Sports programme (SHN)

This specific programme set up by INSA Centre Val de Loire allows you to combine your passion for sport with your passion for engineering! Launched a few years ago, the programme is aimed at sportsmen and women who have already reached national level or who aspire to do so.
The programme is also open to referees and disabled athletes.

High-level athlete and engineer!

Support to help you succeed

  • On the sporting front, partnerships with local clubs and regional structures enable regular, supervised training. To ensure that students’ training is as effective as possible, the following services are also available free of charge: 
    - access to a gym (Fitness Park)
    - weekly mental preparation sessions
    - access to balneotherapy
    - consultation with a nutritionist
    - dedicated medical staff
    - physical preparation
     
  • In terms of education, study arrangements can be put in place to ensure that students can fit their studies around their sporting activities, and new arrivals also receive study support from second-year student tutors, as well as catch-up courses if needed. Ongoing academic support is provided by the programme coordinator.
  • For professional athletes, the “Open Badge” platform allows elite athletes to develop skills that are recognised through certification. This adds value to students’ CVs and is very useful when looking for internships and jobs.
  • Financial assistance is available in the form of grants, as well as clothing in the form of an entry pack.

To pursue a sporting career while becoming a well-rounded, entrepreneurial engineer who is open to the world: these are the ambitions of our institution. Not all sports can be accommodated at INSA Centre Val de Loire, but all requests can be considered. Students also have the option of training in places other than Blois and Bourges, such as Tours and Orléans.
In 2023, 21 students participated in the programme in 11 different sports. The programme coordinator is an athletics coach, so special attention is given to applications from athletes.
 

Conditions  for admission

  • You must apply via Parcoursup by ticking the specific boxes for the subject programme, elite sports programme, etc.
  • You must have a good academic record to be accepted into the INSA Group
  • You must practise a sport at or close to national level

You will then be sent a sports questionnaire so that your application can be considered separately from the other applicants. You will then receive an answer as to whether or not you are eligible for the sports programme, provided that you have been accepted as a student at INSA.

Portrait

Clément Martineau, Olympic Sailing (Nacra 15)
2021 Europe champion, 2022 world champion, 
3rd place at the 2023 World Championships

The sports programme is the best way for athletes to fulfil their potential while studying! It allows us to practise our elite sports in the best possible conditions, and the extra time we have thanks to the study arrangements means that we can devote as much time as possible to training. The fact that there are several athletes in the same class means that we can all help each other and this helps us to push each other to be the best we can be. The sports programme allows me to combine my Olympic training with my engineering studies on a daily basis.

FUTURE CAREER

The elite sports programme is a source of skills and values that appeal to companies. Employers who recruit these athletes value their adaptability, rigour, stress management and ability to work as part of a team. Their personal fulfilment and success on all fronts give them a positive image with companies.

Joining the sports programme at INSA Centre Val de Loire means becoming part of an organisation with a human dimension, where the personalised supervision of athletes and the quality of the facilities outweigh the allure of the big university cities.

Portrait

Jeanne Daniel, Finswimming
runner-up at the U18 World Championships in 2022, 2023 world champion

I joined the elite sports programme at INSA CVL in September. Thanks to the special arrangements in place, we have an adapted timetable so that we can continue to practise our sport. The teaching staff are always there to support, guide and help us, which is a real asset when you’re an athlete. We’re also lucky enough to have free access to a gym, which allows me to improve my physical preparation, as well as support in terms of our mental preparation. This is a real advantage, because it’s not easy having to juggle studies and sport. We also have a nutritionist on hand to advise us on a balanced diet suitable for our sport.
The elite sports programme is the perfect way to combine your studies with elite sports!

Les sportifs de haut niveau 2024-2025

Contact

For any request for information:

Dominique CHARLES
PE teacher and coordinator of the high-level sport sector  
dominique.charles@insa-cvl.fr