In 2019, EDHEC had 8,600 students enrolled in traditional graduate and undergraduate programs, 245 exchange and double-degree agreements, and an alumni network of more than 40,000 across 125 countries.

Between 1850 and 1914, Lille and its neighbouring cities became major industrial and financial centres, prompting regional elites to seek ways to prepare their children and future professionals for business careers, ultimately leading to the creation of EDHEC.

However, following a legal dispute with HEC Paris over the use of the name, the institution was renamed EDHEC (French: École des Hautes Études Commerciales du Nord, lit.

[7] EDHEC Business School is a Grande école, a type of French higher education institution that operates independently from the public university system, though it often maintains connections with it.

[20] EDHEC has over 100 student organizations in areas such as sports, humanitarian work, arts, finance, and business services.

The event features a series of sport competitions and attracts participants from business, engineering, and medical schools, both from France and from abroad.