Can you join a business school without prépa?

Prépa, one route among others

A preparatory class in economics and business lasts two years after the baccalaureate, three if you repeat a year, and leads to a school through competitive exams: a written phase, then oral tests and interviews at each school where you are declared eligible. This route suits baccalaureate holders who above all want to deepen their theoretical knowledge, since that is precisely what the post-prépa competitive exams assess, at the end of those two years.

The term "grande école" does not, however, require this detour. At Excelia Business School, the Master in Management illustrates this well: its routes of entry have diversified, but the requirements have not dropped a single notch. The rankings follow the same logic: they distinguish two populations of schools, without establishing a hierarchy between them. The subject deserves its own answer, to be found in what the Master in Management is.

Joining a business school straight after the baccalaureate

To join a business school straight after secondary school, going through Parcoursup is most often compulsory. This national pre-registration platform centralises choices for the first year of higher education, but the tests that follow differ depending on the school and the programme. These undergraduate programmes last from three years for a bachelor's to five years for a Master in Management.

For a secondary school student in France, applications to Excelia Business School's undergraduate programmes are likewise made on the official Parcoursup website, choice by choice. Excelia Business School's Parcoursup platform helps you prepare this process. A technological baccalaureate consistent with your plans is just as acceptable as a general baccalaureate: what matters is the consistency of your path, not the stream followed at secondary school.

These shorter programmes are in no way a consolation prize: the Bachelor in Business and the BBA International also lead to a Grade de Licence, a state recognition that attests to their academic level.

To find out the duration and specialisations of these programmes, head to Excelia Business School's Bachelor programmes.

The same qualification, through another door

Entering straight after the baccalaureate changes nothing about the outcome: it leads to the same Bac+5 qualification as the other routes of entry, whether you arrive after a preparatory class or after a first higher education qualification. On Excelia Business School's Master in Management (Programme Grande École), the course is organised over five years: three of pre-master cycle, which lay the foundations of management, then two of master cycle, where specialisation takes over. On completion, the qualification is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and leads to a Grade de Master, whichever entry point you chose.

Admission itself is based on an application file and tests, the arrangements for which differ depending on the entry route chosen: discover undergraduate entry to the Master in Management to find out the details.

If you have already completed a higher education qualification, another route exists, distinct from the competitive exams taken after the baccalaureate or after prépa: direct entry. It has its own page, joining a business school after a BTS, a BUT or a licence.