Institutes / Universities
- Overview
- Services
- Rankings
- Accommodation
- Location
- Courses
- Scholarships
Overview
Founded in 1907, ESSEC Business School is one of France's most established "Grande École" institutions, holding the rare triple accreditation from AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. Today ESSEC educates around 7,800 students across four campuses in Paris-Cergy, Paris-La Défense, Singapore and Rabat, with over 90 nationalities represented and roughly 38% of the student body coming from outside France. The school's permanent faculty is more than half international, reflecting its genuinely global outlook rather than a French institution with an international veneer.
ESSEC's academic portfolio spans the Global BBA, the Master in Management (Grande École), specialised master's programmes, MBA and Executive MBA options, and doctoral research, with several programmes taught entirely in English.
Its Cergy campus is currently undergoing a "Next Generation Campus" redevelopment, including the newly built Research Green Tower and modernised teaching facilities, while its Paris-La Défense site is purpose-built for executive education.
Student life is anchored by more than 100 clubs and societies covering culture, entrepreneurship, sport and humanitarian causes, and by facilities such as the Dome, a 2,700-capacity multifunctional venue used for careers fairs and conferences. With a global alumni network exceeding 50,000, ESSEC offers students a strong springboard into international business careers.
Services
The Registrar's Office on the Paris-Cergy campus leads support for incoming international students, running annual "Welcome Days" to help new arrivals settle in before term begins. The office also assists with practical essentials such as accommodation searches across ESSEC's Cergy, Singapore and Rabat campuses.
Beyond academics, integration is supported through ESSEC's extensive club and society network, giving international students an easy way to build friendships and get involved in campus life from day one. With over a third of the student body coming from abroad, international students join an environment where cross-cultural exchange is embedded in everyday campus culture rather than treated as a separate offering.
Rankings
ESSEC consistently ranks among the world's leading business schools. In the QS Global MBA Rankings 2026, its Global MBA placed 29th worldwide and 14th in Europe, ranking 4th globally for diversity. The Financial Times ranks ESSEC 11th worldwide for Executive Education (2025), while its Master in Management is ranked 5th worldwide and 2nd in France by the Financial Times.
QS ranks ESSEC 3rd nationally among French business schools, and its Global BBA has been named France's number one Bachelor of Business Administration by Le Point, Le Figaro and Challenges.
Accommodation
ESSEC offers accommodation through four dedicated student residences surrounding its historic Cergy campus, comprising around 1,095 rooms, studios and apartments. These are managed by ALEGESSEC, the school's student housing association, which houses roughly one in four ESSEC students, of whom more than 84% are international.
Residences such as Hauts-de-Cergy and Le Port each have their own character, and all are eligible for French housing subsidies (APL), with support provided for the application process. On the Singapore campus, students receive dedicated assistance to secure suitable off-campus housing.
Location
ESSEC's main campus sits in Cergy, a green, well-connected suburb around 35 minutes from central Paris by RER train, and just 25 minutes from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The campus borders the seven-hectare François-Mitterrand Park and is a short walk from Les Trois Fontaines, a shopping centre with nearly 200 stores, restaurants and entertainment venues. ESSEC also operates a campus at Paris-La Défense, Europe's largest purpose-built business district, ideal for students engaging with the corporate and executive education world.
Beyond campus, students have easy access to central Paris and all it offers, from world-renowned museums and architecture to a thriving international student social scene. Additional ESSEC campuses in Singapore and Rabat give students the chance to experience contrasting cultures and business hubs during their studies.
Courses offered at ESSEC Business School
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