University in France
Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France
University profile
Audencia is a business school in Nantes, western France, founded in 1900 as ESC Nantes. Its name draws on the Latin audientia (listening) and audacia (boldness), and its signature is "Change. Your way." It states its mission as training innovative, responsible managers who contribute to the major challenges facing organisations, societies and the planet, and its values are innovation, cooperation and responsibility.
Audencia is a consular higher-education institution (EESC) supported by the Nantes-St Nazaire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with legal status similar to a corporation. It holds the triple accreditation of EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA and is a member of the Conférence des Grandes Écoles, which certifies its Mastère Spécialisé and Master of Science programmes. The Programme Grande École (Master in Management) leads to the grade de master.
The school has five campuses in France (Nantes Atlantic Campus, Nantes City Campus, the Mediacampus on the Île de Nantes, Paris-Saint-Ouen and La Roche-sur-Yon) and collaborative campuses in Shenzhen, Chengdu, Shanghai, São Paulo, Barcelona and Sydney. Academic work is organised in eight departments: Accounting, Management Control and Economics; Communication, Culture and Languages; Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation; Finance; Information Systems and Supply Chain Management; Marketing; Organization Studies and Ethics; and Sport. Audencia SciencesCom (communication and media) and GAÏA, the school of ecological and social transitions, are part of the group.
Programmes run from the Bachelor in Management, Global BBA and Bachelor in Communication through the Master in Management (Grande École), 18 English-taught MSc programmes, Mastère Spécialisé programmes and MBAs to the Executive PhD and executive education. Student life includes more than 30 associations across the campuses, a Sports Hub, the student-run Audencia–La Baule Triathlon (held since 1985), a Well-being @Audencia service with nurses on every campus, and an inclusion policy for students with disabilities.
International students are supported with visa and residence-permit procedures, housing through the Studapart platform and partner residences, and the BDI student association for international students. The school reports 2,440 foreign students from 124 nationalities, over 280 academic partners worldwide, and holds the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021-2027.
Audencia sets its own tuition as a grande école. Master in Management (Grande École): €38,250 over two years; 1-year MSc €19,900; 2-year MSc €29,800; plus mandatory service fees of €500 per academic year (not charged to CROUS scholarship holders or apprentices). For the Bachelor in Management the programme page gives €33,750 for the three years and international school fees of €11,250 per year, plus €1,500 service fees (€500 per year). The CVEC (Contribution vie étudiante et de campus) is €100 per year, paid separately.
Awarded as partial tuition waivers at the admissions stage with no separate application, for admitted students of the autumn intake, subject to funds and committee decision; one scholarship plus the early-application reduction per applicant.
Students receiving CROUS aid admitted to the Grande École or Bachelor in Management may qualify for need-based admission scholarships: at Level 7, full tuition coverage for the whole Grande École programme; at Levels 5 and 6, 100% of first-year tuition. During studies, need-based Audencia scholarships may cover 10% to 50%, or up to 60%, of annual tuition. Students with RQTH recognition may receive up to 10% of tuition, with applications in October and May. The Audencia Foundation supports need-based aid, mobility grants and emergency assistance.
Envoléo (Pays de la Loire Regional Council) supports stays abroad of at least three months, and Erasmus+ study grants are available. The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; €1,200 per month at Master's level) is submitted by Audencia to Campus France for admitted non-French candidates under 30 not already studying in France; contact [email protected] from October. Campus France grants are also open to Audencia students.
Audencia Early Application Scholarship (International Students) →
Browse the scholarships listed for Audencia and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Audencia →Applicants need a diploma equivalent to the French baccalauréat or be in their final secondary year, issued by a recognised school outside France (or, from French lycées, Abibac, Bachibac, Esabac or IB). Applicants from a Lycée Français with a French baccalauréat apply through Parcoursup. The online application is recommended by 31 January, with a €100 application fee, followed by a video interview assessing motivation, extra-curricular activities, intellectual curiosity, adaptability and language. Admissions stay open until June 2027 unless the class fills; the early-application deadline is 31 January 2027. Starts are in September 2027 and January 2027.
English track: TOEFL iBT 60, TOEIC 600, IELTS 5.5 or Cambridge B2, or secondary education in English or native speaker. French track: French DELF B2, DALF, TCF or TCF-DAP (B2-C2) plus the English proof above.
Entry is at Bac+3 (a 3- or 4-year degree in any field; final-year students may apply). Candidates apply at candidat.audencia.com or through the Join a School in France platform. English proof: TOEFL iBT 84, TOEIC 655, IELTS 6.0 or Cambridge B2 First (169), or an English-taught undergraduate programme, or native speaker. Candidates with a non-French diploma apply through the International Recruitment Service ([email protected]). The TAGE MAGE is required only for the French AST route. Admissions are open until June 2027; the early-application deadline is 31 January 2027, for a September 2027 start. The programme can be followed in English or French.
The 18 MSc programmes are taught in English and, depending on the programme, accept Bac+3, Bac+4 or Bac+5 profiles, in one or two years. Mastère Spécialisé, MBA and Executive PhD programmes have their own admission procedures.
Non-European students studying more than three months need a long-term student visa, applied for at the French consulate at least three months before departure; Campus France and France Visa give country-specific guidance. A Student Examination Visa allows entry to sit an entrance exam, after which a residence permit can be requested at the Nantes prefecture. A residence permit (titre de séjour) must be requested at the prefecture within two months of the visa expiry where studies continue.
Student services include Knowledge Hubs, campus nurses and the SUMPPS university health service partnership, and housing support through Studapart, CROUS residences and partner residences (Les Estudines, Studéa-Nexity) near the Nantes and Paris campuses.
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