The 'Grandes Ecoles' system of French business schools explained

France’s unique ‘Grandes Ecoles’ system dates back to the Napoleonic era. It is made up of higher education establishments that operate outside the sphere of the country’s public universities. These French schools generally focus on a specific area of teaching such as business or engineering and represent a label of quality: two-thirds of the country's 100 largest companies are headed by ‘Grandes Ecoles’ alumni. 

Within the French business school system, only 50 management schools have the right to run a ‘Grande Ecole’ programme (equivalent to a Master in Management) and just 30 of these are, like Audencia,  members of the prestigious Conférence des Grandes Ecoles. The ‘Grandes Ecoles’ possess a standard of business study and engineering expertise that compares favourably with levels of similar education in other countries.

Competition for entry to the top French business schools is high, with only a limited number of places on offer each year. At Audencia, for example, more than 5200 French candidates who have spent two years studying special preparatory classes, compete for around 350 places.