Rankings: What are the stakes for ESC Clermont BS?

Through our strategy and commitment to academic innovation, our dedication to fostering diversity among our student body and faculty, and our hands-on approach to guiding students and graduates into successful careers, we’ve not only met but surpassed the ever-changing demands of our environment.

To better understand how these rankings work, their limitations, and the evolution of evaluation criteria, we asked Catherine Rouchy, Director of Development Projects France & Rankings, a few questions.

ESC CLERMONT BS HAS ACHIEVED EXCELLENT RESULTS IN RANKINGS THIS YEAR, HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS?

It’s true, the trend has been positive for several years, and 2023 saw a spectacular leap, first on the Financial Times and then on many national rankings. There are several reasons for this.

First, our very positive evolution on all main criteria: academic criteria with national and international recognition of our degrees that set us apart, international criteria with significant recruitment of foreign professors and greater internationalization of our students and programs, professionalization criteria with excellent placement rates, boosted by internships and the significant resources we have invested over the past 4 years in employment support through the creation of a real placement agency within the School.

Second, changes in the way schools are evaluated allow us to highlight our specificities. For example, some criteria, previously evaluated in absolute value, are now evaluated in relative value adjusted to the size of the population (professors, students, etc.). For a human-sized school like ours, this changes everything because it allows us to measure the real added value for each student!

Ultimately, the third reason, and arguably the one that fills us with the most pride, lies in the active engagement of our alumni. They are fervently dedicated to upholding the reputation of our school, readily stepping forward to participate in media surveys, notably those conducted by the Financial Times (FT)

IS THE SCHOOL PARTICULARLY SEEKING TO PERFORM IN RANKINGS? AND TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THIS “QUEST” GUIDE ITS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY?

Rankings are an integral part of our market. It should be noted that in France there are nearly 300 business schools, but only those that deliver accredited diplomas and a master’s degree are included in the various “Rankings of major business schools” that evaluate Grand Ecole Programs.

So yes, meeting the quality criteria required by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research is a key point of our strategy, a distinctive sign that is in our DNA. Rankings are also at the heart of the ‘REVEAL 22-27’ project, particularly because they contribute to strengthening our national and international attractiveness.

Finally, performing well in rankings is a virtuous quest that obliges us to constantly question ourselves on all aspects of our activity, even though we are fully aware of the limitations of these same rankings.

RANKINGS REMAIN A USEFUL ENTRY POINT FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SCHOOLS. WHAT ADVICE COULD YOU GIVE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS TO DECIPHER THE RESULTS AND BETTER NAVIGATE?

The first advice I would give is to ask yourself the following question: what category of school do I want to go to? And to that question, my answer is that the schools listed in national and international media rankings are all good schools, whose resources (faculty, administrative teams, campuses, business, and international partnerships, etc.) are verified and evaluated by the ministry and international accreditors.

Then it is important to get information by visiting the campus, attend open days and meet professionals to answer any of your queries and gather as much information as possible about the courses, available options, and see the facilities for yourself. Often, after one of these meetings, both families and students have a perception, a “feeling” or not, and rankings become just one criterion among others collected on-site.

In any case, I am certain that the student’s success at school and the value of their diploma will depend much more on their ability to invest themselves and take advantage of the resources available to them, rather than on a ranking.

NEW RANKINGS EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF STUDENT LIFE AND THEIR FULFILLMENT. HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS TO YOU?

Student life is a privileged moment, and the possible experiences in a school life are numerous and an integral part of our attractiveness in the higher education landscape. Among the exclusive rankings around the student experience, we have been participating for several years in the “HappyIndexatSchool” survey. This ‘barometer’ is highly important to us as it helps us measure our evolution on certain points, and progress, especially on questions related to impact, which are numerous in this ranking. The only issue is that we are faced with is the “over-solicitation” of students, who are increasingly asked to respond to numerous questionnaires, insertion surveys, satisfaction surveys… We are therefore trying to limit the number of surveys that we take part in.

FINALLY, IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT NEW CRITERIA WOULD ALLOW ESC CLERMONT BS TO DISTINGUISH ITSELF EVEN MORE IN THE RANKINGS?

I mentioned it earlier, but indeed all criteria adjusted to the effective size of the school are beneficial to us because they allow us to measure the quality and resources available for each student. Similarly, criteria around R.O.I.: for example, the Financial Times (FT), with its “Value for Money” criterion, measures the ratio between salary 3 years after graduation and the cost of studies… This criterion places us in 41st place, just ahead of Trinity College.

And of course, criteria around impact. The FT also gives pride of place to criteria around diversity such as “women on board,” “international students”… All these criteria have allowed us to make a spectacular leap in this ranking in 2023. We have always participated in the ‘Change Now’ ranking – Les Echos start. It resonates perfectly with our strategy today, and helps us to position ourselves, and to challenge ourselves. We are quite proud to be among the most committed schools in social and ecological transition.

Tomorrow, as the significance of these criteria for influence and impact continues to grow, we are set to further distinguish ourselves in the various rankings.