About
Founded in 1919 as Institut Polytechnique de l'Ouest, Ecole Centrale de Nantes is a French engineering grande école. Its most sought-after programs include Graduate, Master's, and Ph.D. courses designed around the latest technological and scientific advancements alongside top management strategies. As part of its community offerings, the institution delivers a multidisciplinary Centralien engineering curriculum culminating in the French 'diplôme d'ingénieur', alongside undergraduate, Master's, and doctoral tracks.
Alongside partner campuses CentraleSupélec, Centrale Lille, Centrale Lyon, Centrale Marseille, and Centrale Beijing, Ecole Centrale de Nantes forms part of the Ecoles Centrale Group. It belongs to the TIME (Top Industrial Managers for Europe) network, which promotes student exchanges across premier European engineering schools. Executive Education programs were introduced here in 2017. Back in 1993, the school received the status of an 'EPCSCP', functioning as a public institution dedicated to scientific, cultural, and professional responsibilities.
Top Reasons to Study in the École Centrale de Nantes
Ecole Centrale de Nantes stands out as a premier choice for both local and international scholars. Key motivations for enrolling at Ecole Centrale de Nantes involve:
- The institution prepares adaptable graduates equipped with advanced technical and scientific proficiency, a robust leadership mindset, and the capacity to analyze scientific topics globally while integrating social and environmental challenges.
- Centrale Nantes retains complete independence across administrative, educational, financial, and scientific domains.
- Centrale Nantes maintains ongoing partnerships with CROUS as well as select housing providers. The International Relations Department helps overseas students secure their living arrangements.
- A variety of Ecole Centrale de Nantes scholarships are available to talented candidates, focusing on academic performance and extracurricular involvement. Notable options for international students include the Centrale Nantes Elite scholarships – 2021, the Erasmus+ EMJM Scholarship, and several others.
Admissions
How to Apply at École Centrale de Nantes
- Visit the official Ecole Centrale de Nantes web portal.
- Applications are reviewed in specific rounds. Candidates for the M1 level can submit applications across any of the three M1 intake periods, while M2 applicants can apply during either of the two M2 rounds.
- Submissions should be finalized and sent through the candidate portal as early as possible, but strictly prior to the established deadlines.
- Files are not considered 'complete' until every mandatory document has been uploaded. Only fully completed applications received before a round's cutoff date will undergo evaluation for that specific period.
- Upon the conclusion of each review cycle, the admissions management team notifies every candidate regarding the status of their application.
Ecole Centrale de Nantes Application fee - The administration does not levy any application charges on international students, maintaining a 0 Application Fee policy upon submission of the admission form.
Documents Required to Apply to École Centrale de Nantes
- Valid Passport
- Recent Bank Statement
- Tuberculosis Test
- English language proficiency test scores (IELTS, TOEFL)
- Recommendation Letter
- Academic Transcripts and relevant certificates
- Verified and Scanned ID Card
Exams Accepted By École Centrale de Nantes
Below are the entry criteria required by Ecole Centrale de Nantes for consideration into undergraduate and postgraduate programs:
|
Tests |
Minimum scores required (Undergraduate) |
Minimum scores required (Graduate) |
|
TOEFL IBT |
80 |
80 |
|
IELTS
|
6.5 (with scores of more than 6 in each section) |
6.5 (with scores of more than 6 in each section) |
|
Cambridge B2 |
173+ |
173+ |
|
Cambridge C1 Advanced Test |
160+ |
160+ |
Campus Life
Campus locations Loir-et-Cher
Transportation in the city
Multiple travel methods are available to reach Ecole Centrale de Nantes, including buses, trains, walking, or renting a scooter. The municipality boasts a highly developed and efficient public transit network.
Services offered by the university
- Centrale Nantes hosts more than 110 student societies and groups that organize diverse activities year-round, including a robotics club, photography club, poker society, cooking groups, music association, ski week, alongside regional and national events such as Créadanse, the Jet d'@ncre competition, Challenge Nemo, and international week.
- The Centrale Nantes Library aims to supply documentary materials tailored to the requirements of students, faculty members, researchers, research engineers, and doctoral candidates.
- The university organizes or opens up numerous athletic activities to all Nantes scholars, featuring inter-class competitions, Volleyball Night, and the 4 Ball Tournament covering football, basketball, handball, and volleyball.
- The cafeteria facility within the building is flexible and accessible to everyone, including students, staff, and instructors, for lunch, coffee breaks, or special functions.
Student life at École Centrale de Nantes
- The Student Life Department offers guidance on health, personal wellness, career paths, social interactions, community engagement, and campus experiences.
- Enrollees can engage in pursuits that showcase their skills while enhancing their organizational abilities, project oversight, and interpersonal communication.
- The Centrale Nantes Student Association operates as a non-profit organization established under the French 1901 law.
- Elected on a yearly basis, the BDE delivers multiple student services. It welcomes freshers, aids their integration, coordinates campus events, backs student projects, and represents the student body at regional and national levels.
- The institution also facilitates a communication channel between students and other administrative divisions.
On campus accomodation at École Centrale de Nantes
The university does not own or operate dormitories directly. Instead, it maintains long-standing agreements with CROUS and selected private housing complexes. Consequently, the International Relations Department can reserve lodgings for newly arriving overseas scholars. Nevertheless, whether students choose to live on campus or in the wider community remains entirely up to them.
- For newly arrived international students, the Global Affairs Department reaches out via email by June to coordinate housing arrangements.
- Residence welcome desks will release room keys solely upon presentation of valid housing insurance documentation.
Faculty
University Faculty Stats
With an academic team of 550 staff members, Ecole Centrale de Nantes accommodates 2,429 enrolled students. Scholars, research scientists, and specialists from across the globe visit Ecole Centrale de Nantes.
Career Opportunities
Internship possibilities available at École Centrale de Nantes
Over the course of three years, students at Centrale Nantes complete nearly 12 months of practical work experience. This offers essential hands-on insight, enabling students to apply their engineering abilities and take on duties within an authentic industrial environment. You may choose from the following programs based on your specific course.
- An execution-level placement lasting a minimum of four weeks during the first year, scheduled for July and August.
- A minimum 20-week term concluding the second year, running from April through August, focused on computer-aided design.
- A final-year placement lasting at least 25 weeks from April to September, dedicated to Master's level analysis.
Career placements at École Centrale de Nantes
École Centrale de Nantes consistently achieves a well-established and respected placement record. Alumni of École Centrale de Nantes earn an average salary of 60,632 EUR, which equals 4,910,606 INR.
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Last updated August 14, 2026
