Grandes Ecoles and Classes Preparatoires in Ivory Coast
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published May 23, 2026 • Education Planning
Ivory Coast's top engineering and business schools recruit through competitive concours, and the two-year classes preparatoires at INP-HB in Yamoussoukro are the main gateway.
🎓 INP-HB runs classes preparatoires in five tracks: EPGE, BCPST, ECG, PCSI and MPSI.
📩 Only baccalaureat or BT holders aged 22 or under by December 31 can apply to the long cycle.
💵 The 2026 concours cost 19,000 FCFA to enter: 1,000 FCFA for a photo, 3,000 FCFA for the file, and 15,000 FCFA in registration rights.
⏱️ Preinscriptions open online in July, with paper files due shortly after, ahead of a September start.
What Classes Preparatoires Lead To
Ivory Coast follows the French model of selective higher education alongside its regular university system. Instead of applying straight to an engineering or management degree, top students spend two years in a classe preparatoire, an intensive track that drills mathematics, physics, or economics before a national concours decides which grande ecole they can join. The system rewards depth in a narrow set of subjects over general coursework, and it remains the main route into the country's most selective public engineering and management schools.
INP-HB: Ivory Coast's Main Grande Ecole
The Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouet-Boigny (INP-HB) in Yamoussoukro is Ivory Coast's flagship public grande ecole, formed by merging several former specialized schools. It runs both a cycle court (short, applied programs) and a cycle long that starts with classes preparatoires before students sit a further internal concours to enter an engineering specialization.
Five prepa tracks are available at INP-HB, each aimed at a different specialization further down the line:
| Track | Full name | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| EPGE | Ecole Preparatoire aux Grandes Ecoles | General preparatory track |
| BCPST | Biologie, Chimie, Physique et Sciences de la Terre | Life and earth sciences |
| ECG | Economique et Commerciale Generale | Economics and management |
| PCSI | Physique, Chimie et Sciences Industrielles | Applied physics and engineering |
| MPSI | Mathematiques, Physique et Sciences Industrielles | Mathematics and engineering |
Who Can Apply and When
Eligibility ties to the baccalaureat. Candidates need a bac, a BT, or an equivalent diploma from the year of the concours, and an age limit applies: for the long cycle, applicants must be 22 or under as of December 31 of the concours year, according to allAfrica's coverage of the 2026 concours . Preinscriptions for the 2026 session opened online from July 2 to July 22, 2026, followed by physical file submission at INP-HB in Yamoussoukro from July 9 to July 25, 2026, per allAfrica's coverage of the 2026 concours . Dates shift slightly each year, so check the official INP-HB site ahead of bac results each session.
The 2026 concours fee totaled 19,000 FCFA, made up of 1,000 FCFA for an ID photo, 3,000 FCFA for the application file, and 15,000 FCFA in registration rights. Budget for this cost alongside transport to Yamoussoukro for any in-person testing stages.
How the Concours Process Works
Students first register online, then assemble a paper file with baccalaureat results, an ID, and fee receipts, and submit it in person or through an accredited relay point. INP-HB then runs written entrance tests in the subjects tied to each track: mathematics and physics for MPSI and PCSI, biology and chemistry for BCPST, and economics and general culture for ECG. Successful candidates enter the two-year prepa, then sit a second, internal concours at the end of the cycle to move into an engineering or management specialization within INP-HB or a partner grande ecole.
Other Selective Routes
INP-HB is not the only concours-based school in Ivory Coast. Public schools such as the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Statistique et d'Economie Appliquee (ENSEA) in Abidjan train statisticians and economists through a similar competitive entry process, and several health science and administration schools use their own concours rather than open admission. Each school publishes its own eligibility rules and calendar, so treat INP-HB's process as a model, not a universal timetable, and confirm details with the specific school you target.
Preparing for the Concours
Because places are limited and competition is heavy, most successful candidates review bac-level mathematics, physics, and chemistry well before the concours opens rather than waiting for results day. Past concours papers, where schools publish them, give the clearest sense of the level expected. Students weighing classes preparatoires against direct university entry should factor in the extra concours cycles it takes to reach a specialization, against the stronger employment outcomes selective grandes ecoles are known for in engineering and management fields.