Study Abroad at PCA - Direct Entry
Paris College of Art provides a direct entry application to students from partner schools around the world, as well as colleges based outside of the USA.
If you who are currently matriculated in a partner school, please reach out to your Study Abroad or International Office in order to be nominated. Once you have been approved, apply directly through our online application form below.
Students who are matriculated in an non-US based institution that does not have an agreement with PCA will also apply though Direct Entry, following the steps below.
How to Apply?
Complete
the Application
Form
Via the online application form, you will provide us with the information we need for you to start your journey towards becoming a Paris College of Art student. Fill in this form carefully and completely. Please note that you can save your application while in progress, and return to finish it later. To complete your application on the PCA website, you will be required to submit the 50 euro application fee by credit card.
Submit
Supplementary
Materials
All applicants are required to submit a personal statement and transcripts from a minimum of three years of study. The remaining application requirements depend on your background and intended program. Read through the descriptions of the application materials below to find out if you are required to submit them as part of your application.
Schedule
an Interview
with Admission
To complete your application, you must have an interview either by phone or in person with a member of the PCA admissions committee. Once you have submitted all of your required application materials, we will send you instructions on scheduling your interview.
Apply now!
Application Materials
Personal Statement
Required for all applicants
Write a 500-word statement that describes the work of an artist(s), design business(es), design manager(s), or designer(s) that inspires you. Also briefly describe why you would like the opportunity to pursue an education in art and design at Paris College of Art.
You will be prompted to submit the personal statement as part of the application form.
Portfolio
Required for all studio applicants
Submit a portfolio of 10 to 20 images. Applicants are encouraged to submit their best and most recently completed work showing a range of technical skills and creativity. The admissions committee is particularly interested in how applicants research and communicate their ideas. The portfolio can contain any combination of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation art, video, photography, sound, motion graphics, communication design, fashion design, illustration, etc. Applicants are encouraged to carefully edit their portfolio considering the arrangement and order of their work. BFA Transfer, Study Abroad and Exchange applicants are encouraged to submit works that align with the area of study for which they are applying.
You may submit your portfolio via PCA’s Application Form or as a link to your own website with a specific selection of works identified as your portfolio, or you may create an account on slideroom.com and submit it there using the link parisedu.slideroom.com. You will be required to pay a $12 fee to slideroom for this service if you elect this option.
Writing sample
Required for all liberal studies applicants
The writing should reflect your best writing. You should submit a recent piece of academic writing. We are looking for evidence of good writing, research and analytical skills as well as proper spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Official Transcripts
Required for all applicants
Contact your school to have them send your official grade report containing (a minimum of) your most recent three years of study. If you have attended more than one school in the last three years, submit transcripts from all institutions.
Study Abroad & Exchange students are required to submit only college transcripts.
For more information, see the transcripts and transfer credit information below. Send all official transcripts to the following address:
Admissions Office / Paris College of Art
15 rue Fénelon
75010 Paris
France
Official email transcripts can be submitted directly to your admissions counselor or to the general admissions email address. [email protected]
English Language Test Scores
English language requirements
All applicants need to demonstrate that they have the required level of English language competency to study in English at a university level. Applicants who have not completed three or more years of secondary/high school or university level schooling in English (or a mixture of both for transfer students) will need to complete one of the following tests in order to be considered for admission:
TOEFL IBT
- Minimum score: 92
- Score to be considered for entry with EIS required: 60 – 91*
- PCA institution code: 8217
- Test dates, locations, and registration: www.ets.org
IELTS
- Minimum score: 6.5 band score
- Score to be considered for entry with EIS required: 5.0 – 6.0*
- Test dates, locations, and registration: www.ielts.org
Cambridge English
- Minimum score: 175 on B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficient exam
- Score to be considered for entry with EIS required: 160 – 174*
- Test dates, locations, and registration: www.cambridgeenglish.org
*For more information on the English for International Students (EIS) requirement, please see the Special Conditions of Admissions on the Undergraduate Programs page.
For all English exams, request that your score be sent directly to PCA. Scores may be submitted at any point before or during the application process.
Applicants who attended bilingual or international schools or universities in which courses were taught in multiple languages must have studied core academic subjects in English. Applicants who attended high school in English but were placed in English for English Language Learners (ELL/ESL) classes will be required to take an English test.
PCA Admissions reserves the right to request English testing and/or require English for International Students on a case-by-case basis regardless of a student’s academic record if they have hesitations about the student’s language proficiency.
**Due to the current situation we are able to accept both the online TOEFL exam and the IELTS Indicator test.**
Other Application Materials
Optional for all candidates
Applicants may submit any of the materials listed above even if not required.
Other optional submissions include a CV or resumé and recommendations.
Send all supplementary documents to the following address:
Admissions Office / Paris College of Art
15 rue Fénelon
75010 Paris
France
You may also email submissions directly to your admissions counselor or to the general admissions office email address. [email protected]
General Information
Admissions Criteria
Paris College of Art seeks serious, responsible, and highly motivated applicants who demonstrate potential for growth. A prospective student’s potential for artistic achievement is one of the most important criteria in evaluating candidates for admission. PCA students work with high level professionals in their chosen field of study, and a level of maturity and autonomy is expected of our students. English proficiency is a requirement, but we seek to serve an international student body where no one national group is dominant in numbers. We also care deeply about the sense of community that an institution of PCA’s size is able to offer, and respectful collaboration and teamwork are important values at PCA.
Each applicant is reviewed individually with regard to his or her own experience, achievement and potential for artistic growth. The Admissions Committee’s decision on applications is based upon evaluation of the portfolio or design analysis essay, the personal statement, school transcripts and test scores, and a phone or in-person interview. PCA seeks creative, academically responsible, and highly motivated applicants.
Deadlines
Fall Semester
April 1 – Deadline to submit application form
April 15 – All application materials must be submitted
March 1 to April 30 – Interviewing Period
Decisions released weekly
Spring Semester
November 7 – Deadline to submit application form
Nov 15 – Deadline to submit all application materials
October 1 to November 15 – Interviewing Period
Decisions released weekly
Admissions Decisions
The Admissions Committee will review an application once all required materials are received. Decisions are immediately mailed by post as well as sent via email. The status of the decision is also updated on the student’s personal account on our web portal. All materials submitted to the Admissions Office, including the portfolio, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. become the property of PCA and will not be returned to the applicant.
Accepted Applicants
The Admissions Committee’s decision to admit an applicant is contingent upon successful completion of any ongoing studies and on the receipt of the final transcripts for those studies. For more information about transcripts see Transcripts information below.
Deferring Admissions
Admitted students can defer their date of entry for up to one year. To defer entry, please email [email protected] to request a deferral, making sure to provide information on your new start date and reasons for deferring. All deferral requests must be approved by the Office of Admissions, and students must pay their non-refundable €1000 deposit to guarantee their spot. To be reconsidered for admission in future terms write to [email protected] with your full name, the term and program for which you had been accepted and the term and program you wish to be considered for. Please note if you do choose to reapply there is no guarantee that your previous offer of acceptance will be upheld.
Transcripts
Official Transcripts
All applications must be accompanied by the official transcripts of previous studies.
Academic Records From Non-English Education
All applicants who have been educated in non-English language programs are required to submit an original transcript from each institution attended along with a certified English language translation. Applicants who would like to transfer academic credits earned at non-English language institutions must also provide a course-by-course evaluation report for each transcript. The Admissions Office recommends and may request transcripts to be evaluated by World Education Services (WES). Please start the evaluation process as early as possible, including the submission of all required documents to WES in order to ensure the timely completion of the evaluation report. Be sure to instruct WES to send the report to: Admissions Office, Paris College of Art / 15, rue Fénelon / 75010 Paris / France.
To contact WES, visit www.wes.org
All Transcript Documents Must Be
- Written in English or have an official translation in English
- Printed on secure transcript paper or on the letterhead of the school (not a copy)
- Stamped with the school seal or other official marking
- Notarized, signed or sent electronically by a school official (registrar, dean, counselor, etc.).
Official Transcripts Must Contain
- Name and address of the school
- Student’s name (must appear on every page of the transcript)
- Dates of attendance
- Degree awarded, if any, and the date of degree conferred
- Names of individual courses completed
- Number of contact hours per week for each course
- Length of the term
- Grade or evaluation received for each course
- Grading scale (i.e.: A = Excellent, F = Failure) or a description of the grading system.