The Institut d' Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po) occupies a special position among French universities. Founded in 1872 as the Ecole Libres des Sciences Politiques, it was originally a private school established to analyze the contemporary world. In 1945, the Foundation Nationales des Sciences Politiques (a private foundation) was created, and the Ecole Libre was transformed into a public institution while maintaining the objective of offering a multidisciplinary education for a "merit-based elite" who will develop "first-class analytical and decision-making capabilities." Sciences-Po has the stature of a "grand ecole" in the French educational system. One or two Fletcher students may study at Sciences-Po annually for either the fall or the spring term.