International Selection Process Rules
A. General terms
About Join a School in France (Formely known as SAI):
Join a School in France (SAI) is a department of the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Its mission is to coordinate the recruitment of international students for the Master in Management (MiM) programs at five leading French business schools: Audencia Business School, emlyon business school, ESCP Business School, HEC Paris, and Skema Business School.
Each year, four to five application rounds are organized for admission to the academic year beginning in September.
With a single online application, candidates automatically apply to all five member schools. The entire application process is thus streamlined, allowing applicants to submit one set of documents and be considered by multiple top-tier institutions at once.
Please note that Join a School in France does not provide individual feedback on application evaluations. Each member school has its own admissions process and assessment criteria. For questions regarding evaluation or admission decisions, applicants are encouraged to contact the schools directly.
Eligibility requirements
1-Educational Qualification:
- Hold a non-French undergraduate degree—equivalent to at least three years of study (Bachelor’s, Licence, Benke, etc.)—awarded by a nationally accredited higher education institution outside of France.
- Applicants can apply while completing the final year of the degree that qualifies them for the program, provided they submit valid proof of enrollment.
- There are no specific field of study requirements—the application is open to candidates from all academic backgrounds.
2-Diploma Verification:
- Only non-French undergraduate diplomas are considered in the admission process with Join a School in France.
- If not yet graduated, admitted applicants must submit their official diploma (demonstrating at least three years of undergraduate studies) to the member schools before December 31st of the intake year.
3- Document Authenticity:
- Applicants must certify that all information and documents provided are accurate.
- Diplomas and certifications may be subject to verification by HEC Paris, ESCP Business School, emlyon business school, SKEMA Business School, Audencia Business School, or a third-party certifier.
Important Reminders:
- Applicants may only submit one application per year with Join a School in France. Once an application is finalized and submitted, and the application deadline has passed, it is no longer possible to change rounds.
- Choosing to apply directly to member schools via their respective application portals or through Join a School in France is treated equally and fairly.
- However, applying through Join a School in France allows candidates to submit one application for all five schools, offering a more streamlined process.
- Submitting multiple applications (both directly to a member school and through Join a School in France) does not increase the chances of acceptance. Applications will be considered only once, regardless of the submission method.
Applying with Join a School in France
Applications are to be completed online and can be found on the Join a School in France website.
The candidate holds responsibility for information provided in their application. No changes regarding the exam centre will be authorised after the application has been submitted.
Candidates can apply each academic year as long as they remain eligible, but can apply to one session per year only.
The recruitment process for school years with a September start date is as follows:
- The applicant may only submit one online application per year. If the applicant wants to start their application again, he must inform the Join a School in France team by email.
- The applicant may only apply in one of the four sessions. Transfer of an application from one session to another can be done by email request.
- The applicant can either apply through Join a School in France or to a member School directly. However, applying through both procedures is not allowed.
Should the applicant defer their admittance to one of the five member Schools, they will not be allowed to create an application with Join a School in France the following year. To reapply, the applicant must first forgo their admittance to the member School.
We recommend the applicant confirms that their registered email address is correct as email is the main method of communication. Consequently, if the applicant does not receive any confirmation email from Join a School in France, they must send an email at joinaschoolinfrance@cci-paris-idf.fr
IMPORTANT
Applicants are solely responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information and documents they provide. It is their responsibility to carefully review the eligibility criteria before applying and to submit an application only if they meet all requirements. Join a School in France cannot be held responsible for any consequences resulting from failure to meet these conditions or from the submission of incorrect or incomplete information.
B. Selection process
Step 1: Online application
An application is considered complete when:
- It has been filled out and submitted through the Join a School in France website,
- All required documents have successfully been uploaded before the application deadline,
- All provided documents are legible and valid,
- The application fee of 220€ has been paid and proof of the payment has been received by Join a School in France.
Incomplete applications and those received after the deadline will not be considered. The applicant cannot add any document after the deadline.
Application fees cannot be reimbursed. Join a School in France can cancel an application if applicants have not paid their application fee.
The required documents to be uploaded are as follows:
- Academic transcript (Licence, Bachelor, Benke etc.)
- Diploma or certificate of school enrollment
- Management test (GMAT / GRE / TAGE MAGE)
- English test (TOEIC / IELTS / TOEFL / Cambridge)
- 2 letters of recommendation (academic or professional)
- ID / headshot photo
- Resumé (CV)
- Copy of passport or ID card
- A valid proof of payment
It is the applicant’s responsibility to sign up for their chosen Management and English tests through the affiliated organising institutions. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide a valid test score before the application deadline. All written tests are 5-year valid in the selection process
Step 2: Standardised written tests
It is mandatory to designate Join a School in France as a score recipient on your test taker platform.
GMAT
GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is organised by GMAC. The applicant must sign up directly on the website www.mba.com and select Join a School in France in the dropdown bar.
Since July 15, 2013, the “Analytical Writing” and “Integrated Reasoning” sections are mandatory. We also accept the online GMAT exam.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their GMAT score has been received by the Join a School in France team before the application deadline. For that, applicants must select Join a School in France in the dropdown bar on www.mba.com and also upload the official score report to the appropriate field of their online application.
Depending on the GMAC test centre, the delivery of score reports can take several days. Therefore, we strongly encourage applicants to take their GMAT test and request that their scores be sent to Join a School in France at least one month before the application deadline. Copies and non-official scores are not accepted by Join a School in France.
GRE
The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is organised by ETS. Therefore, the applicant must sign up directly on the ETS website: www.ets.org/gre.
The applicant must ask for their official GRE score report to be sent to Join a School in France: 1259 before the deadline and upload their Examinee Score Report to the appropriate field of their online application.
TAGE MAGE
The TAGE MAGE is organised by the FNEGE: www.tagemage.fr
In order for applicants to report their results to Join a School in France, they must upload their TAGE MAGE score report to the appropriate field of their online application.
Applicants must take the test and upload their results before the application deadline. It is highly recommended to take the test at least one month before the application deadline.
Please note that the TAGE MAGE test is conducted in French.
Step 3: Interviews
After applications have been reviewed by the member Schools, candidates will be informed whether or not they are invited to move on to the interview stage.
Applicants will receive an email from Join a School in France with links to each School’s website posting admissibility results. Applicants must check each webpage for their admissibility result.
Interview invitation
Applicants that have been eligible for at least one member School will be invited to an interview. Applicants who are eligible for more than one School will be invited to a single interview on behalf of all Schools. Date and time of this interview will be specified on their official invitation sent by email by Join a School in France.
Interview centres
Interviews take place worldwide in one of Join a School in France partner centres or remotely as a last resort. Applicants must designate the location where they would like to have their interview while completing the online application. If it is not possible to open the chosen interview centre, Join a School in France will contact the applicant with alternative options.
Under certain circumstances, Join a School in France may open a new interview centre. Applicants must inform the Join a School in France admissions team via email before the application deadline should they wish to change their interview centre.
To get more information about interview dates and centres, please click here.
Interview process
The interview lasts between 20 and 30 minutes and is conducted in English.
There is no standardized format for the interview. The panel may include alumni from member schools, representatives from the business community, admissions staff, and/or diplomatic or consular officials. The interview is an opportunity for admissible applicants to showcase their motivation, personality, and argumentation skills, as well as to highlight relevant aspects of their background and experiences.
Applicants must present a valid ID card at the time of the interview.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure their availability for the interview. Interview dates are scheduled by Join a School in France and cannot be changed, except in cases of extreme circumstances, which must be justified and supported with valid documentation.
Interview periods are published in advance for each applications round on the Join a School in France website, allowing applicants to plan accordingly.
C. Admission results
After the interviews, the Admissions Committee will finalise a list of admitted applicants. Applicants can be admitted to one, multiple, or none of the Schools.
Decisions drawn by the Committee are definitive. The list of admitted applicants will be published on the website of each School. A few days before the verdict is announced, the Join a School in France team will send out an email with links to the Schools’ websites. Applicants should visit each School’s website to find out about their admission results because Join a School in France does not communicate this information directly.
Join a School in France does not offer scholarships. However, some admitted applicants may be offered an Eiffel scholarship by the member Schools. For more information about the scholarship and tuition fees, the admitted applicant should get in touch with member Schools directly, during and after the selection process.
Due to the sovereignty of the Admissions Committee, only complaints about incorrectly transferred scores will be received. Therefore, any request to reevaluate results will not be accepted by the Join a School in France team.
Selection rules
By applying to a Master’s in Management at the 5 Join a School in France member Schools, the applicant:
- Must strictly respect all guidelines indicated in the general terms,
- Give consent for their personal data to be shared with the Join a School in France member Schools
Personal data will be exclusively given to the Join a School in France member Schools. Non-eligible applications will be sent to the five Business Schools in May in order to give these applicants the possibility to join another program.
In accordance with the Data Protection Act of January 6th, 1978, the applicant has a right of access, modification, rectification or deletion of their related data. To exercise this right, please contact the Join a School in France team at the following email address: joinaschoolinfrance@cci-paris-idf.fr