grande école

Gate of the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris A grande école ( French: [ɡʁɑ̃d ekɔl]; lit. 'great school') is a specialized top-level educational institution in France and some other countries such as Algeria and Morocco. Grandes écoles are part of an alternative educational system that operates alongside the mainstream French public university system, and are dedicated to teaching, research and professional training in either pure natural and social sciences, or applied sciences such as engineering, architecture, business administration, or public policy and administration.

Similar to the Ivy League in the United States, Oxbridge in the UK, the Designated National Universities in Japan and the C9 League in China, Grandes écoles are elite academic institutions that admit students through an extremely competitive process. Grandes écoles primarily admit students based on their national ranking in written and oral exams called concours, which are organized annually by the French Ministry of Education. While anyone can register for concours, successful candidates have almost always completed two or three years of dedicated preparatory classes (classes préparatoires) prior to admission.