Not in the classic sense. HEC has no business bachelor of its own lasting 3-4 years taken directly after the baccalaureate, the way a public university offers. The only bachelor-type option accessible right after high school is the BA / BASc in Data, Society and Organisations, a double degree with Bocconi University (Milan), lasting 3 years (180 ECTS), taught entirely in English, with the first 3 semesters at Bocconi and the last 3 at HEC. The rest of what we call "the elite HEC diploma" comes at master level.

HEC's Grande École program is in fact a Master in Management (MiM), the school's flagship program and the one that made HEC famous. It is ranked number 2 worldwide by the Financial Times in 2025. According to the FT, 99 percent of graduates are employed within 3 months of graduation, and the average salary at 3 years is around €121,000. Note: this is a postgraduate program, not a post-bac one. You first need a 3-year bachelor.

Classe préparatoire (prépa) is the classic French system: 2 intensive years of preparation after high school, followed by a concours (an extremely competitive entrance exam) through which French students enter the Grande École program. As a Romanian you are not required to do prépa. If you already hold a 3-year bachelor (180 ECTS), you apply directly to HEC or through the "Join a School in France" platform, on the route called admissions parallèles (parallel admissions), without the prépa concours.

HEC is a private grande école, so there are no cheap statutory EU fees like at a public university. For the Master in Management, full program tuition (2025-26) is around €57,700, with an announced increase toward €70,000 for upcoming intakes. Plus living costs of €12,000-€18,000 per year. For the BA with Bocconi, tuition at the Bocconi level is around €17,000 per year. As an EU citizen you are exempt from the additional €2,000 fee applied to non-EU students on the MiM, and HEC offers merit-based and need-based scholarships.

For the Master in Management program, French is NOT an admission criterion, and the program has full tracks in English. Instead, you need proof of English (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS or Cambridge), waived for native speakers or graduates of English-taught programs. The BA with Bocconi is also entirely in English (B2 level required). French helps with integration and internships, but it is not an admission barrier.

It depends on the program. For the post-bac route (BA with Bocconi) you need SAT or ACT, or the Bocconi online test, plus proof of English at B2 level. For the Master in Management you need one of GMAT (including GMAT Focus), GRE or TageMage. HEC states that no minimum score is imposed to apply, but a competitive score greatly increases your chances in a very selective process. Our mentors help you with the testing strategy.

For the BA with Bocconi (2025-26): Round 1 deadline 26 September, Round 2 deadline 23 January, Round 3 deadline 13 April. For the Master in Management direct application (2025-26): five rounds, from 1 October to 28 May. For Join a School in France: four rounds, from 8 October to 16 April. Recommendation: apply in the early rounds, when there are the most places and more time for the visa and logistics.

HEC, ESSEC, ESCP are business grandes écoles, selective elite institutions, smaller than a public university, with a focus on management, strong networking and career placement. A public university (for example a state university in France or Spain) offers classic post-bac bachelors at low fees for EU citizens. HEC does not play in that category: it is private, expensive and accessed mostly at master level. If you want a cheap business bachelor straight after high school, public EU university alternatives are more suitable; if you want the elite HEC management brand, the target is the Master in Management.