Parcoursup, new mandatory stage – January 3, 2023 – L’ŒIL
This is a small revolution in the landerneaus of higher art schools. This year 2023, like other higher education institutions of the Ministry of Culture, all art and design schools with undergraduate recruitment join Parcoursup. The national platform collects initial registration of final year students or undergraduates in their first year of higher education. Therefore, until March 9, thousands of young people must fill out the registration request form for next year. If the platform has been available since 2018, businesses specializing in the arts have benefited from an exemption. Arguing over the specific selection method and schedule, they were able to delay their participation. This adaptation period has now ended, with around 20 public schools joining Parcoursup in 2022 for informational purposes. You can also find on the platform university courses in art (art history, plastic arts, etc.), short courses such as preparatory classes for higher education – advanced studies in plastic arts (CPES CAAP) and national diplomas in craft and design. DN MADE) or some private art enterprises. Public training classes grouped within Appéa are not yet available on Parcoursup. For now, you should apply directly to these courses. In practice, prospective students have the option of expressing ten wishes or even making sub-wishes. For example, if a student applies for a national diploma of arts (DNT) at several schools (Annesi, Bordeaux, Marseille…), this counts as a single aspiration.
A global view of training
Even if the navigation is not easy and the keyword search deserves improvement, Parcoursup offers the advantage of bringing together the entire higher education offer on the same site. Each training facility is presented with a fact sheet summarizing the entry requirements and expected knowledge and skills. These sheets provide information and make comparisons between businesses. Important information before making your requests, making the first choice and identifying the most selective sectors. For example, Ensad offers 75 seats, its entry rate is 3% (2021 data). The profile of admissions is as follows: 79% general bachelors, 17% technological bachelors and 3% professional bachelors. Cergy National School of Arts offers 38 places for 689 applicants (admission rate 9%). In addition to acceptance figures, it is important to obtain information about the content of the studies, their more or less controlled nature, or the reality of the outlets in order to avoid shipping errors. What does this pre-registration actually change? “Having schools in the Parcoursup will probably make them more visible and democratize access to them,” said Raphaël Cuir, director of the École supérieure d’art et de design de Reims. Also at the risk of more applicants entering each school. However, given the multiple applications, it is difficult to accurately measure Parcoursup’s effect on selectivity. As for the schools, they see the competition cycle tighten according to the unique Parcoursup calendar. Maud Le Garzic Vieira Contim, coordinator of the National Association of Higher Art and Design Schools (Andéa), said: “Now they only have five weeks to organize the tests, which risks overlapping the dates of the tests.” The ability to arrange tests remotely, especially for interviews, gives some flexibility in the organization. But to avoid overlapping of dates, candidates are advised to check the dates of entrance exams in advance before applying their wishes.
Variable selection methods
If the selection tests are specific for each school, they are usually organized between a first stage called inadmissibility, which allows the initial sorting of applications, and then an admission stage. Eligibility sometimes involves sending an art file (also called a personal work file) accompanied by creative evidence or a letter of motivation. Admission includes various written tests (plastic test, general knowledge, English language, etc.) and an interview with a jury on motivation, a plastic test and an art file. A school record and a regular cover letter are not systematically checked. “We do not refer to the school file required by Parcoursup to avoid the risk of self-censorship by students,” explains Julien Bohdanowicz to Ensad. “A young person with a bad academic record potentially has a place in our institution because we are looking for personalities and talents above all,” said the research director of the School of Decorative Arts.
