The Paris Institute of Political Studies (French: Institut d’études politiques de Paris), also known as Sciences Po or Sciences Po Paris, is a publicresearch university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of grande école and grand établissement. The institute has decentralized campuses in Dijon, Le Havre, Menton, Nancy, Poitiers and Reims, each with their own academic program focused on a geopolitical part of the world. Sciences Po historically specialized in political science and history, then it progressively started to expand to other social sciences such as economics, law and sociology.
The institute was established in 1872 by Émile Boutmy as the École libre des sciences politiques in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War as a private institution to modernize education for French civil servants. It offered instruction in political science, a relatively new field of study at the time. Following World War II, the school was nationalized and re-established as a public institution after growing criticisms towards its faculty led to calls for the school’s closure. After being reformed in 1985, Sciences Po began to offer courses beyond political science that would lead to careers beyond public service. As of 2021, 80% of Sciences Po graduates are employed in the private sector.
Sciences Po has seven campuses in France, with each specialising in different regions of the globe. Every May, at the end of the academic year, all seven campuses come together for the inter-campus Collegiades de SciencesPo tournament, also known as the MiniCrit. At the tournament, students represent each campus and compete against one another in arts and athletic competitions. Different events include athletic games such as volleyball and football, as well as artistic competitions such as music and dance.
