Grande école

The Grandes Écoles (French pronunciation: ​[ɡʁɑ̃d.z‿ekɔl], literally in French "Grand Schools") of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. Most Grandes Écoles select students for admission at the third year of undergraduate level based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams, while French public universities have a legal obligation to accept in the first year of undergraduate studies all candidates of the region who hold a corresponding baccalauréat.

Usually candidates for the national exams have completed two years of dedicated preparatory classes, although this is not always the case: some Grandes Écoles also have an admission process open to university students (bachelor or master), others have an integrated preparation. The Grandes Écoles are highly selective and usually do not have large student bodies: most give admission to few hundred students each year; there are 6,000 students at the establishment with the largest student population, Arts et Métiers ParisTech.

Studying in a grande école is officially considered as public service; students generally pay low or no fees, and are even paid monthly stipends in some institutions, with the exception of business schools which typically charge higher fees. Economically disadvantaged students in grandes écoles have access to grants and subsidies, just like at a public university.

The phrase 'Grande École' originated in 1794 after the French Revolution, when the National Convention created the École normale supérieure, the mathematician Gaspard Monge and Lazare Carnot created the École centrale des travaux publics (later École polytechnique) and the abbot Henri Grégoire created the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers.

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