Spotlight on a Program : The Tour de France des Oraux (Oral Exam Support Tour)
Having talent, working tirelessly, succeeding in a competitive exam's written portion... and yet hesitating to attend the oral exams, for lack of means to get there.
Acting for Equal Opportunity Even Before Entering the School
The Tour de France des Oraux has one distinctive feature: it steps in upstream, starting in preparatory class (classe préparatoire), for young people who haven't yet been admitted to the School.
This program is aimed at preparatory-class students from modest backgrounds or priority territories in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Its goal: to fight self-censorship and open access to the Grandes Écoles to talented students who, without support, would not dare to picture themselves there.
Why Act as Early as Preparatory Class?
Despite their academic potential and motivation, some preparatory-class students hold back their ambition: they lack information about the entrance exams and oral interviews, dread the financial costs tied to the exams, and censor themselves when faced with programs perceived as out of reach — even though they have every capability to succeed.
For emlyon business school, acting at this key stage of the journey means strengthening its social openness policy well beyond its own students, and stepping in at the precise moment when a talented student can tip toward self-censorship or, on the contrary, toward ambition.
A Two-Stage Support Model: Coaching, Then Financial Support
The program supports students enrolled in preparatory classes at six partner institutions based in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, through a two-step journey:
- Coaching-style support over two years: tutoring, internships, and oral exam preparation, in partnership with the student association Astuce.
- Targeted financial aid, at the end of this period, to cover travel and accommodation costs anywhere in France, as well as meal expenses linked to admission oral exams.
The amounts awarded vary depending on each student's situation, ranging from €200 to €900, for a total annual budget of €10,000.
2025 Results
- 56 young people supported by the program in 2025.
- 4 of them were admitted to emlyon.
- The large majority of the others were admitted to a Top 10 French Grande École.
These results show that the purpose of the Tour de France des Oraux goes beyond emlyon's own recruitment: it is above all about enabling talented young people, held back by their social or geographic background, to access the full range of Grandes Écoles — turning equal opportunity into a concrete reality, well beyond the School's walls.
The Impact of a Donation
By supporting the Tour de France des Oraux, you support the ambition of talented young people and help fight self-censorship. You can also take an active part in the program (tutoring, mock panels, selection committees) and provide concrete support to these young people as they move toward their future.
emlyon business school graduates and now managing partners at Flexam Invest, Fabrice Fraikin (PGE95) and Florian de Sigy (PGE98) chose to support this program together, convinced that entrepreneurs' social responsibility cannot remain merely theoretical:
"We deeply believe in the importance of inclusion, integration, and the passing on of knowledge and experience."
To the Foundation's Talents, their message is clear:
"You must not doubt your legitimacy. You are here because you deserve to be. Your determination, your motivation, and your commitment reflect your excellence. This program gives you the means to bring to life what you already carry within you."
And to companies and alumni who might still hesitate to get involved, their call is direct:
"Supporting this program means investing in a more inclusive, more high-performing, and more human society. Because ultimately, it is our companies and our society that will benefit tomorrow from this human wealth."
Help a student prepare for their exams
With this article, we close our series on the Fondation emlyon's four programs: living-expense scholarships, emergency funds, health and disability scholarships, and the Tour de France des Oraux. Four levers, one shared conviction: talent exists everywhere — it only asks to be revealed.
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