Admission to a Bachelor is done through a competitive examination, which assesses the artistic and creative abilities of the candidates.
Amongst those who are eligible to apply, it is possible that some candidates feel that their artistic and creative abilities are still insufficient. In this case, the ECAL recommends that they apply to the Foundation Year entrance exam.
Maturity certificate or Professional Maturity certificate (vocational diploma) or certificate from a recognised three-year school of general education (ECG), each to be accompanied by a General Federal Certificate of Vocational Education (CFC) in the field of desired studies (according to CFC list)
Maturity certificate plus at least one year attested vocational activity in the field of studies or a Foundation Year successfully completed at the ECAL (or another recognised higher-education establishment of art and design)
Professional Maturity certificate with a General Federal Certificate of Vocational Education (CFC) in a profession unrelated to the field of studies plus at least one year attested vocational activity in the field of studies or a Foundation Year successfully completed at the ECAL (or another recognised higher-education establishment of art and design)
Specialized Maturity certificate in art and design (MSAD)
Equivalent foreign certificate*
* Candidates holding a foreign diploma must submit to ECAL a request for the equivalence of their qualification. Requests (Diploma, transcripts & cv) are sent by email to inscription@ecal.ch until 14 February 2025, the latest.
> The analysis of equivalence being relatively long, requests sent after the above-mentioned date will, consequently, not be processed.
Non French-speaking candidates who have not completed a school education in Switzerland must be able to attest of their proficiency in French. A B2 level of the European Language Portfolio is therefore required.
Candidates who do not hold a professional Maturity certificate or a Maturity certificate paired with a CFC in the field of studies (according to CFC list), must imperatively prove of a year of professional experience in the field of intended studies along with their Maturity certificate.
This one year professional experience can be replaced by succeeding ECAL’s Foundation year or a recognized foundation year preparing to Art and Design HES.
As part of their online registration, the candidates send to ECAL an electronic application (PDF) containing personnal and administrative data
In exceptional circumstances, ECAL may accept candidates who do not have a high school diploma or equivalent if they have a special artistic talent.
Please note that special admission is for candidates who have not completed any training courses and do not have any diplomas. Therefore, any candidates who are under 25 years of age at the time of application and who have a federal certificate of competency (CFC) or a diploma from a business or vocational school, need to first complete a professional baccalaureate, that is a specialised baccalaureate, in order to register for the undergraduate entrance exam.
If you would like to apply for an undergraduate degree on the basis of your extraordinary artistic talent, you need to register online by 14 February 2025 at the latest and pay a non-refundable registration fee of CHF 150.