande École

The way you get into a grande école is very different from other French universities.

Most students go through a two-year special program called a CPGE (see below). After these two years, they take a series of very tough national exams. These exams include written tests over several weeks. If students pass the written tests, they then take oral exams. During an oral exam, a student might be given a problem to solve and then discuss their solution with a professor.

After all the exams, students get a national ranking. This ranking helps them choose which grande école they can get into.

Preparatory classes (CPGE)

The Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris is a famous high school that offers preparatory classes for grandes écoles.

Classes préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles (CPGE), or prépas for short, are two-year programs. They are usually held in high schools (lycées) and prepare students for the competitive entrance exams of the grandes écoles.

Getting into a prépa is also competitive. It depends on a student's grades from high school. The prépas that send the most students to the top grandes écoles are very hard to get into. If a student doesn't get into their dream grande école, they can often repeat the second year of prépa and try the exams again.

There are different types of prépas:

Science prépas: These prepare students for engineering schools. They focus on subjects like math, physics, chemistry, and technology.
BCPST prépas: These are for students interested in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and math. They mainly prepare students for agricultural and veterinary schools.
Literature prépas: These focus on humanities, like history, languages, and philosophy. They mainly prepare students for schools like the Écoles normales supérieures.
Economics and Business prépas: These focus on math and economics. They prepare students for French business schools.
Chartes prépas: These are the smallest prépas. They focus on history, languages, and old texts, preparing students for the École Nationale des Chartes.

The Lycée Henri-IV is also famous for its classes prépas.

Another view of Lycée Henri-IV.

Direct admission after high school

Some grandes écoles accept students right after high school, based on their high school grades or results from the baccalauréat (French high school diploma). For example, the seven schools in the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA network) are very popular and selective. There are also other engineering schools that you can join directly after high school.

Most of these five-year grandes écoles are public, so their fees are quite low (between €601 and €2,350 per year). Some are private or have higher fees.

The advantage of these direct-entry schools is that students can focus on their chosen field earlier. They don't have to spend two years just preparing for general entrance exams. This means they can study topics that are more directly related to their future job.

Parallel admission

Students can also get into a grande école through "parallel admission." This means they can join after studying at a university or another school, without going through the traditional prépa route. This way of getting in is becoming more popular.

Some grandes écoles also have agreements with other schools. This allows students to study at both and get two diplomas.

Degrees from Grandes Écoles

The degrees from French Grandes écoles don't always fit perfectly with international degree systems, like the European Bologna system. In 2007, a report noted that their diplomas don't easily match up with international names for academic study. Students usually study for five years and then receive a master's degree, without a separate bachelor's degree in between.

However, some Grandes écoles have started to use the Bologna system. This helps them fit better into the international academic world. For example, they might give a certificate that says their studies are "equal to a bachelor's degree" for students who complete the first part of their program.

Teachers at Grandes Écoles

Grandes écoles have different types of teachers:

Full-time professors: These teachers do research and give lectures. They also help students with projects and are involved in school life. They are responsible for the quality of teaching.
Adjunct professors: These teachers also work at other universities or schools.
Visiting professors: These are experts, like consultants or entrepreneurs, who teach a few times a week.
Guest professors: These are international professors who come to give special lectures or classes.

Types of Grandes Écoles

Grandes écoles can be grouped into different categories:

Écoles normales supérieures

These schools train future researchers and professors. Many French Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners studied at these schools. There are four main ENS schools:

The École Normale Supérieure in Paris (nicknamed "Ulm").
The École Normale Supérieure de Lyon in Lyon.
The École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay, near Paris.
The École Normale Supérieure de Rennes, near Rennes.

Students from France and other European Union countries who attend these schools are often considered "civil servants in training." This means they get a monthly salary in exchange for agreeing to work for France for ten years after they graduate.

Engineering schools (grandes écoles d'ingénieurs)

Many engineering schools accept students who have completed two years of scientific preparatory classes after high school. These schools train people to be engineers, which in France means someone with strong skills in science, math, and sometimes business.

Here are some famous groups of engineering schools:

ParisTech schools: These include some of the most selective schools, like École polytechnique (known as l'X), which is run by the French Ministry of Defense.
Centrale Graduate Schools: These are well-known engineering schools, including CentraleSupélec, which was formed by two older schools merging in 2015.
Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) network: This is the largest group of engineering schools in France. They are located in different cities like Lyon and Toulouse.
Instituts polytechniques: These are groups of engineering schools, like the Institut polytechnique de Grenoble.
Réseau Polytech schools: This is a network of 15 engineering schools connected to major universities in France.

There are also many other engineering schools that focus on specific areas like:

Actuarial Science, Statistics, and Econometrics
Chemistry
Physics
Information Technology and Telecommunications
Applied Physics, Technology, or Civil and Industrial Engineering
Biology and other Natural Sciences

Business schools (grandes écoles de commerce)

Most French business schools are partly private or run by local business groups.

Some business schools accept students right after high school. These are often private schools. Examples include ESSCA School of Management and IESEG School of Management.

Other business schools are very selective and accept students who have completed preparatory classes. These include some of the most famous business schools in France:

Some business schools, like INSEAD, are for students who already have professional work experience.

Grandes Écoles without preparatory classes

Some schools can be entered directly after high school through a competitive exam, without needing preparatory classes. These often lead to careers in public administration.

Examples include:

École du Louvre, for archaeology and history of art.
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), for social sciences.
École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs and École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, for arts.
Instituts Nationaux des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) schools, which offer five-year engineering degrees.
Universités de Technologies (UT) schools, which also offer engineering degrees.

Universities that joined the Conférence des grandes écoles

In 2014, Paris-Dauphine University joined the Conférence des grandes écoles. It is now considered both a university and a grande école.

Schools for Political Studies, Social Sciences, Journalism and Communication

These schools train students in many areas of social and human studies. Students often prepare for jobs in public service, but many also work in the private sector.

Institut d'études politiques (IEP, Sciences Po): These are very famous schools for political studies. Sciences Po (also known as Sciences Po Paris) is the most well-known and selective.
Grandes Écoles of Journalism and communication studies: These schools train journalists and communication experts, like CELSA Paris and Centre de Formation des Journalistes.

Other important schools include:

Institut national du service public (INSP), which used to be the École nationale d'administration and trains high-level civil servants.
École Nationale de la Magistrature (ENM), which trains judges.

Military officer academies

France has three main military grandes écoles that train officers for the armed forces:

The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr (for the Army).
The École de l'Air (for the Air Force).
The École Navale (for the Navy).

The École polytechnique is also supervised by the Ministry of Defense, but it's not officially a military academy anymore. Most of its students go into civilian jobs.

Influence in French Culture

Grandes écoles are very important in France. In 2013, they awarded about 60,000 master's degrees. These schools are known for being very selective and having difficult courses. The best ones are sometimes called "A+" schools in rankings. Less than 1% of all higher education students in France attend these elite schools.

Since 1975, a group called the Comité d'études sur les formations d'ingénieurs has studied how engineers from grandes écoles are trained and find jobs.

Famous people who attended Grandes Écoles

Many important people in France, including presidents and Nobel Prize winners, have studied at Grandes écoles.

President of France	In Office	Grande école(s)
Patrice de MacMahon	1873 – 1879	École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr
Sadi Carnot	1887 – 1894	École Polytechnique; École des ponts ParisTech
Paul Doumer	1931 – 1932	Conservatoire national des arts et métiers
Albert Lebrun	1932 – 1940	École Polytechnique; Mines ParisTech
Philippe Pétain	1940 – 1944	École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr
Léon Blum	1946 – 1947	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Charles de Gaulle	1959 – 1969	École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr
Alain Poher (Acting)	1969; 1974	Mines ParisTech; Sciences Po
Georges Pompidou	1969 – 1974	Sciences Po; École normale supérieure (Paris)
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing	1974 – 1981	École Polytechnique; École nationale d'administration
François Mitterrand	1981 – 1995	Sciences Po
Jacques Chirac	1995 – 2007	Sciences Po; École nationale d'administration
Nicolas Sarkozy	2007 - 2012	Sciences Po
François Hollande	2012 – 2017	HEC Paris; Sciences Po; École nationale d'administration
Emmanuel Macron	2017 – present	Sciences Po; École nationale d'administration

Many winners of the Nobel Prize also attended a Grande école:

Nobel laureate	Year	Category	Grande école(s)
Marie Curie	1903 & 1911	Physics & Chemistry	ESPCI Paris
Henri Becquerel	1903	Physics	Conservatoire national des arts et métiers; École Polytechnique
Henri Moissan	1906	Chemistry	École pratique des hautes études
Gabriel Lippmann	1908	Physics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Paul Sabatier	1912	Chemistry	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Jean Baptiste Perrin	1926	Physics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Henri Bergson	1927	Literature	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Frédéric Joliot-Curie	1935	Chemistry	ESPCI Paris
Roger Martin du Gard	1937	Literature	École Nationale des Chartes
François Mauriac	1952	Literature	École Nationale des Chartes
Jean-Paul Sartre	1964	Literature	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Alfred Kastler	1966	Physics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Louis Néel	1970	Physics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Gérard Debreu	1983	Economics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Maurice Allais	1988	Economics	École Polytechnique; Mines ParisTech
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes	1991	Physics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Georges Charpak	1992	Physics	Mines ParisTech; ESPCI Paris
Claude Cohen-Tannoudji	1997	Physics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Yves Chauvin	2005	Chemistry	École Supérieure de Chimie Physique Électronique de Lyon
Albert Fert	2007	Physics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Serge Haroche	2012	Physics	École normale supérieure (Paris)
Jean Tirole	2014	Economics	Paris Dauphine University; École des ponts ParisTech; École Polytechnique
Esther Duflo	2019	Economics	École normale supérieure (Paris); École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
Alain Aspect	2022	Physics	École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay
Anne L'Huillier	2023	Physics	École normale supérieure de Fontenay-aux-Roses