Group ESC Clermont is a well-established French Business School. It was founded in 1919, under the patronage of the Ministry of Commerce, the City of Clermont-Ferrand, the Conseil Général du Puy-de-Dôme (General Council), the Chamber of Commerce and several partner companies. Since then, more than 12,000 men and women from all walks of life have walked the grounds of the Trudaine campus. With a resolutely global outlook, Group ESC Clermont has strong relationships with local, national and international economic stakeholders. It partnerships with some 100 Higher Education Institutions in more than 50 countries and has an ever increasingly enriched faculty composed of quality professors and researchers who are strongly committed to the Business School’s motto “School for Life”. With the development of its Programs portfolio, and in particular the introduction of new programs that are aligned with the changing needs of the globalized business world, innovation and pedagogy, Group ESC Clermont has a comprehensive course offering. The Bachelor in International Management, created in 2007, or the Master in Management program, both figure prominently and regularly in national rankings (Le Figaro) and international rankings (Top 100 of the Financial Times).
Group ESC Clermont has been a state-recognized School ever since its inception, which certifies its legitimacy and solid reputation as a reliable Higher Education Institution. The “Grande Ecole” Program (Bac+5 degree programs) and the Bachelor Program in International Management have the rank of master and visa respectively, both issued by the Ministry of Higher Education, Innovation and Research. They are also registered in the RNCP (a National Directory of Professional Certification) as level II and I, which recognizes the relevance and coherence of skills acquired during these programs in relation to the job market.
Our Business School has been a member of the ‘Conférence des Grandes Ecoles’ since 1985, a member of the ‘Chapitre des Grandes Ecoles de Management’ since 1986, and has obtained international recognition with the awarding of the AACSB accreditation since 2005. Group ESC Clermont is a learner-centric Business School organized on a human scale and promotes a global strategy with dual-competences and equal opportunities and diversity. It is a signatory of the charter of ‘Les Cordées de la Réussite’ (a scheme set up by the Ministry of Higher Education to promote access for young people, regardless of their socio-economic background, and quality in education) and a leading member of the organization. In this context, it hosts the ‘Ecole de la 2e Chance Auvergne’ (a second-chance school scheme) and trains and accompanies 260 young men and women every year.
As the School looks to celebrate it’s 100th Anniversary, Group ESC Clermont is resolutely turned towards all kinds of modern pedagogy, the digital world and entrepreneurship and aims to be a place of learning and of experimentation and innovation for all its stakeholders from various horizons, networks and environments. The creation of the Business School’s intramural incubator in 2014 (SquareLab) and the inauguration in 2015 of its ‘Quartier des Labs’ (a combination of resources encouraging the implementation of projects and ultimately the employability of graduates), is powerful evidence of the dynamism driving Group ESC Clermont’s projects and strategy for the future.

A nearly 100-year-old history… to be continued!
• 1919: Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Clermont opened its first class of 76 students.
• 1929: 40 % of the students of ESC Clermont were women.
• 1949: ESC Clermont signed its first international partnership with the University of Kansas in Lawrence
• 1951: The Master in Management program was recognized by the National Ministry of Education.
• 1979: Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Clermont became Group ESC Clermont and opened continuing education programs.
• 1985–1986: Group ESC Clermont joined the ‘Conference des Grandes Ecoles’, created the ‘Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches (CER)’, and became a member of the very closed circle of the ‘Chapitre des Ecoles de Management’.
• 2005: The School obtained the ‘AASCB’ accreditation for the first time
• 2007: Group ESC Clermont welcomed its first class of students for the Bachelor in International Management program
• 2010– 2011: The recognition of the Master’s degree was renewed for 5 years, as well as the AACSB accreditation. The Master in Management diploma was ranked for the 4th consecutive year amongst the Top 50 of the Financial Times, the ‘Audit-Expertise’ specialization figured amongst the Top 10. The Bachelor’s programme was ranked first in France (ranking of LE FIGARO) in 2011 and 2012
• 2013: The Group ESC Clermont merged with 3 French graduate management schools to form France Business School.
• 2014: Inauguration of the incubator, The Square Lab
• 2015: Group ESC Clermont broke away from the merger and regained independence. Inauguration of the ‘Quartier des Labs’
• 2016: For the third time in its history ESC Clermont Group’s AACSB accreditation was renewed for a maximum period of 5 years.
• 2017: Renewal of the visa and master grade for the Master in Management Program for 4 years
• 2018: Renewal of the visa for the Bachelor Program for 5 years and re-accreditation by the French Federation of “Grandes Ecoles”for all the Msc. Programs for 3 years
• 2019: The 100th Anniversary of ESC Clermont