The Business
Making French Business Schools Accessible to Everyone
The prestige of a French business school comes with a price tag, but there are ways of increasing participation and making them accessible to all.
By Chloë Lane
In Brief
- Prestigious French business schools are aggressively dismantling financial and social barriers, making increasing accessibility to a diverse, global pool of aspiring leaders.
- Some players are revolutionising support with initiatives such as full tuition waivers and intensive entrance exam prep to mentoring and personalised coaching.
- The goal: bridge socioeconomic divides, and secure high-impact, post-graduation careers, shaping an inclusive and representative future of leadership.
If you avoid applying for some of the top schools, business education in France can be inexpensive.
Public universities in the country are heavily subsidised by the French government and EU students can pay as little as €170 per year for tuition, or €1,000 per year for the prestigious Grandes Écoles (as long as they’re publicly funded).
However, there’s a catch: there are very few prestigious publicly funded business schools in France. Most of the highest-ranked business schools in France, such as ESSEC, HEC, emlyon and NEOMA, are private or consular (semi-public) Grandes Écoles.
These schools are part-funded by the government, but largely rely on tuition fees. They also come with a high cost. On the plus side, though, they generally offer a strong return on investment.
“Still, for some students, the prestige and initial cost can make a school like this feel out of reach.”
"It is a collective responsibility to ensure that education is accessible to everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background."
At ESSEC Business School, for example, a Master’s in Management will set a student back €40,000 for the one-year intensive course. However, upon graduation, that same individual will likely see their salary increase by an average of 68 percent, the Financial Times states. That individual’s professional network will also grow substantially, and they will forever have a triple-accredited business school on their resume, something that less than one percent of institutions achieve.
Still, for some students, the prestige and initial cost can make a school like this feel out of reach.
What Real Support Looks Like
“In France, there's a strong correlation between one's socioeconomic background and access to higher education, and the gap widens when it comes to highly selective and prestigious programmes,” explains Sandie Meusnier-Tomasso, Director of ESSEC's Center for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
While ESSEC offers an array of needs-based scholarships and grants, the school understands that money alone isn’t the only barrier.
Even with financial aid options, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds might be put off applying in the first place, thinking that funding or top-tier education is only for the wealthy, academically elite or well connected.
To confront this, ESSEC created a programme where current students volunteer with middle and high school students to encourage them to pursue higher education.
“Our goal is to help these young people realise their potential, acquire new skills and orient them toward a path of their choosing,” says Meusnier-Tomasso.
The programme helped lay the foundation for the French national policy, Les Cordées de la Réussite, which supports over 100 institutions and around 180,000 young people annually.
Support continues through the process. ESSEC supports students who have received scholarships, preparing them for entrance exams, something that is often a significant hurdle in the French higher education system. This has led increase in students with scholarships who join ESSEC after preparatory classes.
“We are the final step between school and the world of work,” says Meusnier-Tomasso.
“And we need leaders that reflect our society's diversity to effectively manage environmental and social challenges.”
Tackling Self-Censorship
Overcoming self-doubt and systemic bias is also a key priority for emlyon business school. Applicants in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes can access emlyon’s coaching and financial aid for admission interviews throughout France. This ensures that these applicants’ academic ambitions are not limited by social, cultural or financial barriers.
“We want emlyon to be seen as an innovative organisation in terms of inclusion — a school that is accessible to all talents, regardless of their social or geographic background, gender, sexual orientation or possible disability,” shares Bénédicte Bost, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at emlyon business school.
One of the school’s most impactful initiatives is the TrEMplin programme, developed in collaboration with the alumni network.
Since 2022, it has provided comprehensive support to underrepresented students: mentoring by alumni; administrative and financial assistance via the Student Services Center; personal and career coaching through the Career Center; and student life support from the school’s well-being centre.
Tuition Fee Waivers
To make education more accessible to those from lower financial backgrounds, emlyon is offering tuition fee waivers of up to 100 percent for scholarship students, depending on their financial difficulties. These initiatives are all part of the school’s €9 million commitment to improving social inclusion by 2028.
“Since the launch of our emlyon social scholarship, the number of beneficiaries has doubled,” explains Bost. The programme now also includes the Global BBA and BSc, reaching even more students.
Today, scholarship recipients make up around 20 percent of the school’s student body.
In addition to this, the school has also partnered with the INFINITE fund, meaning students can access interest-free loans of up to €45,000, ensuring that students who need extra help get it.
“We believe it is imperative for all business schools to take measures to enhance accessibility and inclusion,” says Bost. “It is a collective responsibility to ensure that education is accessible to everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background.”
For some, these initiatives are life changing. They now help more than 1,000 students each year, enhancing students’ abilities to explore new opportunities and develop their career paths.
Equal Opportunity Doesn’t Stop at the Door
But equal opportunity doesn’t stop at admission. Campus France estimates students need at least €600-800 per month to spend on food, transport and housing expenses.
NEOMA Business School recognises this ongoing challenge and has taken a long-term, holistic and human-centred approach that continues throughout a student’s studies.
From the moment they arrive at NEOMA Business School, students will receive personalised guidance from dedicated teams who help them access scholarships, loans and part time jobs.
The school’s Veuve Clicquot scholarship, for example, offers three years of financial and mentoring support for high-potential female students facing financial hardship. Recipients are paired with senior leaders in the company, building professional relationships that last beyond graduation.
“We are seeing a growing demand for financial aid and support schemes, driven by an increasing number of applicants from modest or middle-income backgrounds as well as by an economic context that amplifies concerns about the cost of education,” says Matthieu Lucas, Director of Student Life at NEOMA Business School. “At NEOMA, this reality reinforces our conviction that equal opportunity must be a concrete, day-to-day commitment.”
The school also offers tuition fee waivers for all students receiving a French government CROUS grant, with reductions tailored to their scholarship level and year of study. On top of this, NEOMA’s students have access to academic tutoring, career support, and mentoring initiatives.
“Equal opportunity doesn’t stop at the door, it must be lived and experienced throughout the academic journey,” says Lucas.
Rewarding Talent, Not Background
Making top-tier business education accessible in France requires far more than offering financial support.
It’s about instilling confidence in applicants, removing psychological barriers, and providing continuous, personalised support.
Business schools in France are recognising this. And the efforts of institutions like ESSEC, emlyon and NEOMA are working to ensure talent, not background, is the deciding factor in who gets access to some of the world’s top-ranked business schools, and who secures the best jobs post graduation.
The question now is: how many more French business schools will follow their lead?