École Supérieure de Publicité (高等广告学院), usually shortened to ESP, is a private French higher-education institution focused on communications, advertising, marketing and digital. The school’s website says it was founded in 1927 and describes itself as the first communications school in France; those are the school’s own claims, not independent rankings. For an international student, the practical questions are the usual ones — what can I study, what does entry require, what does it cost, and how does the application actually work. This guide answers them from ESP’s official website (espub.org), checked on 5 August 2026, with each figure tied to the page it came from.
About École Supérieure de Publicité: a private French school with six campuses
École Supérieure de Publicité describes itself as a private institution (the FAQ uses the term “établissement d’enseignement supérieur privé”) that does not recruit through Parcoursup, France’s national higher-education admission platform. Its homepage states it has been “the benchmark in training for communications professions since 1927”; the English homepage calls it “the 1st communication school in France since 1927”. It also says it belongs to AD Education, a European group of creative-industry schools, and its certification page shows its programs lead to RNCP titles registered with France Compétences, issued by ADE Holding. Treat the marketing claims as the school’s own self-description.
The school lists six campuses: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nantes and Lille. The Paris campus sits in the 15th arrondissement at 9 rue Henri Bocquillon, 75015 Paris (Metro line 8, Boucicaut or Felix Faure stops); the school says it spans more than 1,500 m² with classrooms, a photo studio, a conference room and coworking areas. The other campuses are described as being in city centres or creative districts, with addresses on their individual campus pages.
Programs: from the two-year Bachelor base to specialised Mastères
École Supérieure de Publicité organises its curriculum in two tiers. Bachelor 1 and Bachelor 2 are both the “Communication & Publicité” (Communications & Advertising) program, described as giving students two years to understand how communications, marketing and digital work before specialising. Bachelor 3 then branches into specialised directions: Communication & Marketing, Advertising Creation (Création publicitaire), Events (Événementiel), Digital Marketing & AI (Marketing digital & IA), and International Marketing & Communication — the last one taught 100% in English and offered only at the Paris campus. There is also an intensive cycle (Cycle intensif) for students switching from other fields. Most Bachelor 3 tracks run in alternance, the French work-study model where part of the time is spent with an employer.
At Mastère level, École Supérieure de Publicité lists around ten two-year specialisations, also mainly in alternance: Brand Strategy & Brand Content, Art Direction & Digital Design, Corporate & CSR Communication, International Marketing & Brand Content, Entertainment Marketing, Influencer Marketing & Events, Merchandising & Retail Marketing, Business Developer & E-commerce, and Media Strategy & Digital Activation. For students who want an international path from day one, the “Parcours Excellence” track (run with EMLV business school) has reinforced English and a summer camp at a partner campus in Europe in year one, a fully English year two, year three at Media University in Berlin, and English-only years four and five.
Entry requirements and how the application works
École Supérieure de Publicité says its application is “simple, free and open all year round” and sits outside Parcoursup. Entry requirements depend on the level: Bachelor 1 is open to final-year high-school students or holders of the Baccalauréat — the FAQ says the school reviews grades from the last two years of secondary school (Première and Terminale) and then holds a motivation interview with a member of the teaching team, with no entrance exam. Bachelor 3 is open to students with two years of higher education (Bac+2, e.g. BTS, BUT or the second year of a licence); applicants from unrelated fields can use the intensive cycle. Mastère 1 expects a level-6 (Bac+3, three-year degree) diploma or professional certification, followed by an interview with the academic direction. The FAQ also mentions “Passerelles” bridging programs for students coming from law, languages or sciences.
For non-EU international applicants, the school’s dedicated page says they should first submit an application form on the website, and that remote entrance exams are organised every year. Once an application is complete, the international department contacts the applicant within 3 business days to schedule an interview, and admission results are communicated within 7 days after the interview. The FAQ states that the school welcomes international students and that holders of foreign diplomas follow a specific admission procedure. On language: the FAQ says applicants do not need to be bilingual in English and that the school runs TOEIC preparation, but most programs are taught in French — the 100% English programs being the exception. The school does not publish a single French-level minimum on its website, so current language expectations should be checked against the latest official pages.
Tuition and fees: the official 2026/27 grid
École Supérieure de Publicité publishes an official fee grid for the 2026/27 academic year (PDF dated 2 February 2026, accessed 5 August 2026). At the Paris campus, Bachelor 1 and Bachelor 2 cost 8,250 euros each; Bachelor 3 in alternance costs 9,000 euros; the intensive cycle costs 8,500 euros; and Mastère 1 and Mastère 2 cost 10,000 euros each. At the Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Nantes and Toulouse campuses, Bachelor 1 and 2 cost 7,950 euros and the intensive cycle 7,950 euros, while Bachelor 3 and Mastère fees match Paris. The Parcours Excellence track costs 9,950, 9,950, 12,000, 12,000 and 12,000 euros across its five years. A one-off 200-euro application fee (frais de dossier) is charged at initial enrolment.
Payment can be made in one instalment or spread over three (15 July, 15 September, 15 November) or six monthly instalments (15 July through 15 January). Two points matter for budgeting: from year three, students can sign an apprenticeship contract (contrat d’apprentissage), in which case the employer and its OPCO cover the tuition and the student earns a salary; and the grid notes that fees are reviewed annually, with the Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office 365 software pack offered free to all students in 2026-27. All figures above are from the official 2026/27 document and the current grid on the website should be treated as authoritative.
Intake, timing and what to prepare
École Supérieure de Publicité’s programs mostly start in September 2026 (the school’s program pages show September 2026 entry across Bachelor and Mastère tracks). Applications run throughout the year — the application page says candidates receive an answer within 48 hours. Students who miss the autumn start can use the “Rentrée décalée” path, described as entering Bachelor 1 in January-February. For international students the sequence is: submit the online application form, take the remote entrance exam or interview, receive the admission decision, then complete enrolment and fee payment according to the school’s instructions. Visa and residence formalities fall under French government rules, on which the school’s site gives no unified guidance; those should be checked with official French channels.
When choosing an entry point, the general mapping is: high-school graduates into Bachelor 1, students with two years of higher education into Bachelor 3, and degree holders into Mastère 1 — remembering that the 100% English international track and the Parcours Excellence track have their own language and campus conditions. Because course fit, timing and document preparation differ from person to person, feel free to consult our advisers about your specific situation; we can walk you through the route that matches your background.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to go through Parcoursup to apply? No — École Supérieure de Publicité explicitly recruits outside Parcoursup, and its application is described as free and open year-round.
Is there an entrance exam? For Bachelor 1 the FAQ says there is no concours; selection is based on the school record and a motivation interview. For non-EU international applicants, the school organises remote entrance exams every year.
Can tuition be paid in instalments? Yes — one payment, three instalments or six monthly instalments are offered in the 2026/27 grid, and from year three an apprenticeship contract can shift tuition to the employer.
When should I apply? The school says applications are open all year with a 48-hour response, the main intake is September, and a January-February deferred entry exists for Bachelor 1.
All facts in this guide come from the official website and fee grid of École Supérieure de Publicité , accessed on 5 August 2026; tuition, programs and requirements change with each academic year, so the latest official pages remain the reference.