Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
Conservatoire national des arts et métiers
France's public institution for lifelong higher education, teaching working adults since 1794 from a medieval priory in Paris.
- Students
- 60,000
- Tuition
- €0
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1794
- QS World Ranking
- #515
- 2027 edition
About Cnam
The Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Cnam) was founded in Paris on 10 October 1794, during the French Revolution, on a proposal by Abbé Henri Grégoire, and still occupies the former Saint-Martin-des-Champs priory at 292 rue Saint-Martin. It is a public higher education and research institution with three missions: lifelong learning, research and innovation, and spreading scientific and technical culture, the last through the Musée des Arts et Métiers on its Paris site.
Cnam is not a conventional university for school leavers. Most of its roughly 60,000 learners are adults who are working, looking for work or retraining, and they take courses in the evening, on Saturdays, online or through apprenticeships, often one teaching unit at a time. It offers more than 685 programmes from bac+1 to bac+8 (doctorate) through 16 departments, specialist schools and institutes, and a network of centres across France, its overseas territories and abroad.
For younger students the main routes are apprenticeships (salaried, work-study degrees from bac+1 to bac+5 through Cnam's apprentice training centre and its EiCnam engineering school) and a handful of full-time initial programmes, such as the Intechmer marine-science diplomas in Cherbourg, the Cnam-Enjmin video-game school in Angoulême and the ESGT surveying engineering school in Le Mans. International students are mostly recruited at master's level, including several programmes taught entirely in English.
Docet omnes ubique
“Teaching everyone everywhere” — university motto
Why students choose Cnam
You can study while working: courses run in the evening, on Saturdays, online or as apprenticeships, and you can build a degree unit by unit.
Apprentices at Cnam's Île-de-France apprentice training centre pay no Cnam fees and are paid by their employer while studying for state-recognised degrees from bac+1 to bac+5.
Cnam-Enjmin in Angoulême, the French national school of video games and digital interactive media, runs a flagship master's jointly accredited with the University of Poitiers.
Several master's degrees are taught fully in English for international students, including Telecommunications and Networks, Computer Networks and IoT Systems, and Structural Mechanics and Coupled Systems.
Admissions
2026-27 academic year and 2027 entry
Selectivity
Many Cnam courses are open to anyone who meets the entry level and simply registers, especially evening and distance teaching units. Degree programmes, apprenticeships and the full-time programmes for international students select on the application file and often an interview; Cnam publishes no overall admission rate.
Typical entry requirements
| French baccalauréat (school leavers) | Required for bac+1 to bac+3 apprenticeships and initial programmes; Intechmer marine-science diplomas ask for a scientific baccalaureate and recruit through Parcoursup |
|---|---|
| Bac+2 or bac+3 | Entry level for the ESGT engineering degree and most master's and engineering programmes; selection on academic results and the quality of the application |
| Professional experience | Adults can have prior experience recognised through VAE or VAPP to gain credits or enter at a higher level |
| English language | Most programmes are taught in French. Programmes taught fully in English (mainly master's and an MBA) set their own language requirements; Cnam's language centre (CLE) runs French courses for international students. |
Deadlines
- Cnam Paris registration, semester 1 and full-year units 2026-27 Non-binding Next deadline · In 14 days16 October 2026
Registration opened on 1 June 2026. Some language units close earlier (30 September or 5 October 2026).
- Cnam Paris registration, semester 2 units 2026-27 Non-binding In ~5 months5 March 2027
Also the closing date for activity units (unités d'activité).
- Parcoursup (Intechmer initial programmes) Non-bindingJanuary to March application period
Cnam's catalogue says the Parcoursup application period runs from January to March; exact 2027 dates are set nationally.
Registration periods differ by centre; the dates above are for the Cnam Paris centre in 2026-27. Regional centres publish their own calendars. Full-time programmes for international students follow Campus France / Études en France timelines and programme-specific deadlines.
How to apply
Adult learners register directly with their nearest Cnam centre, online or in person, for teaching units or whole diplomas. School leavers apply for apprenticeships through the Cnam apprentice training centre (and need an employer contract) or, for Intechmer, through Parcoursup. International students from the countries covered by the Études en France platform apply through Campus France / Études en France; others follow each programme's own procedure.
What admissions looks for
- A clear professional project: Cnam's courses are designed around employability and career change, and advisers help applicants build their training plan.
- The right entry level for the programme, from the baccalauréat for bac+1 courses to bac+2 or bac+3 for engineering and master's programmes.
- For selective full-time programmes, strong academic results and a convincing application, usually followed by an interview.
- For apprenticeships, an employer willing to sign an apprenticeship or professionalisation contract.
Tips for applying to Cnam
- 1 If you are finishing school, look at Cnam's apprenticeships: you are paid, the Cnam apprentice centre charges no fee, and you graduate with work experience.
- 2 Use the free advice service at the Paris centre's Fabrique des compétences, open without appointment on weekdays from 12:30 to 17:30, to plan your course.
- 3 International applicants should check whether their country uses Études en France, which handles both pre-registration and the visa application.
- 4 If you have work experience, ask about VAE or VAPP to have it recognised and shorten your degree.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Apprentices of the Cnam Île-de-France apprentice centre are fully exempt from Cnam fees, and recipients of RSA, ASS or AAH benefits, jobseekers at the end of their rights and refugees get 35% off individual rates. Working adults can fund courses through their personal training account (CPF), employer schemes or France Travail's AIF grant. For initial-education enrolments, national ministerial fees apply.
- No Cnam fee
- Apprentices (Cnam CFA Île-de-France)
- 943 euros for one year
- Licence professionnelle package (Paris, 2026-27)
- 35% off individual rates
- Partial exemption (RSA, ASS, AAH, refugees)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (courses in the evening, on Saturdays, daytime, online or as apprenticeships)
Master's in Telecommunications and Networks (taught in English)
A two-year, full-time master's open to international applicants since 2020 and ranked in Eduniversal's top five in its field since 2022, according to Cnam.
Master's in Video Games and Digital Interactive Media (JMIN), Cnam-Enjmin
The flagship degree of the national video-game school in Angoulême, jointly accredited with the University of Poitiers, with six tracks.
Topography and Land Use Planning Engineer Degree (ESGT)
A CTI-accredited engineering degree in Le Mans, where about 15% of students are international and international mobility is compulsory.
Intechmer marine-science diplomas (bac+3)
Full-time programmes in Cherbourg straight after the baccalaureate, recognised by employers such as Ifremer and CNRS; the Oceanographer-Prospector bachelor's includes a year in Belgium taught in English.
DGC and DSGC accounting diplomas (INTEC)
State diplomas in management control and accounting (bac+3 and bac+5) from an institute founded in 1931.
Research
- 22 research laboratories across scientific fields, and about 340 doctoral students.
- The Musée des Arts et Métiers on the Paris site, one of the oldest technical and industrial museums in the world, welcomes about 360,000 visitors a year.
- In 1973 the Nobel physicist Louis de Broglie set up the Louis-de-Broglie Foundation at Cnam, together with Louis Néel and René Thom.
Schools & faculties
- EiCnam (engineering school)
- Cnam-Enjmin (national school of video games and digital interactive media)
- ESGT (surveying and topography engineering school)
- Intechmer (National Institute of Marine Science and Technology)
- INTEC (National Institute of Economic and Accounting Techniques)
- INSEAC
- École Pasteur-Cnam
- ENASS
- IIM
- Inetop
- ICH
- INTD
Cnam has about 15,000 graduates a year; 64% of its learners were already employed while studying (2020/21).
Student life
Cnam is built for people who study around jobs, so student life looks different from a campus university: many learners come to rue Saint-Martin in the evening or on Saturdays, or study online from anywhere. The Paris site combines teaching buildings with the medieval priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs and the Musée des Arts et Métiers. International students on full-time programmes get a welcome desk, a welcome event for each programme, outings with alumni and student associations, a mentoring scheme with the language centre and help finding housing through CROUS Paris and Studapart.
- The Musée des Arts et Métiers, part of Cnam, is on the Paris site.
- Welcome desk, mentoring and events for international students.
- More than 200 academic centres across France, overseas territories and abroad.
- Cnam incubator for students who want to start a business.
Housing. Cnam does not have its own campus housing in Paris; international students are helped to find rooms through partnerships with CROUS Paris and Studapart.
Location
Cnam's headquarters are at 292 rue Saint-Martin in Paris's 3rd arrondissement, in the historic Marais district, a central and well-connected part of the city. Its other programmes are spread across France: Le Mans for surveying engineering, Angoulême for video games, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin for marine science, plus regional centres throughout the country.
Nearest airport: Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
Notable alumni
- LP Louis PasteurChemist and microbiologist behind pasteurisation and vaccination principles; studied under Jean-Baptiste Boussingault at Cnam
- SC Sadi CarnotPhysicist and founder of thermodynamics; attended lectures in chemistry and economics at Cnam
- PD Paul DoumerPresident of France (1931-1932); Cnam alumnus
- MN Melchior NdadayeFirst democratically elected president of Burundi; diploma in higher banking studies from Cnam's Institut Technique de Banque
- GM Geneviève MeurguesExplorer, museologist and chemical engineer; studied chemistry and biochemistry and wrote her thesis at Cnam
- MR Mialy RajoelinaFormer First Lady of Madagascar; master's in finance and accounting management from Cnam
Frequently asked questions
Is Cnam a university I can go to straight after school?
Mostly it serves adults, but school leavers can join through apprenticeships from bac+1 to bac+5 or a few full-time programmes, such as Intechmer's marine-science diplomas, which recruit through Parcoursup.
How much does Cnam cost?
At the Paris centre in 2026-27, single teaching units cost 69 to 414 euros, a licence professionnelle package 943 euros a year and most Master 2 packages 1,300 euros a year. Apprentices of the Cnam apprentice centre pay no Cnam fee.
Does Cnam teach in English?
Most courses are in French, but several master's degrees and an MBA are taught fully in English for international students, including Telecommunications and Networks and Computer Networks and IoT Systems.
How do international students apply to Cnam?
Students from countries covered by Études en France apply through that Campus France platform, which also handles the visa. Other applicants follow the admission procedure of their chosen programme.
When is the registration deadline at Cnam Paris?
For 2026-27, registration for semester 1 and full-year units runs from 1 June to 16 October 2026, and for semester 2 units until 5 March 2027.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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