No, all candidates must submit an application regardless of their previous training.

You must have one of the following diplomas or be able to obtain it before 1 September 2023:

Baccalaureate with preparatory classes or bridge / foundation course

• High school diploma (Matura)
• Matura with preparatory classes or bridge/foundation course
• Specialised Matura
• Vocational Matura (Maturité professionnelle)
• Equivalent foreign qualification (Nota bene: some diplomas such as the French baccalauréat professionnel are not considered equivalent. Please contact the Office of Studies to find out about the validity of your diploma)
• Other qualifications deemed equivalent

You must have one of the following diplomas or be able to obtain it before 1 September 2023:

• Vocational Matura (Maturité professionnelle) in Art with an advanced federal certificate (CFC) specific to the field in question, or
• Specialised Matura in Art and Design sepcific to the field concerned, or
• Matura and preparatory classes or bridge / foundation course in the field concerned, or
• Matura and one year’s professional experience in Design in the field concerned (9-10 months full-time), or
• Equivalent foreign qualification (Nota bene: some diplomas such as the French baccalauréat professionnel are not considered equivalent. Please contact the Office of Studies to find out about the validity of your diploma), or
• Other qualifications deemed equivalent

• In Geneva: at the Centre de formation professionnelle Arts. This course is free of charge for taxpayers in the Canton of Geneva and costs about CHF 20,000 for non-taxpayers in the Canton. In Switzerland, inter-cantonal agreements exist if the course is not taught in the Canton of residence. You can get information from CFP Arts or from the student guidance services of your Canton of residence.
• In neighbouring France: at the École des Beaux-Arts du Genevois. This preparatory class, which has a deliberately all-round approach, provides an opening onto different artistic and design practices by combining theory and practical teaching. It is open to applicants with a baccalaureate or equivalent qualification.

Yes, you also have to submit an application. 

Yes, it is possible to do a preparatory class outside Switzerland.

Yes, provided certain conditions are met:

• be able to demonstrate outstanding artistic talent (exceptional admission) and, for the design programs only, have one year of professional experience in the field concerned – details in the Special Conditions and Procedures for Admission to Bachelor’s Studies under Admissions;

OR

• be over 25 years old, meet residence criteria in Switzerland or the French departments bordering Switzerland, and have one year’s full-time professional experience in the field concerned (admission on file) – details in the Special Conditions and Procedures for Admission to Bachelor's Studies under Admissions.

You must use the online application form.

You can apply from Monday, 14 November 2022 until Tuesday, 7 March 2023 at 17:00 CEST (Swiss time). No application forms can be submitted and accepted after this deadline.

The admission process takes place in two stages. The first stage consists of the examination and evaluation by a committee of professors of the personal file of each applicant. The second stage involves an interview to which the applicants selected after the first stage are invited by email.

For the Bachelor’s in Film Studies, the second stage includes an exercise to be completed at the time of the interview.

Details on the expected contents of the personal file can be found under Admissions in the Conditions and Procedures for Admission to Bachelor's Studies.

This portrait – based on a few questions – is intended to highlight different aspects of your background, your personality, and your motivations and interests.

The creative test is designed to allow applicants to demonstrate their expressive and imaginative potential. The instructions for this test, which will be carried out remotely, are specific to each department. They will be communicated in the Admissions section on: Friday, 24 February 2023 at 10:00 for the Bachelor applications in Fine Arts, Interior Architecture, Fashion Design, and Product, Jewellery and Accessory Design; Friday, 4 March 2022 at 9:00 AM for the Bachelor applications in Visual Communication and Illustration.

There is no creative exercise requested from the applicants to the Bachelor in Fine Arts and to the Bachelor in Cinema.

Please refer to the Conditions and Procedures for Admission to Bachelor’s Studies under Admissions.

The admission interviews take place at HEAD – Genève or by videoconference if the applicant is unable to travel to Geneva.

CHF 150. This amount is non-refundable even if your application is deemed ineligible at the administrative review stage.

Yes, candidates who have completed one (or two) year(s) of equivalent study in an institution of a similar level to HEAD – Genève can apply for admission to the second or third year by following the procedure indicated in the Special Conditions and Procedures for Admission to Bachelor’s Studies in the Admissions section.

You will receive an email and an official letter approximately three weeks after the interviews. Successful applicants have until 31 May to accept their admission offer.

Each applicant is entitled to a total of three attempts. If a candidate applies for two courses in a given year, this double application in the same year counts as one attempt.

No, all candidates must submit an application regardless of their previous training.

Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree at university or UAS level or a foreign qualification deemed equivalent, unless they request an application under special conditions (application on file)

You must use the online application form.

You can apply from Monday, 14 november 2022 until Monday, 3 April 2023 at 17:00 CEST (Swiss time). No application forms can be submitted and accepted after this deadline.

The admission process takes place in two stages. The first stage consists of the examination and evaluation by a committee of professors of the personal file of each applicant. The second stage involves an interview to which the applicants selected after the first stage are invited by email.

Details on the expected contents of the personal file can be found under Admissions in the Conditions and Procedures for Admission to Master’s Studies.

The admission interviews take place at HEAD – Genève or by videoconference if the applicant is unable to travel to Geneva.

CHF 150. This amount is non-refundable even if your application is deemed ineligible at the administrative review stage.

You will receive an email and a formal letter around mid-May. Successful applicants have until 31 May to accept their admission offer.

Each applicant is entitled to a total of three attempts. If a candidate applies for two courses in a given year, this double application in the same year counts as one attempt.

The language of instruction in the Bachelor’s programmes is French, and a majority of the courses are delivered in this language. A good understanding is therefore necessary, even if some teachers accept oral or written interaction in English. No proof of language qualifications is required.

The classes are mainly taught in English in the Master in Interior Architecture, the three courses of the Master in Design and the CCC course of the Master in Visual Arts, but a knowledge of French is recommended, as students may choose to express themselves, orally or in writing, in French or English.

Classes are taught alternately in French and English in the Work.Master course of the Master in Visual Arts.

In the Trans course of the Master in Visual Arts, the teaching is mainly in French, but students must be able to understand and express themselves, orally and in writing, in English.

No proof of language qualifications is required.

No translation is required for diplomas in English, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

For all other languages, the documents must be a certified translation, i.e. a translation that bears the seal and signature of an accredited translator and must be sent directly by the translation office to admission.head@hesge.ch.

Tuition amounts to CHF 575 per semester. International students pay the same amount regardless of their country of origin.

No, it is not possible to be exempt from paying tuition. However, ad hoc assistance may be requested through the University of Geneva’s financial aid system.

Approximately CHF 1,000 to 2,000 per year is needed for materials, travel, museum visits, etc.

You should contact the scholarship service of your Canton of residence. In Geneva, this is the Service des bourses et prêts d’études.

Please consult the webpages dedicated to scholarships and financial aid.

Yes, in certain courses. A compulsory internship is included in the study plans of the Bachelor’s in Fashion Design and the Bachelor’s in Product/Jewellery and Accessory Design at the end of the second year. A compulsory internship is also included in the study plan of the Bachelor’s in Film Studies for students in the Editing and Sound options. This internship takes place during the third year.

You can earn ECTS credits for an internship as part of the Master’s in Fashion and Accessory Design, the Master’s in Space and Communication, and the Master’s in Media Design. This non-compulsory internship takes place during the summer between the first and second year. An internship during the academic year can also be credited towards the Master in Interior Design.

No, Bachelor’s studies at HEAD – Genève are full-time. The workload leaves some time for a student job but not, e.g., for a part-time job.

No, Master’s studies at HEAD – Genève are full-time. The workload leaves some time for a student job but not, e.g., for a part-time job.

Yes, but only during the open day on 21 January 2023.