University in France
Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France
University profile
Centrale Nantes is a public institution of scientific, cultural and professional character, founded in 1919 and located in Nantes, western France. It is a grande école d'ingénieurs and a member of the Ecoles Centrales Group (Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes and Paris). It has legal personality and pedagogical, scientific, administrative and financial autonomy, and since 1 January 2022 it has been a component institution of Nantes Université.
The school trains versatile engineers to a high scientific and technical level with a strong managerial culture, placing scientific subjects in an environmental and societal context. Its flagship is the general engineering programme leading to the diplôme d'ingénieur (about 420 students per year), accredited by the CTI for five years and awarded the EUR-ACE label. Alongside it are the Bachelor of Science in Engineering, the BBA Data, AI & Management (developed with Audencia), Master of Science programmes in Marine Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Control and Robotics and Civil Engineering, seven Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, two Advanced Master (Mastère Spécialisé) programmes, doctoral studies and executive education.
The campus has 17 buildings on 40 acres of green space, about 15 minutes from the city centre, with 45 classrooms, 6 lecture theatres, 13 computer rooms, a multimedia library, a FabLab, sports facilities, a student house and 13 research platforms, some unique in France, across 6 research institutes. The Kivo incubator, with about 20 years of experience, supports start-up projects.
Student life includes over 120 clubs and associations, sport and cultural facilities, and welcome activities for newcomers. About 2,300 students from some 80 nationalities study on campus. A limited number of places in the on-campus Max Schmitt residence are reserved for first-year international bachelor-level students, double-degree engineering students and first-year engineering students admitted via the CentraleSupélec entrance exam; other students are helped to find CROUS or private housing.
International students join through the BSc and MSc programmes taught entirely in English, through the Groupe des Ecoles Centrales university examination or a double degree with a partner institution for the engineering programme, through Erasmus Mundus programmes, or on exchange. The institution received the Bienvenue en France award.
BSc: EUR 12,000 per year for international students (including Europeans), guaranteed for the programme; EUR 4,000 for a repeat year. MSc: EUR 255 per year for European students (2026-27); EUR 12,000 per year for non-European students. PhD: EUR 398 per year (2026-27). Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters: up to EUR 18,000. Advanced Masters (MDC and APTE): EUR 16,700 (2025/26). The CVEC student and campus life contribution is separate: EUR 105 in 2026/27, with exemptions for French government scholarship holders.
Holders of CROUS means-tested grants, French government scholarship recipients, Eiffel Excellence Scholarship recipients, wards of the nation, refugees and asylum seekers, students with a recognised disability of 80% or more, and students in programmes with a fee-waiver agreement are exempt (BSc and MSc students enrolling for the first time from 2026-27).
BSc: EUR 1,500 for international applicants applying before 2 December 2026 and EUR 500 before 18 January 2027, if the first payment is made within one month of the offer. MSc: EUR 2,000 for non-European students applying in the first M1 or M2 round who pay within one month of the offer.
Excellence-based partial waivers of EUR 6,000 per year (50% of the fee) for the most promising non-European students applying in the first M1 round, applied in M1 and renewed in M2 on progression. No separate form is needed. Funding page.
Government scholarships via Campus France or French embassies (for example the French Embassy in Ghana Scholarship); the industry-funded TotalEnergies scholarship for Nigerian students; organisations such as PTDF, LPDP, PEEF, Ashinaga and MMEH; Erasmus Mundus and Erasmus+ scholarships; CROUS means-tested grants for eligible enrolled students; Centrale Nantes Alumni solidarity support and Fondation Centrale Nantes student project funding. See tuition fees and CROUS grants.
Centrale Nantes Elite Tuition Fee Waiver (MSc) →
Centrale Nantes MSc Early Bird Tuition Reduction →
Centrale Nantes BSc Early Bird Tuition Reduction →
Browse the scholarships listed for Centrale Nantes and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Centrale Nantes →Three-year programme taught in English. Applicants studying the French baccalauréat in France or at a lycée français abroad apply via Parcoursup; those with an international or foreign secondary diploma apply on the eCandidat platform (no application fee). Applications for the 2027-28 intake open on 28 October 2026, with 22 places for international candidates. Applicants must hold or be completing a science high-school diploma or equivalent and be under 22. Selection weighs academic results (60%), mathematics/science grades (20%) and English proficiency (20%). Round deadlines: 2 Dec, 18 Jan, 4 Mar, 15 Apr and 17 May.
English: TOEFL iBT 4.5 (new scale; 78 on the old scale), TOEIC 800, IELTS 6.0, Cambridge B2 First 173 or C1 Advanced 160. Applicants who studied in English (with an official letter) or in listed English-speaking countries including Ghana, Nigeria, UK and USA are exempt from a certificate. No French is required for admission; students are expected to reach B1/B2 in French by graduation (B1 minimum). Documents: CV and cover letter, certified diploma copy (or final-year enrolment certificate and transcripts), identity document, English test, and two recommendation letters (one from a science professor). Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by videoconference. Non-EU students then apply for a long-stay student visa.
Applications on eCandidat for M1 (three rounds: 15 Dec, 18 Feb, 28 Apr) and M2 (two rounds: 31 Mar, 28 Apr) for the 2027-28 intake, opening 28 October 2026. M1 requires a bachelor's degree (BEng, BSc, BTech or equivalent) in a science and technology field, or a French licence, obtained before the end of August, with a good level of mathematics. M2 requires a completed first-year MSc programme; CORO IMARO requires an M1 covering robot modelling, C++ or Python, control systems and signal processing. English: TOEFL iBT 80, IELTS 6.5, TOEIC 800, Cambridge B2 First 173 or C1 Advanced 160; the same country exemptions apply. Documents: transcripts, CV and cover letter, diploma, English proof, two recommendation letters (one academic) and identification, in English or French (certified translation otherwise). Four MSc specialisms offer an Integrated Master-PhD Track (2+3 years), with progression subject to the Master's degree, committee acceptance and a PhD grant. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters have separate application pages.
French students enter after two years of classes préparatoires through concours (Concours Centrale-Supélec, ATS, Banque PT, BCPST), or from Nantes Université PSR or the school's own BSc. International routes: the Groupe des Ecoles Centrales university examination (open to final-year bachelor students; Centrale Nantes recruits in Mathematics, Physics, Mechanics and Civil Engineering, and EEA; registration on scei-concours.fr, 6 January to 19 February 2026), or a double degree for students selected by partner institutions (70 places, two years at Centrale Nantes, application deadline 15 May). Exchange students need B2-level French and the equivalent of 240 ECTS.
Pre-enrolment with the PhD Office (master's transcript, thesis subject, funding agreement such as CDE or CIFRE, and CV), online application on AMETHIS for the doctoral school, then enrolment with Student Affairs. International co-supervision (co-tutelle) agreements are possible.
Nantes campus, 1 rue de la Noë. All programmes are taught here, on 17 buildings across 40 acres.
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