Conférence des Grandes écoles
The Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE), French for "Conference of Grandes Écoles", is a French national institution, created in 1973. It mainly acts as an association of Grandes Écoles, providing representation, research and accreditation. A Grande école is a French institution of higher education that is separate from, but parallel and often connected to, the main framework of the French public university system.
Conférence des Grandes écoles | |
| Nickname | CGE |
|---|---|
| Formation | 16 May 1973 |
| Founder | Philippe Olmer |
| Founded at | Assemblée générale constitutive (consultative general assembly) at: École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (Paris) |
| Type | Association of Grandes écoles |
| Legal status | (association law 1901) |
| Purpose | Advocacy. National and International. |
| Headquarters | 11 rue Carrier-Belleuse |
| Location |
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| Origins | French student protests of May 1968 |
| Products | Summaries, studies and surveys in higher education for the French national education plan |
| Services | Accrediting body. Guarantees the quality of educational programs. |
| Method | Think tank, commissions, working groups. |
| Fields | Primarily engineering, management, architecture, design, and political studies |
Membership | 227 Grandes écoles, all recognized by the State, delivering a master's degree or higher. |
Official language | French |
| Website | cge |
Since 2010, many of Grandes Écoles have been part of the new collegiate universities, that have emerged from prestigious universities and under the status of 'Grand établissement', such as the PSL University, the Saclay University, the Polytechnic University of Paris or the Assas University.
Grandes écoles are elite academic institutions that admit students through an extremely competitive process, and a significant proportion of their graduates occupy the highest levels of French society. Similar to Ivy League schools in the United States, Russel Group in the UK, and C9 League in China, graduation from a Grande école is considered the prerequisite credential for any top government, administrative and corporate position in France.
Not all Grandes écoles are members of the conference. To be a member, Grandes écoles must be accredited for postgraduate education and apply a strict criteria for: student recruitment and enrollment; instruction and programs; international research and reputation; connections with private industry; and student support.