Sciences Po, Paris

This university has produced some of the most well-known figures in French public life including six presidents of the republic, 13 prime ministers and 12 heads of foreign states

Situated in the heart of Paris, Sciences Po is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading universities for the social sciences. The QS World University Rankings 2016-2017 ranks Sciences Po among the world’s Top 100 universities in the social sciences and #4 for international relations and politics worldwide. 

Founded in 1872 by intellectual Émile Boutmy in response to the political and moral crisis in France in the aftermath of the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, it was intended to train a merit-based elite for leadership and promote an understanding of the world through a multidisciplinary grounding in the social sciences. The university has produced some of the most well-known figures in French public administration, international business and other multilateral organisations. They include six of the last seven French presidents (including the incumbent Emmanuel Macron), 13 prime ministers, 12 past and present foreign heads of state, and numerous CEOs and CFOs such as Jean-Cyril Spinetta, CEO of Air France and Patrick Barthe, former president of Unilever-France.

Exclusively focused on the humanities and social sciences, Sciences Po offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programmes to 13,000 students including 180 from India. Sixty percent of the undergraduate and postgrad programmes are offered in the English medium with supplementary French language study. “Sciences Po offers bachelor’s as well as Master’s programmes in English with no prior requirement of French language study. We also offer dual bachelor’s degrees with some of the world’s top universities including Columbia, Hong Kong and Sydney universities. These dual degrees are very popular with Indian students as are Masters programmes offered at our main campus in Paris,” says Sophie Collet, the Mumbai-based India representative of Sciences Po.

Campus facilities. Sciences Po boasts a main campus in Paris and six regional campuses — Le Havre (Normandy), Poitiers (Nouvelle Aquitaine), Reims (Champagne), Nancy (Lorraine), Dijon (Burgundy) and Menton (French Riviera). The regional campuses offer undergraduate programmes including English taught bachelor’s programmes to international and French students. The Paris campus offers graduate and doctoral programmes.
The Paris campus, sited in the heart of the city, offers an enviable locational advantage over other universities in France. It is an ‘urban’ campus comprising 17th and 18th century mansions neighbouring ministries, embassies, corporate headquarters, publishing houses, the Louvre Museum, the Assemblée Nationale — in short, most of the decision-making centres of French life. In addition to professional advantages, Sciences Po’s central location exposes its students to the strong cultural flavour of the St. Germain district renowned for its cafes, avant garde philosophers, art galleries and architecture, shops, cinemas and restaurants where editors lunch and left-bank intellectuals dine.

On campus academic support is provided by a library which houses 950,000 volumes, 20,000 online journals and offers access to a wide range of electronic and digital resources. However given its city centre location, the university doesn’t offer sports facilities although students have the opportunity to enroll in 180 classes in more than 35 different sports — from aquagym and athletics, through a variety of dance classes and team sports, to pilates and zumba — held at public sports venues in the city. 

Admission. Students who have completed Plus Two (class XII) are eligible for admission into Sciences Po’s undergrad programmes. Admission is based on evaluation of the online application followed by interview of shortlisted applicants. Interviews are held in more than 70 cities around the world including Delhi in India. The deadline for submission of the online application form is May 2, 2018 (the application fee of €100 (Rs.7,500) is non-refundable) for the term beginning September next year. The Le Havre, Reims and Menton campuses offer English taught undergrad programmes. Proficiency in French is not a mandatory requirement for admission though once admitted students are obliged to study conversational French.

For Sciences Po’s international postgraduate programmes, the minimum criterion for admission is completion of a bachelor’s degree. Applications must be made online and submitted before March 15, 2018. International postgrad programmes (English medium) are offered only at the university’s main Paris campus, and proficiency in French is not a mandatory requirement of admission (see box). However it’s advisable to learn conversational French prior to leaving for France. The best option is to take a six-month crash course in the language at any of the 22 Alliance Francaise centres in India.

For more information contact Sciences Po, 27 rue Saint Guillaume, 75007 Paris. Tel: 33 (0)1 45 49 50 82; Fax: + 33 (0)1 45 48 47 49; e-mail: sophie.collet@sciencespo.fr, neha.khanna@sciencespo.fr; website: http://www.sciencespo.fr/en. 

Accommodation. The university guarantees residential accommodation to undergraduate students. Admitted students receive a list of student residences they can choose from. Residences are within walking distance or a short bus ride from the undergrad campuses of Le Havre, Reims and Menton.

For postgraduate students enrolled in its Paris campus, the university offers help in finding accommodation through a dedicated website and Facebook pages. The website provides accommodation listings as well as practical and legal advice on rented housing in France. 

Degree programmes. The university offers undergrad (three-year BA and four-year dual degree programmes) and postgraduate programmes. Seven graduate schools offer 30 Masters degrees and five Ph D programmes including several English medium programmes (see box).

Summiya Yasmeen