What is "grandes ecoles"

n. Higher education establishments in France, outside the mainstream framework of the public universities system.

The Grandes Écoles (, literally in French "Grand Schools") of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. Most were established by branches of the state; the oldest, École nationale supérieure de techniques avancées, in 1741. The Grandes Écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams, while French public universities have a legal obligation to accept all candidates of the region who hold a corresponding baccalauréat.

Usually candidates for the national exams have completed two years of dedicated preparatory classes, although this is not always the case: some Grandes Écoles also have an admission process open to university students (bachelor or master), others have an integrated preparation. The Grandes Écoles do not have large student bodies: most have a few hundred students each year, 6,000 (1200 engineering graduates each year) at the largest establishment, Arts et Métiers ParisTech. Officially considered as public service, they usually require low fees, or even none, and allow grants to poor students like universities do.

The largest ( Ecole polytechnique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Ecole Centrale, Arts et Métiers ParisTech ..) can be seen as small universities, of the kind of Caltech, whereas some others are very small and can be seen as "colleges"