École Polytechnique (also known as Polytechnique or l'X) is one of the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles in France. It is a French public institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, a suburb south of Paris. The school is a constituent member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris.
The school was established in 1794 by the mathematician Gaspard Monge during the French Revolution, and it was once previously a military academy under Napoleon I in 1804. The institution is still supervised by the French Ministry of Defence. Initially located in the Quartier Latin of central Paris, the establishment's main buildings were moved in 1976 to Palaiseau on the Plateau de Saclay, southwest of Paris.
Among its alumni are three Nobel prize winners, one Fields Medalist, three Presidents of France and many CEOs of French and international companies. It is ranked 87th by Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021 and 2nd in their world's best small universities 2020. Its parent university, the Polytechnic Institute of Paris, is ranked 49th in QS World University Rankings 2022.
Enjoying great prestige in higher education in France, the École Polytechnique is often associated with selectivity and academic excellence, but also with elitism and technocracy which have been sources of criticism since its creation. In the popular imagination, the School is associated with certain symbols such as the student uniform or the Bicorne.
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