[2] The university bore the name of Paul Cézanne, a prominent French artist and Post-Impressionist painter, who attended its law school from 1858 to 1861.

The University of Aix-Marseille III had an established reputation as one of the oldest and most respected academic institutions in France.

The IEP is a Grande école in political science and its primary aim is to train senior executives for the public, semi-public, and private sectors.

[10] It is one of the largest law schools in France today, and is considered to be one of the nation's leading centres for legal research and teaching.

[13] The teaching faculty comprises 155 professors and 172 adjunct lecturers, the latter drawn from private practice, the civil service, the judiciary and other organizations.

[15][16] IAE Aix is "a prestigious, double-accredited institution, with an international approach to business combining both classic and innovative teaching methods", according to The Independent.

[20] In 1990, IAE Aix and the École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales (ESSEC) signed an agreement to unite and offer a joint Doctorate Programme, allowing ESSEC professors to teach in the Research Oriented Master programme in Aix-en-Provence.