HEI - Higher Engineering Studies

What HEI - Higher Engineering Studies does

JUNIA (operating under the legal name Association JUNIA, formerly HEI - Higher Engineering Studies) is a French private nonprofit engineering school founded in 1885 and headquartered in Lille. It operates as part of the Université Catholique de Lille federation and delivers CTI-accredited engineering degrees through four program brands: HEI (energy, building, and industrial transitions), ISEN (digital, electronic, and intelligent systems transitions), ISA (agricultural, food, and environmental transitions), and JUNIA XP (professional transitions via work-study programs). The school serves approximately 4,000 students across three French campuses in Lille, Bordeaux, and Châteauroux, supported by 185 teacher-researchers and 450 total staff. JUNIA has produced 35,000 graduates cumulatively, holds Top 10 ranking among French engineering schools by recruiters in 2025, and maintains 340+ international university partnerships including Erasmus+ across 20 countries.

The institution combines academic instruction with three demonstrator environments (agriculture and food systems, future industry, urban transitions) and an ADICODE co-design methodology for enterprise innovation collaborations. Its business model rests on three revenue streams: annual tuition fees for engineering degree programs (cycle préparatoire and cycle ingénieur), continuing education and Qualiopi-certified professional training through JUNIA XP, and apprenticeship tax (taxe d'apprentissage) plus patronage/donations from corporate sponsors. The go-to-market relies on the Parcoursup national admission platform for first-year intake, parallel admissions for transfer students, annual business forums attracting approximately 150 companies, dedicated recruitment via the JOBTEASER platform, and international student recruitment through Campus France and direct university partnerships. Apprenticeships administered through Formasup and funded via OPCO operators now cover 530 students across automotive, aerospace, cosmetics, and energy sectors.

Name

HEI - Higher Engineering Studies

Legal name

Association JUNIA

Website

https://junia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Short description

JUNIA (formerly HEI) is a French nonprofit engineering school serving 4,000 students across three campuses through four CTI-accredited program brands (HEI, ISEN, ISA, JUNIA XP) focused on sustainable energy, digital, agricultural, and professional transitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Mechatronics Systems & Integration (EDAOAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crop, Soil & Agronomy Technician Training (EDAOAOAF), Quality, Process Improvement & Lean/Six Sigma Certifications (EDAAANAC), Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.) (BPAEANAA)

Keywords

• Engineering higher education
• Grande ecole programs
• Professional apprenticeship training
• Continuing professional education
• Sustainable transitions research

Headquarters

HQ city

Lille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition fees - Initial education: Tuition fees for engineering degree programs (cycle préparatoire and cycle ingénieur). As EESPIG-labeled non-profit association.
2. Continuing education and professional training: Professional development modules for executives and employees, with Qualiopi certification for JUNIA XP training
3. Apprenticeship tax and sponsorship: Companies support Grande Ecole programs through apprenticeship tax (taxe d'apprentissage) and patronage/donations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

JUNIA (formerly HEI) delivers CTI-accredited engineering degree programs at undergraduate, graduate, and master's levels through three Grande École brands: HEI (energy, building, and industrial transitions), ISEN (digital, electronic, and intelligent systems transitions), and ISA (agricultural, food, and environmental transitions). The institution also operates JUNIA XP, a continuing education and apprenticeship division offering Bac+3 and Bac+5 professional credentials, supported by dedicated on-campus demonstrator environments for hands-on learning in industry, agriculture, and smart cities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HEI Grande École Program (Cycle Ingénieur — energy, building, industrial transitions) CTI-accredited five-year engineering degree program preparing students for careers in energy transition, building engineering, and industrial transition. Offered across the Lille, Bordeaux, and Châteauroux campuses with apprenticeship and initial education tracks.
• ISEN Grande École Program (digital, electronics, intelligent systems transitions) CTI-accredited engineering degree program specializing in digital transitions, electronics, computing, networks, AI, and intelligent systems. Includes dedicated AI master's offerings and a mechatronics-robotics apprenticeship track.
• ISA Grande École Program (agricultural, food, environmental transitions)

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 10 engineering school ranking by recruiters in 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• France Agro³coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 3 engineering schools in life sciences: ISA (JUNIA), ISARA Lyon & Avignon, and PURPAN Toulouse. Enables Domain of Specialization exchanges and double degree opportunities at 5th year level.
• Puissance AlphacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 17 post-bac associate engineering schools habilitated by CTI, all members of CGE and 9 members of FESIC.
• Université Catholique de LillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical campus since 1875 with 6 faculties, 20 grandes écoles and institutes, and 35,000+ students.
• FESICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst network of associative higher education institutions in France. Enables exchange of best practices among diverse engineering and management schools.
• CGE (Conférence des Grandes Ecoles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization created in 1973 with 285 members including 227 grandes écoles recognized by the State.
• CDEFIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference of Directors of French Engineering Schools representing all public and private institutions accredited by CTI.
• CRGE Hauts de FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional conference of grandes écoles in Hauts de France for exchange of ideas and best practices.
• 340+ International UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational university partnerships worldwide with Erasmus+ program enabling student and teaching staff mobility.
• Christ University (India)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner in Bangalore for student and teaching mobility with Erasmus+ program. Students interested in Smart & Resilient Cities and Food Science programs.
• American University of Science and Technology (AUST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDouble degree partnership with AUST Beirut engineering and computer science faculty, opening doors for Lebanese students at JUNIA.
• Erasmus+coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean program enabling student and staff mobility. JUNIA participates with 60 Erasmus partners from 20 countries.
• JOBTEASERcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDedicated recruitment platform for posting internship and apprenticeship offers. Students and corporate partners use the platform for career matching.
• Campus FrancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency promoting French higher education abroad. JUNIA participates in Campus France fairs for international student recruitment in India and other countries.
• FormasupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCFA network (apprenticeship training center) managing apprenticeship contracts and training cost coverage through OPCO.
• Fermes Partenaires JUNIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative agricultural sites partnering with JUNIA to strengthen ties for agricultural training and innovation in Hauts-de-France.
• EuraClimatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon trajectory reduction initiative at Université Catholique de Lille with strong JUNIA involvement, earning 'EuraClimat Excellence' label.
• Réseau AlliancesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork organizing Trophées de l'économie responsable where JUNIA received award.
• Campus ResponsablesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network for responsible campuses that organized Trophées des Campus responsables francophones.
• CERDDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional center for sustainable development that coordinates Ambassadeurs DD network in which JUNIA participates.
• EnactusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting social entrepreneurship where JUNIA students and supervisors participate in projects.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CESI: French engineering school with strong apprenticeship (alternance) focus, comparable to JUNIA XP's work-study model. Multi-campus national presence, similar tuition structure, and overlapping recruitment of working professionals seeking engineering credentials.
• UniLaSalle: French engineering school with explicit agriculture, food science, and environmental specializations directly comparable to JUNIA's ISA program. Similar Catholic/private institutional heritage and mission alignment around sustainable development and agronomy engineering.
• EPITA: IT and digital engineering school (Grande École) with CTI accreditation, directly comparable to ISEN's digital/electronic transitions focus. Similar tuition model and target student demographic, with overlap in software engineering, AI, and computer science curricula.
• INSA (Institut National des Sciences Appliquées): Network of public French engineering schools with multi-campus model similar to JUNIA. INSA trains engineers across multiple specializations and serves as the public-sector benchmark against which private schools like JUNIA position. Comparable scale, multi-specialty curricula, and parallel admission pathways.
• ESIGELEC: French engineering school focused on electronics, digital systems, and computer science, directly mirroring ISEN's positioning. CTI-accredited Grande École program structure with strong industry partnerships in similar technical domains.
• ECAM Group: Catholic engineering school network with multiple campuses, comparable to JUNIA's Catholic/private heritage and institutional culture. Similar focus on industry-connected engineering education with multi-specialization programs.

Broad incumbents

• Polytech Group: National network of 15 engineering schools at French universities, representing the public-sector parallel to JUNIA's federated multi-brand model. Comparable multi-specialty positioning and parallel admission pathway competition for the same student pool.
• CentraleSupélec: Elite French engineering school (Grande École) representing the upper-tier benchmark for engineering education prestige. Comparable multi-campus structure and CTI accreditation, but operates at a substantially higher selectivity and brand tier that anchors the competitive landscape.
• Arts et Métiers ParisTech: Larger, more established French engineering school network with 8 campuses and stronger brand recognition. Comparable multi-campus structure, engineering Grande École status, and industry partnerships, but operates as a broader incumbent with deeper research footprint.
• Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC): Technology-focused French university with engineering programs comparable to JUNIA's HEI/ISEN tracks. Established public competitor with stronger research output but similar multi-disciplinary engineering mandate and Industry 4.0 relevance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HEI - Higher Engineering Studies