ESSCA School of Management Speciality : Management
programme: Programme Grande Ecole (PGE)

Good knowledge transfer in all company topics
Ability to specialize in Finance, Marketing or Sales
Ability to gain practical experience with goo access to internships
Good atmosphere – you will make friends for life

ESSCA is a school created more than 110 years ago, which therefore has a large network of alumni. This is very practical when you need to find an internship or if you need advice on a career path. Moreover, there is a good atmosphere between the students so there is no problem to meet people from different backgrounds, and we can then keep in touch and have a fairly large network.

When I first arrived at ESSCA in September 2025, my first impression was that it is outstanding. I’m studying in the Bordeaux campus and even though it is smaller than others we still managed to make it through. Of course, life is different that in other campuses, as there might be more friendly activities, but there is still the common nightlife every student aspires to.
As for the academic part, lots of professors are professionals with experience, which helps understanding the concepts in a better way.
In the first year, you have the possibility to apply for 100% English courses if you get the required qualifications at the entrance exam. However every course will be in English as of the third year so don’t worry if you’re not ready yet !
I have chosen the English Track for my first year and did not regret it. Some students had difficulties at first, and even wanted to go back to French classes but the director reassured them and encouraged them to continue. And guess what? It went well and they stayed.
I was elected class representative, also an ambassador so I had the chance to get to know the academic staff and see how amazing they are.
Moreover, in March, there is the Battles Inter Campus; Which is a sport tournament between students of each french campus (Paris, Lyon, Angers, Bordeaux, Aix-en-Provence, Strasbourg). I participated as a basketball player and the atmosphere was incredible. I recommend every student to go there if they get the opportunity.
My recommendation for the best experience at ESSCA, is to get involve in the student life as soon as possible, to appreciate your studies the most.

Good university. The registration process was quite pleasant thanks to the international student officer who was very attentive.

However, the system is quite fast for foreign students.

ESSCA is a great school for student that are looking for a intimate school where it’s easy to interact with the administration, creating opportunities at all levels.
It’s a school that’s looking to expand, so there’s a lot in store, but the overall atmosphere is a plus.

ESSCA has a good diploma but lessons in masters are pretty poor with too few interesting classes and way too expensive for what it is. Good association life tho with ESSCA Junior Conseil that brings real professional experience.

I’m currently a student at ESSCA on the Angers campus, and I’d recommend this school. The clear strength is employability: the professional network is genuinely well developed, and the support for students with their own projects (entrepreneurship, student initiatives) is solid and responsive. Internships and ties with companies are definitely an asset of the program.
On the downside, tuition fees are rising faster than at other comparable schools, which affects the overall value for money. There’s also been a noticeable loss of momentum in student associative life over the past few years. Another point: the master’s program stays fairly generalist at the start, which affects preparation for internship search, particularly in finance or consulting, where a more technical profile is expected as early as the gap year internship search. It’s also a shame that PGE students don’t receive a diploma or certificate at the end of the bachelor cycle, which could have added value to this first part of the program.
Overall, ESSCA (with Ieseg) remain the two genuinely solid choices for post-bac PGE programs, and ESSCA holds its own thanks to its network and support for entrepreneurship among others.

If you are ambitious and wish to have an extraordinary job / lifestyle, ESSCA is probably not the right choice. Go for tier 1 schools.
If you want to be like everyone and get a decent job, with a decent pay, I would recommend applying to universities in Paris. At least, you won’t pay the crazy fees.

The added-value of a business school is the network and the student life.
1. The network at ESSCA is solid but concentrated in small, family-owned companies. If you are targeting big banks, listed companies, etc., you should also target a better ranked school.
2. The student life is great… but only in Angers. In Paris, going to Uni would be the same.

That being said, the school environment (teachers, students, alumni) push you to make efforts.

I’m studying purchasing and supply chain management, and we’ve only had two courses directly related to it. I find that disappointing. We have courses like agile management, for example, where I see absolutely no connection. We’re experts in nothing, just clueless at everything.