Admissions 2026

The selection procedure is open to all candidates, of any gender or nationality, aged 35 years maximum on 1st January of the current year.
The candidates must be able to provide proof of:

· A levels or Baccalauréat (or recognized equivalent) and 5 years of study validated by a diploma; (or)
· A levels or Baccalauréat (or recognized equivalent) and 7 years of artistic or professional experience; on condition of being at least 24 years old on 1 st January of the current year (i.e. born before 31 st December 1989). In this case, a one page argument should be sent with the administrative application to explain how this experience is relevant to the course at Le Fresnoy.

Candidates must have knowledge of spoken French and English. All the stages of the selection procedure (application and interviews) are in French or English, as the candidate wishes. Candidates admitted to Le Fresnoy are reminded that the course is carried out in French.

Each application package is reviewed by two of the jury members. Each applicant will be informed via electronic mail of the status of their application. The jury’s deliberations are secret and irrevocable.
Candidates must put online or deliver the following elements no later than 3:00 pm (Paris time) on:

AN ADMINISTRATIVE APPLICATION

· Front facing portrait,

· A copy of identity card or passport,

· A detailed curriculum vitae.

AN ARTISTIC PORTFOLIO

› Textes

All the texts may be backed up with images.

· Résumé of candidates’ background and/or studies (10 lines). This document explains how
the candidates’ background led them to apply.

· Motivation letter/note of intention (3 pages PDF file). In this document, the candidates explain what their motivations are and argue how their artistic practice may develop at Le Fresnoy.
The candidates will be judged on the quality of writing and the relevance of their arguments.
It is possible to join a PDF portfolio.

· Presentation of the projects envisaged for the 2 years at Le Fresnoy (1 page per project). This
document should indicate the type of work that the candidates envisage making at Le Fresnoy in the particular field of each of the 2 years and in a transdisciplinary mode: film, video, photography, sound, interactive or programmed installations, live arts, etc.

· The artists and works that have inspired them in these fields (20 lines).

› Visual material

A work (or several extracts of works) made by the candidates and which they consider representative of their specific practice, will be provided in the form of an MP4 file, maximum duration 8 minutes. This file could contain for example: 3 video extracts, or a slide show of photographs or a series of sound excerpts, or one or several views of video installations, etc. Each extract of work should be preceded by a label indicating the nature and context of the work. If the work presented is an artistic collaboration, the candidates will be required to specify their role. This part of the application will be seen by two different juries.

› Applying as a duo

It is possible to apply as a duo. This means that both members of the duo must enrol, meaning that there will be two administrative files for the same artistic dossier (a single artistic dossier for a single budget). A double application is acceptable only on the express condition that both members of the duo participate fully in the pedagogical propositions (jointly and not alternately).

› Interviews

At the end of the preselection, up to 60 applicants will be invited to attend interviews. The final selection takes place at Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains in Tourcoing.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview by the jury.
Non-European applicants may choose to have their interview by video conference rather than at Le Fresnoy but must bear in mind that Le Fresnoy cannot be held responsible for any technical problems and their consequences.
The applicants will present and comment on their personal work and discuss their projects and motivations with the members of the jury.
The jury is made up of representatives of the different artistic disciplines taught at Le Fresnoy and of the school’s director. The interview lasts 30 minutes.
The applicants are mainly judged on:
· The originality, reach, and quality of their personal artistic work in one or more disciplines,
· Their experience and mastery of skills, in particular technical ones,
· Their relation to multi- or trans-disciplinarity,
· Their level of general culture (previous training, spoken and written skills, etc.),
· Their effective interest towards the broader field of audiovisual and digital idioms (ranging from traditional forms to digital creation),
· The presentation of their portfolio.

Moreover, the jury will look at the visual material lasting 8 minutes maximum in the candidates’ portfolio. The candidates should note the importance of these documents, which are the only ones to be examined at all two stages of the selection process

Each applicat will be informed via electronic mail of the status of the final selection. The jury rules by majority vote and in the case of a tie the president has the casting vote. The jury’s decision is final and Le Fresnoy cannot provide details or comments regarding its choices.

The list of the 24 successful candidates will be published on our website lefresnoy.net. These results are only valid for the 2026–2027 term. The admitted applicants may not postpone their date of admittance, nor expect to be admitted for a later school term.

Applicants may only apply 3 times, provided they remain within the age limit.
Any objections or appeal concerning the selection procedure or its results should be addressed to the overseeing committee, headed by the director of Le Fresnoy, and including the administrator, the two teaching coordinators, the president and one member of the jury.
This commission will call on any person it considers susceptible to help in its decision.
Its decisions are final and without appeal.

The term will begin Monday September 21, 2026. The yearly attendance fees for the 2026–2027 term amount to 760 euros. Payment for these fees must be transferred by bank by Monday September 1st, 2026, or the applicants will lose their admission and be replaced by the candidates on the waiting list.
Le Fresnoy will support any admitted student in their applications for financial support, whether in France or abroad.
For any further queries about student life, housing, financial help, social security, insurance, etc., please contact: acaquant@lefresnoy.net.

In 2011 Le Fresnoy inaugurated a doctoral programme titled “doctorate in artistic creation”
and designed only for students currently studying at Le Fresnoy, wanting to combine their artistic activity with a speculative dimension. This doctorate is co-supervised with the University of Quebec in Montreal and the Université de Lille.
Comprising theoretical and methodological training and culminating, simultaneously, in both a short thesis (about 150 pages) and the creation of an artwork, this option is offered during the first year of the course at Le Fresnoy and is available for one or two students each year. The applicants at Le Fresnoy can indicate their interest in this option when entering the application process online.