Ecole W

What Ecole W does

École W is a private higher education institution in France, founded in 2016 by CFJ Paris (Centre de Formation des Journalistes) and Abilways Group (CFPJ). The school delivers practice-based programs spanning Bac to Bac+5 across journalism, communication, marketing digital, documentary/fiction, sports/esports, and public affairs, including a Bachelor in Sciences & Journalisme co-branded with Sorbonne Université and a Master Fiction & Documentaire co-branded with Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas and INA. It operates five Bachelor campuses (Paris, Rennes, Toulon, Toulouse, Tours) plus Prépas Journalisme locations in Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, and Aix-en-Provence, with a 100% distance-learning format.

The pedagogical model is built on inverted pedagogy (pédagogie inversée) and 100% project-based learning: all instructors are active industry professionals, and students complete projects with real clients (annonceurs réels) throughout their studies, building a professional portfolio and industry network by graduation. The school has held French higher-education recognition in digital content and creation since 2017 and operates within the W-CFJ-CFPJ ecosystem alongside CFJ Paris and CFPJ at the 210 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine campus in Paris.

École W generates revenue primarily through tuition fees for its Bachelor, Master, Mastère, MBA, and Prépas programs; fees are not publicly disclosed and are handled on an inquiry basis via an online form. The legal entity is SAS École W, domiciled in France and operating as part of the Abilways Group conglomerate. GTM is sales-led and individualized: prospective students apply directly through a personality questionnaire, creativity test, and motivation interview, with additional access via the national Parcoursup platform, open house days (portes ouvertes), immersion days, and organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) plus the W News content site.

Name

Ecole W

Legal name

SAS École W

Website

https://ecolew.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

École W is a private French higher education institution, founded in 2016 by CFJ Paris and Abilways Group (CFPJ), delivering practice-based programs in journalism, communication, and fiction from Bac+3 to Bac+5 across five French campuses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition fees: École W generates revenue primarily through tuition fees charged for its Bachelor, Master, Mastère, and Prépa programs. The school is a private higher education establishment. Fees are not publicly disclosed on the website; prospective students request information through an online form.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

École W is a private higher education institution offering practice-based, project-driven diploma programs (Bachelor, Master, Mastère, MBA from Bac+3 to Bac+5) and preparatory classes in journalism, documentary and fiction filmmaking, digital marketing, communication, sport/esport, public affairs, and creative/cultural industries. It enrolls individual students across five French campuses plus online, applying an inverted pedagogy (pédagogie inversée) where students prepare theory at home and apply it through real-client projects supervised by active industry professionals.

Product overview

École W is a private higher education institution in France offering practice-based programs in journalism, communication, and fiction from Bac+3 to Bac+5. The institution operates a multi-product portfolio consisting of Bachelor-level undergraduate programs (including Journalism/Documentary/Fiction, Digital Marketing & Communication, Sports & Esport with INSEP, Creative Communication, Political Sciences, and a joint program with Sorbonne Université), Master and MBA-level graduate programs (including Master in Documentary & Fiction with Panthéon-Assas, Public Affairs Manager, Digital Design & Creation with EFET CRÉA, and MBA in Cultural & Creative Industries Management), and preparatory programs (including Prépa Journalisme W available across multiple cities and online, Prépa Docu-Fiction for documentary and fiction entrance exams). The school also runs youth outreach programs including journalism discovery workshops and an annual student journalism competition. École W employs a project-based pedagogy (pédagogie inversée) where students learn by doing through real-world projects, agency competitions, and professional internships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor Journalisme, Documentaire & Fiction 3-year undergraduate program (Bac+3) training students in journalism, documentary, and fiction through writing, video, audio production, and investigative techniques with project-based learning; targets post-bac students in France.
• Bachelor Marketing & Communication Digitale 3-year undergraduate program (Bac+3) in digital marketing and communication covering marketing strategy, advertising, event management, public relations, and digital content creation; for post-bac students.
• Bachelor Journalisme spécialisé Sport w/ INSEP 3-year undergraduate program (Bac+3) specializing in sports journalism, hosted at INSEP (Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance) in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris.
• Bachelor Marketing & Communication spécialisé Sport w/ INSEP 3-year undergraduate program (Bac+3) in digital marketing and communication with a sports and esports specialization, hosted at INSEP, Paris.
• Bachelor Chargé de Communication Créatif 3-year undergraduate program (Bac+3) training students in creative strategy, artistic direction, and communication campaign development.
• Bachelor Sciences Politiques & Communication Institutionnelle 3-year undergraduate program (Bac+3) combining political sciences with institutional communication; prepares students for roles in political communication and public affairs.
• Licence Sciences & Journalisme w/ Sorbonne Université 3-year journalism program (Bac+3) delivered in partnership with Sorbonne Université, combining academic sciences with journalism training.
• Master Fiction & Documentaire w/ Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas 2-year graduate program (Bac+5) in documentary and fiction filmmaking, delivered in partnership with Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas and INA; trains filmmakers, screenwriters, showrunners, and producers through project-based learning.
• Mastère Manager des Affaires Publiques Graduate-level program (Bac+5) training managers in public affairs, covering policy analysis, institutional relations, and strategic communication.
• Mastère Manager des Stratégies Design & de Création Numérique w/ EFET CRÉA Graduate program (Bac+5) in digital design strategies and creation, in partnership with EFET CRÉA; focuses on digital art direction and creative leadership.
• MBA Management de la Communication dans les Industries Culturelles & Créatives MBA program (Bac+5) in communication management for cultural and creative industries, covering arts management, cultural marketing, and creative-sector leadership.
• Prépа Journalisme W Preparatory program for journalism school entrance exams covering exam preparation and interview coaching; available in Paris, Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Nantes, Rennes, and 100% distance format.
• Prépа Docu-Fiction W Evening and weekend preparatory class for documentary and fiction entrance exams (Fémis, Cinéfabrique, CEEA, Louis Lumière); 110 hours from January to May including masterclasses with screenwriters, directors, producers, and distributors.
• Stages découverte du journalisme Journalism discovery workshops for young people (secondary-school level) in Marseille and Martinique, introducing media literacy and journalism basics.
• Concours Journaliste en herbe Annual journalism competition for French high-school students (seconde, première, terminale); participants write a journalistic portrait of a local hero in 3000 characters maximum.

Quantifiable outcome

• Alumni placed at leading media companies including Konbini, Le Nouveau Détective, and France Télévisions productions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• France TélévisionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 November 2023France Télévisions is the broadcast partner for Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's series Sambre, which was discussed during a masterclass at École W. The series achieved 3M+ live viewers and 4M+ replay viewers.
• Université Paris-Panthéon-AssasflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2023École W is a composante of Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas and partners with it for the Master Fiction & Documentaire (2-year program). Panthéon-Assas provides academic accreditation and institutional support for the Master's degree.
• INA (Institut national de l'audiovisuel)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2023The INA (French national audio-visual institute) partners with École W and Panthéon-Assas on the Master Fiction & Documentaire. INA provides professional expertise, masterclasses, and industry connections in documentary and fiction production.
• INSEP (Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2023The INSEP (created 1975), France's premier sports institute hosting elite athletes, partnered with École W to host the Bachelor Sport & Esport program from October 2023. Students study within the INSEP campus in the Bois de Vincennes, rubbing shoulders with high-level athletes.
• La Fémis (Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023La Fémis, France's national film school, hosts the annual short film projection event for École W's Master Fiction & Documentaire students. The event takes place in La Fémis's Jean-Renoir theater (200-seat capacity) in Paris's 18th arrondissement.
• Sorbonne UniversitéminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023École W offers a Licence Sciences & Journalisme in partnership with Sorbonne Université, allowing students to combine science studies with journalism training.
• EFET CRÉAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with EFET CRÉA for the Mastère Manager des Stratégies Design & de Création Numérique program, combining École W's communication pedagogy with EFET CRÉA's design expertise.
• Campus Fonderie de l'ImageminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Campus Fonderie de l'Image for the Mastère Direction Artistique Digitale, where students study at both École W and Campus Fonderie de l'Image over 2 years.
• École 42minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023École W and CFJ signed a partnership with École 42, the innovative coding school, enabling cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing between journalism/communication and technology disciplines.
• HEC ParisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2019Partnership through HEC Académies allows École W students to participate in 3-week intensive programs at HEC alongside students from e-artsup and ICART. Topics include Art & Business and other multidisciplinary themes.
• CFJ Paris (Centre de Formation des Journalistes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016CFJ Paris, France's leading journalism school, co-founded École W in 2016 alongside Abilways group. Together with CFPJ, CFJ forms the W-CFJ-CFPJ ecosystem at the 210 campus in Paris. CFJ brings journalism expertise and professional networks to the partnership.
• Abilways Group (CFPJ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Abilways group, owner of CFPJ (European leader in professional journalism and communication training), co-founded École W in 2016. CFPJ contributes communication industry expertise and professional training methodologies to the ecosystem.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CFJ (Centre de Formation des Journalistes): CFJ is France's leading journalism school and the direct co-founder of École W. Both operate from the same Paris campus (210 Faubourg Saint-Antoine) and target the same journalism student segment, making CFJ the closest direct peer and benchmark for program quality and employer pipeline.
• ISCPA (Institut des Sciences de la Communication et de la Presse): ISCPA is a private French school offering degrees in journalism, communication, and press. It competes directly with École W across the same Bac+3 to Bac+5 levels and similar practice-based pedagogy.
• EICAR: EICAR is a French private school specializing in cinema, audiovisual, and sound. It competes with École W's documentary and fiction programs for the same creative-audiovisual student segment.
• EFAP: EFAP is a French private school specializing in communication, marketing, and public relations, with multiple campuses across France. It overlaps with École W's Bachelor Marketing & Communication programs in target audience and curriculum focus.
• CELSA (Sorbonne Université): CELSA is a leading French school of communication and information science within Sorbonne Université. It directly competes with École W's communication and marketing programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels for the same student persona.
• ESJ Paris (École Supérieure de Journalisme): ESJ Paris is one of France's most established journalism schools, offering Bachelor to Master-level programs in journalism with strong industry placement. It directly competes with École W for the same high-school graduate and reorientation segments targeting journalism careers.
• La Fémis: La Fémis is France's national film school, partnered with École W for the Master Fiction & Documentaire. It competes in film/directing training and serves as both a partner and benchmark for the most prestigious graduates in École W's fiction program.

Emerging players

• LISAA (L'Institut Supérieur des Arts Appliqués): LISAA is a French private school offering applied arts, design, and digital creation programs. It overlaps with École W's digital communication and design programs at the Mastère level, particularly in creative direction and digital strategy.
• Strate École de Design: Strate is a French private school focused on industrial and digital design. While its core focus is design rather than journalism, it competes for similar Bac+3 to Bac+5 candidates interested in creative industry careers and digital creation programs.

Broad incumbents

• Sciences Po (IEP Paris): Sciences Po is a prestigious French institution with a renowned journalism school (École de Journalisme de Sciences Po). As a larger, established player, it competes for elite journalism and political communication candidates that École W also targets via its Sciences Politiques & Communication Institutionnelle Bachelor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EcoleW35
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/ecole-w
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecole.w

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ecole W