The recruitment of students in scientific preparatory classes for entry into France’s grandes écoles: Between mastering uncertainties and the need to survive in a quasi-market

Preparatory classes for entry into grandes ecoles, the selective and elitist sector of higher education in France, are part of a quasi-market where the supply provided by high schools and the demand of candidates meet. Using a qualitative survey based on semi-structured interviews, observations, and public statistics, this article reports on the recruitment process of this quasi-market, which is publicly funded, highly competitive, segmented, and where the product is singular and uncertainties are strong, thus requiring complex recruitment strategies to reduce them.