Understanding the French education system

Higher education in France falls into two sectors: the public University system, which has several departments in various fields and a very large student body, and the collection of Grandes écoles that offer highly advanced programmes in engineering and business, which have much smaller student bodies.

Grandes écoles are highly selective, and admission to them is based on very competitive written and oral exams. Given their high stature and rigorous admission standards, they are traditionally the training ground for the political, administrative, corporate, and military elite in France. Integrating a multidisciplinary and human component into its pedagogy, the professional training structure of the programmes creates elite engineers and technology experts. While students from the Grandes Ecoles like ESIGELEC have the option to pursue higher academic learning, the exceptional training allows graduates to enter desirable avenues of private and public employment immediately.