University in France
Paris, Île-de-France, France
University profile
ENSCI – Les Ateliers (École nationale supérieure de création industrielle) is the only French national school devoted exclusively to industrial creation and design. It was created in 1982 as a deliberate break with academic models, placing creation at the centre of industrial production in the spirit of the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College. It is a public establishment of an industrial and commercial nature under the joint supervision of the Ministries of Culture and Industry.
The school occupies a historic site near Place de la Bastille in Paris (48 rue Saint-Sabin), on the former workshops of the decorator Jansen. The premises keep the workshop spirit while offering contemporary equipment such as digital machines, 3D printers and 3D scanners, and the working environment is open around the clock all year.
Initial training leads to two diplomas, each of Master rank: Industrial Designer and Textile Designer. Continuing education covers short courses, two Specialised Masters accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles and a post-graduate diploma. Teaching is project-based and individualised, organised in phases rather than fixed years, on a learn-by-doing principle with experimentation and iteration. Students can also follow double degree courses with partner schools and universities (one double Bachelor's and several double Master's degrees, introduced in 2010), complete a compulsory one-semester work placement in France or abroad, and use a design-oriented talent incubator.
Resources include workshops for wood, metal and plastics, model making, the digital design chain, rapid prototyping, photography, video and a materials library, plus a documentary resource centre of about 15,000 items with a design collection that stresses the humanities, art, architecture and science. Partnerships with companies are central to the model: six to seven project workshops each semester, each with about fifteen students, work on briefs defined with a partner.
International activity includes exchange agreements with nearly 50 partner schools and universities worldwide, membership of the MEDes (Master of European Design) network, the World Design Organization (since 1985), Cumulus and the DESIS network, and an English-language project studio. The school also runs equal-opportunity programmes for secondary pupils, many from priority education schools.
Scholarship applicants are exempt from the €121 registration fee for the entrance competition. Holders of a CROUS scholarship are exempt from tuition fees and the CVEC (contribution vie étudiante et de campus).
Scholarships for ENSCI students are managed by CROUS-Paris, as for all Ministry of Culture-approved higher education institutions. Applications for scholarships and housing are made through the CROUS website (crous.fr) via the regional CROUS of the applicant's previous school, which then transfers the file to CROUS-Paris. Applicants receive a digital summary within three weeks and must return the signed form with supporting documents within eight days. Successful students send their scholarship notification to ENSCI so their registration can be approved.
Founded in 1999 under the Fondation de France, the Vallet Foundation helps highly motivated young people facing practical obstacles to continuing study. It is open to students of the Académie de Paris from the second year at ENSCI. The ENSCI Scholarship Committee preselects eight applications; the Foundation selects recipients and pays in three equal instalments. The scholarship may be renewed up to three times subject to progression, good results, attendance and continued need.
The National Fund of annual emergency aid for culture (FNAUAC) supports art-school students who do not qualify for social-criteria scholarships but are in continuing difficulty. Students must be under 35 on 1 September of the year concerned; scholarship holders, people receiving unemployment benefit or RSA and those in continuing education are not eligible. Criteria include being estranged from family, demonstrable independence (at least three times the national minimum wage) or returning to full-time study after age 28.
The Île-de-France Regional Council offers international mobility aid to students whose annual family tax-free allowance is below €19,190. Erasmus+ grants cover 3 to 6 months of study in a partner European institution. Local authority grants (regional, departmental) may also be available; French students contact their local authority and foreign students apply through their home country's embassies or organisations.
Fondation Vallet Scholarship at ENSCI – Les Ateliers →
Browse the scholarships listed for ENSCI – Les Ateliers and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for ENSCI – Les Ateliers →Admission is by competitive selection open to French and foreign applicants of any age. Applicants may apply to only one course per selection period. A Baccalauréat-level qualification is compulsory in categories I to III; category IV is for applicants with at least four years of professional practice. Applicants must show a good knowledge of French, creative expression, well-argued reasons for applying, observation and analysis skills, capacity for reflection and concision, and interpersonal skills.
Length of study depends on entry category: Category I (Bac, all streams) 5 years; Category II (Bac plus 2 years of further education such as DMA, DUT, BTS) 4 years; Category III (Bac plus 3 or more years, e.g. a Bachelor's degree) 3 years; Category IV (at least 4 years of professional practice) a minimum of 3 years. The panel may extend the period, particularly in categories III and IV. Textile design is open to those with a Bac, 2 or 3 years of further education, or at least four years of professional textile practice, and a sound knowledge of French.
Non-Parcoursup candidates register online on the ENSCI portal from January (16 January 2026 for the 2026 round). Registration closed on 9 February 2026 at 10am Paris time and the application items (video, subject, personal proposals) were due by 13 February 2026 at 10am Paris time. Admission tests were held between 4 and 11 May 2026 (not 8 May). Parcoursup candidates first register on Parcoursup, then submit the additional entrance-exam documents through the ENSCI portal. The registration fee is €121. Entry to the industrial design degree is also possible through VAE (validation of prior experience) since 2007.
About twenty-five foreign students join for a semester under an agreement and study contract with their partner institution, normally shortlisted by their home school. Candidates send a motivation letter and personal work; selection is held twice a year (mid-May and mid-November). Deadlines: 1 May for the first semester (early September to mid-February) and 1 November for the second (early February to mid-July). Classes are mainly in French, with one English-language major project studio. Required levels: French A2, English B1. A semester comprises one major project studio (15 ECTS), one minor studio (3 ECTS), one or two seminar weeks (3 ECTS each) and two or three weekly classes (3 ECTS each). The school exchange is offered by semester only, not full year. Contact: [email protected].
Admissions: +33 (0)1 49 23 12 22.
Study programmes offered at ENSCI – Les Ateliers.
Experiences shared by students of ENSCI – Les Ateliers.
Studied here? Share your experience to help other applicants.
Book a free consultation with our expert counsellors and take the first step towards your dream university.
Copyrights © 2026 StudyMapped. All rights reserved.
Enter your credentials to continue.
Join us and start your study abroad journey.
