ESILV has been ranked 3rd in the 2026 L’Étudiant ranking of engineering schools that recruit students after the French Baccalauréat via Parcoursup, offering a five-year engineering programme. With campuses in Paris, Nantes, and Montpellier, the school holds the top regional position in Île-de-France, Pays de la Loire, and Occitanie.
The L’Étudiant 2026 engineering school ranking is one of the tools available to help future students make informed choices.
This year, ESILV is ranked 3rd among 98 institutions offering five-year integrated preparatory engineering courses.
The 2026 ranking is based on 14 criteria grouped into four key categories: academic excellence and research, international outreach, social diversity and sustainable development, and employability and professional integration.
“The environmental dimension has been given more weight in this edition. Two bonus points were awarded to the 20 schools that achieved the DD&RS label as of 1 January 2025.” – L’Étudiant
For this 2026 edition, 98 engineering schools with integrated preparatory courses have been ranked. ESILV stands out in the league table as:
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3rd post-baccalaureate engineering school nationwide
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1st post-baccalaureate engineering school in Île-de-France, Western France and Occitanie
Top 20 post-baccalaureate engineering schools in 2026, according to L’Étudiant
| RANG | ECOLE | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | INSA Lyon | 82,5 |
| 2 | IMT Nord Europe | 77,5 |
| 3 | ESILV - Paris - Nantes - Montpellier | 77,0 |
| 4 | Efrei Paris | 73,5 |
| 4 | Polytech Nice Sophia | 73,5 |
| 6 | INSA Toulouse | 72,5 |
| 6 | ESIEE Paris | 72,5 |
| 8 | UTC | 71,0 |
| 9 | UTT - Troyes | 70,0 |
| 10 | INSA Rennes | 69,5 |
| 11 | INSA Hauts-de-France | 68,5 |
| 11 | ESIEA | 68,5 |
| 13 | Polytech Montpellier | 67,5 |
| 13 | Polytech Paris-Saclay | 67,5 |
| 15 | UTBM | 67,0 |
| 16 | Polytech Sorbonne Université | 67,5 |
| 17 | CY Tech | 65,5 |
| 18 | EICnam | 65,0 |
| 19 | INSA Rouen | 64,5 |
| 20 | ENSISA | 63,0 |
How L’Étudiant ranks engineering schools
The L’Étudiant ranking is mainly based on self-reported data from institutions, supplemented by public sources and surveys conducted by the CTI (Commission des titres d’ingénieur) and Cdefi (Conference of Directors of French Engineering Schools).
The overall score is based on four main categories: academic excellence and research (40 points), international outreach (30 points), social diversity and sustainable development (14 points), and professional integration and employment (35 points).
Key indicators include average Baccalauréat grades upon entry, the proportion of research-active faculty, the number of international students, international ranking reputation, and graduate starting salaries.
Scores may vary depending on the availability and reliability of the data, which are subject to verification. Inaccurate declarations, omissions or refusals to provide supporting evidence may affect a school’s ranking. Data from alumni surveys are smoothed over several years to reduce annual fluctuations.
What’s new in the 2026 edition
For the 2026 edition, a number of adjustments have been made to ensure a more accurate and representative assessment of schools’ performance. These changes, detailed below, relate to both the scoring criteria and the methods used to calculate and take account of the data.
Environment: until now, schools awarded the DD&RS label were awarded two points. From now on, this scoring system has changed: schools awarded the label for a four-year period retain two points, whilst those awarded the label for two years receive only one point. This criterion may be subject to further changes next year, in light of the changes announced by Circes for 2026.
International dual graduates / Graduates working abroad / Starting salary: the data has been smoothed over three years to limit variations and more effectively reflect the schools’ underlying work. As a reminder, we had already decided to smooth the data over two years in 2025 with a three-year target.
A comprehensive guidance tool for choosing an engineering school
While rankings can be a helpful comparison tool, they do not replace the essential fact that all engineering schools accredited by the CTI meet a high standard of quality and award degrees recognised by the French state and employers.
In France, over 200 engineering schools produce around 40,000 graduates yearly, contributing to major societal challenges, including the energy transition, digital transformation, healthcare, and mobility. Attending a highly ranked school may be one factor, but success is not solely defined by rank. Gaining admission to and completing an engineering programme is an achievement in itself, requiring commitment, adaptability, and academic rigour.
With nearly 93% employment within six months of graduation and median starting salaries often exceeding €47,700 gross per year, an engineering degree remains a strong career asset—regardless of the school’s position in the rankings.
These are just some of the factors that can guide your choice of engineering school. Rankings are useful, but not the only consideration.
Open days offer an opportunity to meet students from the integrated preparatory programme, engineering cycle, and bachelor tracks, as well as faculty members and cross-disciplinary departments at ESILV.
Learn more about ESILV’s rankings
This post was last modified on 17 March 2026 7:17 pm