France · Palaiseau, Île-de-France
Institut Polytechnique de Paris
Six engineering schools around École polytechnique, with an English-taught bachelor for school-leavers
Photo: Jérémy Barande · CC BY-SA 3.0
- QS World Ranking 2027
- #43
- Founded
- 2019
- Students
- 11,000
- Bachelor's degree
- 3 years
- Acceptance rate
- Not published; the Bachelor of Science of École polytechnique selects by file and interview, with no quotas by round or nationality
- Typical IB offer
- Mathematics HL (preferably Analysis and Approaches) and one more science at HL; no minimum grades
- Typical A-level offer
- Maths and at least one other science at a high level; no minimum grades
- How admission works
- English C1 is proved by TOEFL iBT 90, IELTS 6,5 (at least 6 in each skill) or Cambridge B 176; the programme does not state which TOEFL scale applies. No French is needed, but students below B2 take French classes because B2 is a graduation requirement. Apply on the programme's own portal, not through Campus France.
- Language of instruction
- English: the Bachelor of Science of École polytechnique is taught entirely in English. The engineer and master's programmes of the member schools are taught in French or English depending on the programme.
Worth knowing
École polytechnique guarantees on-campus housing to every incoming bachelor student, in a furnished room of about 15 square metres with a private bathroom or in a shared apartment for four or five. Graduates can finish with a Columbia University master's through the BS/MS dual-degree track.
How hard is it to get in, and why
Most of IP Paris is engineering schools and masters; the route for a school-leaver is the Bachelor of Science of École polytechnique. The file is read holistically, with school transcripts, a personal statement, a CV, two referees (one a maths teacher), an English certificate and a 50-minute interview in English for the shortlist. The programme publishes no minimum grades but expects a strong average and advanced maths.
What it costs
Tuition
$22k per year
The Bachelor of Science of École polytechnique costs €19 600 a year for non-EU students and €15 900 for EU/EEA students (2027 intake); fees stay constant through the programme. The scholarships page mentions a €1 500 non-refundable annual administration fee and the FAQ two €1 500 deposits deducted from first-year tuition; the programme does not say whether the €1 500 is charged on top of the tuition. Living: the programme estimates about €12 000 a year, with on-campus rent of €606 a month (2026 intake); that is above the visa minimum of €877,50 a month. The programme warns that a student job is not realistic because of the workload.
Living costs
$13k per year
Full financial aid for international students who need it
Scholarships and financial aid
The programme states that it admits students from all over the world through a need-blind admissions process. Aid is limited: Excellence and Women in Science scholarships of €4 800 a year for three years, need-based tuition waivers and interest-free loans, and a full scholarship scheme for international Olympiad medallists. The programme says aid generally does not cover the entire tuition.
How to apply
Applications go through the programme's own portal in three rounds, or through Parcoursup (an applicant may use only one). The rounds still open for 2027 entry are Round 2 (21 October 2026 to 6 January 2027, results in March) and Round 3 (7 January to 8 February 2027, results in April); Round 1 closed on 20 October 2026. The application fee is €105 and there is no waiver. Only year-one entry is possible.
Official websiteWhat makes it special
- Six member schools: École polytechnique, ENSTA, ENPC, ENSAE Paris, Télécom Paris and Télécom SudParis.
- About 11 000 students, 43% of them international, and 45 research laboratories.
- Bachelor of Science: three years with a double major in Mathematics and Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science, or Mathematics and Economics.
- The bachelor degree carries the French grade de licence, so graduates can enter master's programmes in France and abroad.
- Only about 400 of IP Paris's students are in bachelor's programmes; most are in engineering, master's and PhD programmes.
About studying in France
The licence takes three years, and applicants from outside the EU who live abroad go through Campus France's Études en France procedure; courses are taught mainly in French, so a French-language certificate is part of the file. Public institutions charge non-EU students a differentiated fee, roughly €2,900 a year for a licence in 2026/27, as published by Campus France. Institutions may waive part of it, but decree 2026-385 of 19 May 2026 now caps these exemptions at 30% of the students concerned in 2026/27, falling to 25% in 2027/28 and 20% from 2028, so do not count on a waiver. A student visa allows up to 964 hours of work a year, and Paris rents are the main cost.
Teaching staff
The dossier on teaching staff for this university is still being written.
The campus in photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.
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