The school was founded in 1947 as École Supérieure d'Administration by the French occupational authorities in order to democratize the German senior civil service. Created as a sister institution to École Nationale d'Administration, it was the first and only German school to employ the French grande école model.[4] In 1950 it was formally established as a German institution of public law with legal capacity and entrusted with "fostering the administrative sciences in education and research".[5][6] In 1961 and 1970 respectively, it was bestowed with the right to grant habilitations and doctorates, thereby receiving full university status.[7] Since its inception, the school has had a reputation as an "elite training center".[8][9][10] The school is the only German university run jointly by the Federal Republic (Bund) and all 16 German states (Länder).[2]