Founded in 1747, École des Ponts ParisTech is one of the oldest and most prestigious French Grandes Écoles, specializing in civil engineering, mechanics, environment, and industrial engineering.
L’École des Ponts ParisTech, formerly the École nationale des ponts et chaussées, was founded in 1747 by royal decision, on the initiative of Daniel-Charles Trudaine, to train engineers for the roads and bridges of the kingdom. Jean-Rodolphe Perronet, the builder of the Pont de Neuilly, was its first director. It is among the oldest engineering schools in the world, and it preserved its mission of public service, with generations of graduates joining the state corps of bridges, waters and forests. It has about 2,000 students and 700 staff.
The school stands in the Cité Descartes, in Champs-sur-Marne, east of Paris, on a campus shared with other institutions of the Université Gustave Eiffel. It moved there from the Left Bank in the 1990s. Students come mostly through the competitive entrance exams after two years of preparatory classes, and others join through other paths. The curriculum includes mathematics, mechanics, civil engineering, economics, computer science, urban planning and the environment, and many students complete a long internship abroad.
The school has a distinguished scientific past. Louis Navier, who gave his name to the Navier-Stokes equations of fluid mechanics, was a professor, and Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, who described the Coriolis effect, taught mechanics there. Augustin Fresnel, the pioneer of wave optics, graduated from the school and worked as an engineer of the corps. This tradition of connecting theory and building made the school a model for similar institutions in other countries.
Today the school works on climate adaptation, mobility, energy, construction, urban systems and data science, and it is a member of the ParisTech group. The research laboratories include the Navier laboratory, named after its founder, and the Cired for environment and development. Students can follow double degrees in management and urban planning.
Tuition and conditions differ between French civil-servant students and others. Check the current tariff. Courses are mainly in French, with options in English. Student residences are on the campus, and the RER A line links the area to central Paris.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Civil Engineering, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Logistics, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Part of ParisTech. Member of networks like IDEA League (via ParisTech), T.I.M.E. Collaborations with Vinci, Saint-Gobain, Veolia.
Research:
Sustainable construction & transport, Mechanics of materials & structures, Water & environmental engineering, Applied mathematics & computer science, Industrial engineering.
Famous Alumnis:
Augustin-Louis Cauchy, Henri Becquerel, Jean Tirole
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
700
Current students***:
2000
Foreign students***:
40%
Cumulative former students***:
15000
Pros
Historic and prestigious institution, high-level education in civil and environmental engineering, strong industry connections.
Cons
Very selective, specialized focus, campus located outside central Paris.
Best For
Elite institution for civil engineering, urban planning, and environmental sciences.
INSA Strasbourg follows much the same lines as this school, with transportations, geotechnics and fluid dynamics as common ground, and it has almost the same size, at about 1,900 students, and is also a public institution.
École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay works in much the same fields, chiefly aerospace, fluid dynamics and industrial design, and it is also a public institution and also offers bachelor's programmes.
On content, X - École Polytechnique and this school are close, as both teach aerospace, fluid dynamics and civil engineering; it is larger, enrolling about 4,600 students against roughly 2,000 here, and is also a public institution.
On content, École des Ingénieurs de la Ville de Paris and this institution are close, as both teach logistics, transportations and geotechnics; it covers quality as well, and is far smaller, with about 500 students against roughly 2,000 here.
A good alternative in the same country is École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État, which likewise covers logistics, transportations and geotechnics; it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on aerospace, transportations and geotechnics is Cracow University of Technology in Poland, and it is also a public institution and also offers bachelor's programmes.
Beyond national borders, HafenCity Universität Hamburg stands out as a comparable school for logistics, transportations and geotechnics; it covers quality and optics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 2,500 students against roughly 2,000 here.
For transportations, geotechnics and fluid dynamics outside the home country, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in Germany is a natural reference; it is larger, enrolling about 4,000 students against roughly 2,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Seen from abroad, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain) is a close relative on subject matter, since aerospace, geotechnics and fluid dynamics are central to both, and it has almost the same size, at about 2,000 students, and is also a public institution.
On content, State University of Applied Sciences in Konin in Poland and this school are close, as both teach logistics, transportations and fluid dynamics; it has almost the same size, at about 2,000 students, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the École des Ponts ParisTech?
In the Cité Descartes, Champs-sur-Marne, east of Paris.
When was it founded?
In 1747, on the initiative of Daniel-Charles Trudaine.
Who was its first director?
Jean-Rodolphe Perronet, the builder of the Pont de Neuilly.
How large is it?
About 2,000 students and 700 staff.
How do students enter?
Mostly through the competitive entrance exams after two years of preparatory classes, and others through other paths.
Which scientists are linked to it?
Louis Navier, Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis and Augustin Fresnel.
What does it study today?
Climate adaptation, mobility, energy, construction, urban systems and data science.
Is it part of ParisTech?
Yes.
What is the language of teaching?
Mainly French, with options in English.
What does it cost?
Conditions differ between French civil-servant students and others. Check the current tariff.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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