Address: Route de Saclay, 91120 Palaiseau, Île-de-France, France
Engineering, Sciences (Physics; Mathematics; Computer Science), Research
Founded in 1794, École Polytechnique is a leading French public institution of higher education and research, renowned for its selective engineering program (Ingénieur Polytechnicien), science, and innovation.
École Polytechnique, known as X, is the best-known engineering school in France, with about 4,600 students, 2,000 staff and a foreign student share of around 40 percent. It stands on a large campus in Palaiseau, south of Paris, on the Saclay plateau, and it keeps a military status: French students are officer cadets under the Ministry of the Armed Forces and wear a ceremonial uniform with a bicorne hat on formal occasions.
The school was created in 1794, during the French Revolution, on the initiative of Gaspard Monge and Lazare Carnot, to train engineers for the state. Its motto, For the Homeland, Science and Glory, refers to that origin. Henri Becquerel, who discovered radioactivity, Henri Poincaré, Augustin Cauchy, Benoit Mandelbrot and the former president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing all studied at the school, which was in Paris until the move to Palaiseau in 1976.
Teaching combines mathematics, physics, computer science and economics with a first year that includes military and sport training, and later specialisation in engineering, data science or other fields. Research laboratories are run with the CNRS, and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018 went to Gérard Mourou, whose work on ultrashort laser pulses was developed in part at the school’s laser laboratory. The school belongs to Institut Polytechnique de Paris since 2019.
The engineer programme is highly selective. French candidates usually pass through two years of preparatory classes and a competitive exam, while international students apply through a dedicated route. The school also offers a bachelor, master’s degrees and doctoral programmes, mostly in English at higher levels. Fees depend on the programme and on nationality, and the school has a scholarship system for international students.
Housing is provided on campus for many students, who live in residences with sport facilities and associations. Palaiseau is about 45 minutes from central Paris. About 30,000 people have graduated from the school, and its alumni network is influential in French industry, public administration and finance.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Military, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Part of Institut Polytechnique de Paris. Numerous international partnerships (e.g., EuroTech Universities Alliance, Global Engineering Education Exchange) and industry collaborations (e.g., Total, Safran, EDF).
Also strong in aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, Institut Polytechnique de Paris makes a sensible second look at home; it teaches at the same levels, namely master's and doctoral, and covers signal processing and manufacturing as well.
CentraleSupélec sits close to this school on aerospace, nanotechnologies and optics; it is also a public institution and also offers graduate certificate programmes.
On content, INSA Toulouse and this institution are close, as both teach aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it runs the same master's and doctoral programmes and covers geotechnics and microbiology and genetics as well.
Think of École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay when aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies is the priority: it also offers bachelor's programmes and covers signal processing and industrial design as well.
For students who like the aerospace, nanotechnologies and fluid dynamics focus of this institution but want another option nearby, Mines Paris - PSL fits well: it is far smaller, with about 1,300 students against roughly 4,600 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
EPFL (Switzerland) works on the same fields as this school, chiefly aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it covers metrology and signal processing as well, and is larger, enrolling about 12,000 students against roughly 4,600 here.
Tokyo Tech, based in Japan, is built around aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies much like this institution, and it is also a public institution and also offers bachelor's programmes.
Harbin Institute of Technology in China pursues a similar profile in aerospace, nanotechnologies and optics, and it covers transportations and quality as well, and is far larger, with about 35,000 students against roughly 4,600 here.
Beyond national borders, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas stands out as a comparable school for aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it covers ergonomics and metrology as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 2,000 students against roughly 4,600 here.
The closest overseas parallel on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and fluid dynamics is Università della Svizzera italiana, located in Switzerland; it also offers bachelor's programmes and covers signal processing as well.
*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 École Polytechnique?
The campus is now on Route de Saclay in Palaiseau, south of Paris (previously it was inside Paris).
How large is it?
About 4,600 students and 2,000 staff, with around 40 percent of students from abroad.
When was it founded?
In 1794, during the French Revolution, on the initiative of Gaspard Monge and Lazare Carnot.
Why is it called X?
X is the traditional nickname of the school and its students, used in France for generations.
Does the school have a military status?
Yes. French students are officer cadets under the Ministry of the Armed Forces, and the school keeps ceremonial traditions.
How do you enter?
French candidates usually pass through preparatory classes and a competitive exam. International students apply through a dedicated route.
Which degrees does it offer?
An engineer programme, a bachelor, master's degrees and doctoral programmes, mostly in English at higher levels.
What is its relationship with Institut Polytechnique de Paris?
École Polytechnique has been a member of Institut Polytechnique de Paris since 2019, alongside several other engineering schools.
Who are famous alumni?
Henri Becquerel, Henri Poincaré, Augustin Cauchy, Benoit Mandelbrot and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing studied at the school.
Can students live on campus?
Yes. Many students live in campus residences that have sport facilities and student associations.
*: 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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