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Undergraduate Programs

Apply to BFA Degree Programs

What level should I apply for?

Apply for First-Year Entry

  • if you are currently in High School and haven’t gone to University yet.
  • if you have been to University but in another area of study.

Apply for Transfer Entry

  • if you are currently in University doing a similar program to the one you are applying for at PCA.

Apply for the Global BFA in Film Art

  • applications for this degree program need to be submitted on www.emerson.edu

Complete
the Application
Form

Via our 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 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 online interview with a member of the admissions committee. Once you have submitted all of your required application materials, we will send you instructions on scheduling your interview.

Deadlines

Fall Semester

Early Action Round

To be considered for Early Action you must submit your application form, all required application materials and have completed your interview by January 24 at the latest. It is advisable to submit your application and required materials as early as possible to be sure of getting an interview slot within this timeframe. 

September 5 – Application Open  
January 24Final deadline to submit application form, required materials, and complete your interview 
December 15 – Decision release 1 – for those ready for decision by this date 
January 26 – Decision release 2 
May 1 – Deposit deadline 

Regular Decision Round

To be considered for Regular Decision you must submit your application form, all required application materials and have completed your interview by March 29 at the latest. It is advisable to submit your application and required materials as early as possible to be sure of getting an interview slot within this timeframe. 

March 29 – Deadline to submit application form, required materials, and have completed your interview 
April 5 Decision release  
May 1 – Deposit deadline  

Late Submissions – on space available basis

Applications submitted after March 29 will be considered as a Late Submission 

Application will be reviewed on a space available basis. All applicants for this round must also have completed their interview by July 15. It is advisable to apply and complete as early as possible to be sure of getting an interview slot. 

July 15 – Deadline to submit application form, required materials, and have completed your interview 
Decisions released weekly starting April 7 

Please note that it is unadvisable for Non-EU candidates to apply after June 15 as the visa application process may take up to three months. However, this does not apply to applicants for the Online Foundation: Pathway to Paris who won’t need to apply for a visa. 

*For Study Abroad other than free-movers, please refer to the deadlines of the program through which you are applying.

Spring Semester

Nov 15 – Deadline to submit application form, required materials, and have completed your interview 
Decisions released weekly  

Application Materials

Personal Statement

Required for all applicants

Write a 500-word statement that describes the work of an artist(s), design business(es), 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 BFA Applicants

Submit a portfolio of 10 to 20 pieces. 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.

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.

Transfer & Certificate applicants who have completed at least two years of full-time study at another university are not required to submit secondary school 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. admissions@paris.edu

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

Duolingo

PTE Academic

  • Minimum score: 70
  • Score to be considered for entry with EIS required: 59-75
  • Test dates, locations, and registration: https://www.pearsonpte.com

*For more information on the English for International Students (EIS) requirement, please see the Special Conditions of Admissions below.

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.

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. admissions@paris.edu

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. While students may apply before completing high school they must have successfully received their diploma (or equivalent) to enroll at PCA.

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

Admitted applicants receive information about housing, tuition and fees and other important matters in the online “Welcome Packet” that can be accessed on our web portal. 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 & Transfer Credits information below.

Deferring Admissions

Admitted students can defer their date of entry for up to one year. To defer entry, please email admissions@paris.edu 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. Students who are seeking a deferral for financial reasons are advised to contact the Financial Assistance Committee before paying the deposit. Students who do not wish to defer by making a tuition deposit may reapply in the future with an expedited process, and their application will be reviewed again with the new round of candidates. To be reconsidered for admission in future terms write to admissions@paris.edu 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.

In some cases, the Admissions Committee may require one of the following conditions:

Special Conditions of Admissions

English for International Students (EIS) Required

Students whose English proficiency test scores fall between 60 – 91 on the TOEFL Ibt, 5.5 – 6 on the IELTS, or 160 – 174 on the Cambridge B2 First will be considered for entry with English for International Students (EIS) required. All students who are admitted with EIS required as an Admissions Condition, as well as those who are placed into EIS courses as a result of mandatory testing administered during Orientation at Paris College of Art, will undertake a modified course load during their first year of study consisting exclusively of the studio/departmental portion of the curriculum as well as EIS courses. The student must successfully complete the EIS class in order to continue at Paris College of Art. Any student who does not complete the course with a passing grade in their first semester will receive an academic warning, and any student who has not successfully completed the course by the end of their second semester will be dismissed. Liberal Studies requirements normally completed in the first year must be completed in subsequent semesters or during the summer and in some cases may lengthen the time it takes to graduate.

Accepted on Probation

Students may be admitted on academic probation as a result of substandard academic performance. Students admitted on probation must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 during their first year of study at PCA or will otherwise be dismissed.

Transcripts & Transfer Credits

Official Transcripts

All applications must be accompanied the official transcripts of previous studies. All applicants, except those who have completed at least two years of full-time study at another university, are required to submit secondary school transcripts.

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

Transfer Credit Policy

Students have until the beginning of their second semester to submit outstanding official transcripts to the Registrar for evaluation for transfer credit. No transcripts submitted after this time will be considered. All transcripts submitted must be official (see above). Transcripts from schools that were not indicated on the application for admission will not be considered.

A grade of “C” or better must be earned to receive transfer credit. Granting of transfer credit is contingent upon an applicant’s capacity to maintain the same satisfactory performance level by which the student was admitted. During the first semester of attendance, students should direct their questions about transfer credit to the Registrar.

Transfer Students

Transfer applicant’s skills and abilities must be equivalent to those of Paris College of Art students at the same level and they must have sufficient credit for college courses completed elsewhere that are similar in content, purpose, and standards to those offered at Paris College of Art. Students may transfer up to 50% of the credits necessary to complete a degree at PCA.

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.

Credit by Exam

Students who have earned the French, European or International Baccalaureates, a German Abitur, or who have passed A-Levels, US Advanced Placement Exams or equivalent university qualifying examinations will be considered to receive appropriate transfer credit.

Studio Credit

Transfer credit for studio/departmental requirements and electives will be granted for courses where the content is similar to the curriculum at PCA. Students must present official transcripts and portfolio materials demonstrating proficiency in the subject areas for which the credit is sought in the admissions application.

Liberal Studies Credit

PCA awards Liberal Studies credits including Art History, Languages, Humanities, and Social Sciences that correspond to the Liberal Studies requirements.

Notification of Credit

The Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) is initially completed during the admissions review process and finalized once the applicant has submitted all final transcripts to PCA. Accepted applicants receive notification of transfer credit prior to Registration.