Master d'Etudes Internationales Sciences Po

Paris Institute of Political Studies

"Sciences Po"
Former names	École libre des sciences politiques
Type	Grande École
Established	1872
Budget	€172 million
President	Olivier Duhamel
Director	Frédéric Mion
Academic staff	227
Students	13,000
Undergraduates	6,325
Postgraduates	7,035
Location	Paris, Reims, Dijon, Le Havre, Nancy, Poitiers, Menton, France
Campus	Urban
Athletics	Les Parisiens
Mascot	The lion and the fox
Website	sciencespo.fr

Sciences Po (French pronunciation: ​[sjɑ̃s po]), or Paris Institute of Political Studies (French: Institut d'études politiques de Paris, French pronunciation: ​[ɛ̃s.ti.ty de.tyd pɔ.li.tik də pa.ʁi]), is a highly selective French university (legally a grande école). It was founded as a private institution by Émile Boutmy in 1872 to promote a new class of French politicians in the aftermath of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian war of 1871 and grew to become a highly influential academic institution in the social sciences in France.

Alumni include many notable public figures, including seven of the last eight French presidents, 12 foreign heads of state or government, heads of international organizations (including the UN, WTO, IMF and ECB), and six of the CAC 40 CEOs. The pervasiveness of the school's graduates in French society has led to claims that Sciences Po, together with other prominent grandes écoles, is perpetuating a technocracy of out-of-touch leaders.

The school undertook an ambitious reform agenda starting in the mid-1990s, which included an emphasis on the internationalization of the school's curriculum and student body, establishing a special admission process for underprivileged applicants, and expanding the school's presence by establishing new campuses outside Paris. Sciences Po currently has campuses in Dijon, Le Havre, Menton, Nancy, Paris, Poitiers, and Reims. The institution is a member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs and the Global Public Policy Network.