Grenoble Institute of Political Studies

The Grenoble Institute of Political Studies (French: Institut d'études politiques de Grenoble, IEP), also known as Sciences Po Grenoble, is a French "grande école" of political science and more broadly of social sciences located in the campus of the University of Grenoble in Grenoble, France. It is administratively a subsidiary of the Grenoble Alpes University.

The Institut d'études politiques of Grenoble was founded in 1948 on the model of Sciences Po Paris with the mission of providing France with public and private sector executives as well as specialists in the different fields of the social sciences. Its courses and degrees are modeled under the supervision of the National Foundation of Political Sciences. Since May 2012, Jean-Charles Froment has held the position of president (the former president was Olivier Ihl).

Alike other IEP (Institutes of Political Science) it differs from the bulk of French universities by its elitist nature - having a selective entrance exam, and the plural-disciplinary curriculum it provides its students with. This highly selective undergraduate entrance exam has a typical acceptance rate of no more than 12% (it was around 11% in 2011). Because of this Sciences Po Grenoble is considered to be a "grande école".

The entrance exam comprises two different tests: The first one is made up of an essay and two short questions on a book chose by the IEP (In 2014 the book chosen was Maxim Leo's Red Love: The Story of an East German Family; The second test is an English level examination consisting of an essay and a written comprehension.

Of the around 200 students admitted each year, half have just finished high school while the other half have spent a year preparing for the exam after their high school graduation. The IEP also has a special program for admitting underprivileged students and high level athletes which pass the entrance examination and an interview.