University in France
Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Hauts-de-France, France
University profile
Centrale Lille (Centrale Lille Institut) is a French public engineering and research institution on the Cité Scientifique campus in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, close to Lille. Its mission is to train multidisciplinary engineers and PhDs through international openness and innovation, and its motto is "Responsible!". It belongs to the Groupe des Écoles Centrale alongside Centrale Lyon, Centrale Méditerranée, Centrale Nantes and CentraleSupélec.
The institute brings together four in-house engineering schools, all awarding engineering degrees accredited by the Commission des Titres d'Ingénieurs (CTI): École Centrale de Lille (generalist engineer), ENSCL (École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille, chemical engineer), IG2I (digital and industrial engineering, based in Lens) and ITEEM (engineer-manager, run with SKEMA Business School). Beyond the engineering degrees it offers co-accredited Masters (largely taught in English), doctorates in three doctoral schools, a Bachelor in Technology, AI and Sustainable Business run by ITEEM and SKEMA, and two school diplomas, Centrale Digital Lab and Lean Modular Construction 4.0.
Research is organised around four areas, digital, energy, environment and health, and six strategic axes ranging from sustainable catalytic processes to machines, power converters and electrical networks. Centrale Lille professors contribute to nine Lille laboratories, including CRIStAL, IEMN, L2EP, LaMcube, LMFL, UCCS and UMET, in partnership with the University of Lille, CNRS, Inria and ONERA.
École Centrale de Lille, ENSCL and ITEEM are on a 150-hectare green campus in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, 15 minutes by metro from Lille Flandres station. Students have a learning centre (Lilliad), four university restaurants, sports facilities and a health centre. Clubs cover sport, music, cooking, languages and cultures, and the Bureau des Sports organises team and individual sports and tournaments such as the Intercentrales.
International students from École Centrale de Lille live in the Léonardo da Vinci residence, a 15-minute walk from the school, with furnished single and double studios, Wi-Fi, a study room, laundry and a gym; ENSCL international students are housed in nearby CROUS residences. Both are eligible for the APL housing allowance. More than a hundred students arrive each year on partner exchange and double-degree programmes, supported by a welcome week, buddy system, French as a foreign language classes and student associations (Club TIME and Welcome Club).
Public tuition fees for the engineering degrees are set by the government at 2,613 euros per year (2025-2026), free for students receiving grants. For students from outside the EU the indicative 2025-2026 fee is 2,895 euros per year for the first two years and 3,941 euros per year for the last three. The Master E2SD registration fee is 254 euros (indicative, 2025-2026). The ITEEM and SKEMA Bachelor costs 14,000 euros per year. Exchange students under an inter-institutional agreement do not pay registration fees; free movers do, depending on the course.
Centrale Lille supports selected international Master and PhD applicants in applying for the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The Centrale Lille application window is open until 15 November 2026 inclusive via the school's online form. See Campus France Eiffel programme.
The Campus Bourses platform of Campus France lists scholarships for international students (campusbourses.campusfrance.org). Centrale Lille takes part in FITEC programmes for students of partner universities in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. Erasmus+ grants are paid by the home university. Members of the Data Science Master's graduate programme can apply for study and mobility grants. Embassies and Campus France offices abroad offer further mobility funding.
Student accommodation in Lille costs between 650 and 900 euros per month in the private market; university halls cost 250 to 480 euros per month depending on room type and APL. Other monthly costs include CROUS restaurant meals (about 200 euros), a Lille transport pass (32 euros) and student life (170 to 230 euros). Exchange students can order an arrival kit for 175 euros, and international students receive a free C'ART pass to metropolitan museums from September 2025.
France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship via Centrale Lille (Master and PhD) →
Browse the scholarships listed for Centrale Lille and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Centrale Lille →The main route is the Centrale-Supélec competitive entrance exam for students of scientific preparatory classes (CPGE) in the MP, MPI, PC, PSI and TSI streams, with some places in an international cycle. The Banque PT exam covers the PT stream. Admission on academic qualifications is through the ATS competitive exam (DUT or BTS holders from ATS preparatory courses) and the Écoles Centrale university competitive exam for final-year Licence or Bachelor students. Enrolment for exams is through SCEI (scei-concours.fr).
All applicants, including those with a foreign baccalaureate, apply through Parcoursup for first-year entry only. The competition has a written multiple-choice test (mathematics, science, general knowledge, economics, French and English) plus a review of the academic record, followed by a 20-minute oral interview. The application fee is 60 euros, waived for holders of French grants. The course lasts five years after the baccalauréat; the diploma confers the grade of Master.
First-year entry is through Parcoursup, including for foreign baccalaureate holders, based on school reports, a motivation letter and CV; candidates between the admission and eligibility thresholds are interviewed for 20 minutes. The application fee is 50 euros. Parallel admission to the second or third year is open to BTS, BUT, Bachelor or final-year scientific CPGE students, and to foreign students with an equivalent diploma and French at B2 level, by file and a 20-minute oral. The ATS competitive exam offers 5 places.
Entry is by competitive exams after two years of CPGE (BCPST, PC-CH, MP, TPC), through the Pass'ingénieur exam for Licence students with at least 120 ECTS, by continuous assessment from the Fédération Gay-Lussac integrated preparatory cycle, or on file for holders of a BUT, BTS in chemistry, Licence (L3), Master 1 or an equivalent foreign diploma (2026 file deadline 26 April, results from 5 June). Files go to [email protected].
Open to baccalaureate holders or equivalent with mathematics in the final year. Selection combines the academic record, written multiple-choice tests in mathematics (1h30, in English) and English communication (30 minutes), and a 20-minute oral interview in English. Applicants with an International Baccalaureate or equivalent take an entrance examination of the same format.
Masters are co-accredited national degrees, mostly taught in English, with entry at Master 1 or Master 2 depending on the programme. Applicants hold an M1 or M2-level qualification with a good level in the relevant discipline and in English (for example applied physics or electrical engineering for E2SD; mathematics, computer science and optional machine learning for Data Science). Applications are made to Centrale Lille or through Études en France. Partner-university students may apply for double degrees (nomination by 1 March, application by 15 March, for listed partners). A minimum certified B1 level in the teaching language is required for double-degree mobility.
The doctorate follows three years of research in a laboratory and the defence of a thesis, within the ENGSYS, MADIS or SMRE doctoral schools.
Non-EU students need a student visa. Applicants from countries covered by the Études en France portal (including Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, India and China) apply through their local Campus France office and that portal; elsewhere the French consulate handles the procedure. On arrival, students validate their visa within three months, with help from the International and Academic Relations Office. Students are advised to take a French placement test and prepare in French before arrival.
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