2019 Admissions Report: A Record Number of Applications

Every year, the Admissions Report provides a review of Sciences Po’s applicants and admitted students. This year, it has reconfirmed Sciences Po's global appeal, and that selectivity and student diversity are by no means incompatible.

Our 2019 Admissions Report reaffirms Sciences Po’s appeal as an institution, recording, for the second year running, over 20,000 applications (20,809 in 2019 compared to 20,621 in 2018) from the undergraduate to the doctorate level. An increase in both selectivity and diversity among candidates is a stamp of the excellence of the university’s course offering.

Applicants (across all admissions procedures) came from 137 different countries and nearly 2,600 high schools around the world. In total, 4,218 new students, from undergraduate to doctorate level, joined Sciences Po in September 2019 on one of our seven campuses across France. 

Undergraduate College: An International Student Body

Since 2009, the number of applications for the Undergraduate College has doubled, and the number of international candidates has tripled. In 2019, a total of 11,123 candidates applied to the undergraduate college, up 1.5% from last year. Nonetheless, Sciences Po maintains a rate of admission that fulfils the institution’s wish to preserve the selectivity of entry, with an overall acceptance rate of 18% (17% in 2018, 19% in 2017). 

In 2019, 46% of admitted students to the undergraduate college applied through the international procedure. Undergraduate candidates who applied via the international procedure or to one of our nine international dual degree programmes came from 137 different countries.

Graduate Schools: An Increase in Selectivity

Out of 8,952 applications for our Graduate Schools, 2,047 candidates were admitted, for an acceptance rate of 23%, compared to 30% in 2017. 72% of these were accepted via the international procedure or for international dual degrees, a result that underlines the success of Sciences Po’s 38 dual degree programmes established with partner institutions from 14 countries around the world.

The top 3 institutions or origin of our master’s students are King’s College London, University College London and McGill University.

In 2019, Graduate School applicants came from 121 different countries, with the top 10 countries represented being the United States, Germany, China, Italy, India, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands and Mexico. 

Overall, the number of applications at graduate level has multiplied by 2.3 between 2009 and 2019.

One of the most socially inclusive selective institutions worldwide

Since 2001, over 2,000 students were admitted via our Equal Opportunity Programme. In 2019, we received applications from 195 candidates with a declared disability, which is 12 times more than in 2007. 26% of students admitted are recipients of CROUS scholarships, illustrating the efficacy of our unique social assistance and tuition fee policy. 

These numbers testify Sciences Po’s continued efforts to encourage social diversity: in 2018-19, one in three students did not pay any tuition fees, and 36% of all students received financial aid.

Consult the full 2019 Admissions Report

More information

• Consult the full 2019 Admissions Report
• Read the press release
• Visit our Admissions website