Admission

Admission to Foundation Year is done through a competitive examination, which assesses the artistic and creative abilities of the candidates.

Necessary qualification
  • Maturity certificate

  • Professional Maturity certificate

  • Specialized Maturity certificate (MSCI-MSMU-MSOP-MSSA-MSTS)

  • Equivalent foreign certificate*

* Access to Foundation Year application procedure is open to foreign secondary diploma education holders as long as the title is equivalent to one of the Swiss required title. ECAL evaluates title's equivalences. This procedure being relatively long, a request of examination must be submitted by email to ECAL Secretariat inscription@ecal.ch until 22 January 2024 the latest.

> Request of evaluation submitted after the above mentionned date will 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.

Administrative files

As part of their online registration, the candidates send to ECAL

  • a full curriculum vitae
  • a copy of an identity document
  • a copy of the required qualifications and/or certificates (an authenticated translation is required for languages other than French, German, Italian, English or Spanish).
Portfolio

Candidates are responsible for sending and collecting their applications. ECAL will return them by post only against prior payment of the fees and only if the distance from home justifies it.

Instruction for the admission portfolio (2024)

Fine Arts Option

A satchel or other easy-to-handle container with maximum dimensions of 50 x 70 x 7 cm including:

  • 10 reference images for the candidate (outside their personal work)
  • a portfolio of personal work, which must give an idea of the candidates’ ability to express themselves through plastic arts; three-dimensional work should be documented by photographs; the portfolio must contain a maximum of 20 boards as well as notes on the work (free format).
     

Notes

  • The dossier must be accessible and understandable in itself, with technical information and dimensions clearly shown. Each piece should be numbered and readably signed. A numbered inventory should be enclosed.
  • Work produced in a digital medium (video, sound, documentation of multimedia works, etc.) must be shared via a link to a website or a sharing platform, they must be documented in the form of printed outputs.
  • Works produced on courses, in schools, etc, are admissible but may not constitute the main part of the dossier (in this case, indicate on the inventory the name of the teacher(s) and the theme of the exercise).
Industrial Design Option

A satchel or other container size A3 maximum of 29.7 x 42 x 3 cm including:

  • 10 reference images for the candidate (outside their personal work and linked to the field of study)
  • A portfolio of personal work, composed of visual and/or artistic achievements linked to the field of study, which must give an idea of the candidate’ ability to express themselves through plastic arts; three-dimensional works should be documented by photographs; the portfolio must contain a maximum of 20 boards or pages.
  • A "musical/souding object" which can be used daily, drawn and designed by the candidate, free materials.
     

Notes

  • The dossier must be accessible and understandable in itself, with technical information and dimensions clearly shown. Each piece should be numbered and readably signed. A numbered inventory should be enclosed.
  • Videos are admissible only if they constitute the original medium of the work
  • The musical/sounding object must be presented under a graphic communication (booklet) explaining its conception, from the thought process (drawing/sketches) to the prototype (mock-up/object) contextualized and widely documented by photographs. No three-dimensional models or objects are admissible on the first round of admissions. On the other hand candidates selected for the second round (interview with the jury), must bring the musical/sounding object they created.
  • Works produced through a computer medium (url, cd, dvd, dv, etc) or on a screen support are admissible only if they constitute the work’s main medium. They must in all cases be documented in the form of printed outputs.
  • Works produced on courses, in schools, etc, are admissible but may not constitute the main part of the dossier (in this case, indicate on the inventory the name of the teacher(s) and the theme of the exercise).
Cinema Option

A satchel or other easy-to-handle container with maximum dimensions of 70 x 50 x 7 cm including:

  • 10 reference images for the candidate (outside their personal work and linked to the field of study) joined by a caption explaining the choice: 5 images are taken from the filmic corpus and 5 others from the photographic and visual arts fields.
  • a filmed self-portrait (max. 1 min).
  • a filmed interview with a person whose work (whether artistic or not) intrigues the candidate (max. 2 min) and who is not part of the candidate's circle of friends or family.
  • an analysis of a feature film (fiction or documentary), freely chosen by the candidate, of approximately one A4 page (approx. 3000 characters including spaces).
  • a sequence of narrative images; by sequence is meant a sequence of images in a numbered and defined order with a beginning and an end; these images may be made in photography or illustration, the meaning of the sequence must be understandable without further explanation; the maximum number of images is 10; the formal quality, the clarity of the organization and treatment of the images - from a semantic, dramaturgical or rhythmic point of view - will be taken into consideration by the jury.
     

Notes

  • The dossier must be accessible and understandable in itself, with technical information and dimensions clearly shown. Each piece should be numbered and readably signed. A numbered inventory should be enclosed.
  • In case of collective work, the candidate must indicate on which part of the short film he/she specifically worked.
  • Work must be presented through internet links (Vimeo, youtube, etc). DVDs, tapes or USB sticks are not permitted.
  • Works produced on courses, in schools, etc, are admissible but may not constitute the main part of the dossier (in this case, indicate on the inventory the name of the teacher(s) and the theme of the exercise).
Graphic Design Option

A satchel or other easy-to-handle container with maximum dimensions of 70 x 50 x 7 cm including:

  • 10 reference images for the candidate (outside their personal work and linked to the field of study)
  • A portfolio of personal work, composed of visual achievements linked to the field of study, which must give an idea of the candidate’ ability to express themselves through plastic arts; three-dimensional works should be documented by photographs; the portfolio must contain a maximum of 20 boards, free or binded, depending on your preference.
     

Notes

  • The dossier must be accessible and understandable in itself. Each piece should be numbered and readably signed. A numbered inventory should be enclosed to facilitate its reading.
  • On screen works must be shared via a link to a website or sharing platform (Youtube, Vimeo, etc.) and must be summarized on a descriptive board with screen shots.
  • Works produced on courses, in schools, etc, are admissible but may not constitute the main part of the dossier (in this case, indicate on the inventory the name of the teacher(s) and the theme of the exercise).
Media & Interaction Design Option

A satchel or other easy-to-handle container with maximum dimensions of 70 x 50 x 7 cm including:

  • 10 reference images for the candidate (outside their personal work and linked to the field of study)
  • A portfolio of personal work, composed of visual achievements linked to the field of study, which must give an idea of the candidate’ ability to express themselves through plastic arts; three-dimensional works should be documented by photographs; the portfolio must contain a maximum of 20 boards, free or binded, depending on your preference.
     

Notes

  • The dossier must be accessible and understandable in itself. Each piece should be numbered and readably signed. A numbered inventory should be enclosed to facilitate its reading.
  • On screen works must be shared via a link to a website or sharing platform (Youtube, Vimeo, etc.) and must be summarized on a descriptive board with screen shots.
  • Works produced on courses, in schools, etc, are admissible but may not constitute the main part of the dossier (in this case, indicate on the inventory the name of the teacher(s) and the theme of the exercise).
Photography Option

A satchel or other container size A3 maximum of 29.7 x 42 x 3 cm including:

  • 10 reference images for the candidate - A4-size (outside their personal work and linked to the field of study)
  • A portfolio of personal work, composed of visual achievements linked to the field of study, which must give an idea of the candidate’ ability to express themselves through plastic arts; any three-dimensional works should be documented by photographs; the portfolio must contain a maximum of 25 boards, free or linked, A3 format, maximum size 420 x 297 mm.
     

Notes

  • The dossier must be simple, accessible and understandable in itself. Each piece should be numbered and readably signed. A numbered inventory should be enclosed to facilitate its reading.
  • Any on-screen works must be shared via a link to a website or sharing platform (Youtube, Vimeo, etc.) and must be summarized on a descriptive board with screen shots.
  • Works produced on courses, in schools, etc, are admissible but may not constitute the main part of the dossier (in this case, indicate on the inventory the name of the teacher(s) and the theme of the exercise).

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