Application for exchange students

To be able to apply to study at ésam Caen/Cherbourg as an exchange student, your home university must have a valid agreement with our school in your area of study. Talk with the International Office in your home university for guidance and useful information.
A dossier must be submitted to ésam International Office with the following documents :
• CV
• cover letter
• portfolio (10 to 15 works)
• application form

Application deadline :
Autumn semester : 15 May
Spring semester : 15 November

Fact sheet 2024-2025
Course list 2023-2024
Academic calendar
ECTS grading scale
Life in Caen

Application for international students

If you wish to study at ésam Caen/Cherbourg, you have two options depending on your situation :
• You wish to enter the first year of studies : you must comply with the common rules for all applicants and pass the entrance exam. For more information, please check the Admission page.
• You wish to enter another year of studies : you can apply through Campus Art, or directly to the school’s commissions. If your application is accepted, you will be contacted for a phone interview.
Foreign students should have a minimum level of B2.

Accommodation

Halls of residence :
CROUS (Centre Régional des Oeuvres Universitaires et Sociales) provides rooms or small apartments in student’s halls of residence. Esam has a yearly booking for 9 square meters’ rooms in the résidence Grémillon in Hérouville-saint-Clair. These rooms have private restrooms and common bathrooms and kitchen. The rent is 250€ per month. If you are interested in this solution you need to contact the international office : ri@esam-c2.fr
If you would like to book another CROUS hall of residence, you can do so starting July 11th on the CROUS website, but be aware that accommodation is not guaranteed since international students do not have priority.

Private accommodation :
You can check ads on websites such as Lokaviz and contact directly the landlords.
You can also contact the "Erasmus Student Network Caen".
The Esam Caen/Cherbourg Community Facebook group can publish ads.
The Etudiants de Caen Facebook group.
There are also private halls of residence.

French courses

All courses at ésam Caen/Cherbourg are taught in French.
The Language training department of the University of Caen provides all year long French language programs designed to meet all needs and levels : full-time and part-time training, evening classes, upgrade courses before the academic year, summer courses, DELF/DALF certification.
The evening classes cost 150€ per semester (to be paid by the students).
More information

Erasmus and Internationals in Caen also allows foreign students to practice French through their mentoring system and multilingual meetings.

DUEF for art studies purpose

ésam Caen/Cherbourg and the University of Caen have developed a joint one-year preparatory programme in order to prepare foreign students for Art studies in French.

Candidates are selected on the basis of their study project and are preregistered both for the preparatory training (DUEF - Diplôme Universitaire d’Etudes Françaises) and for immersion at ésam Caen/Cherbourg. They must justify an acquired A2 level of French at the time of registration. 
During the DUEF, the students follow French courses in order to reach the B2 level (as required by the French universities) as well as “French for art studies purposes” modules. These modules prepare the students for future art courses by developing their language skills in accordance with the studies at ésam Caen/Cherbourg and by proposing progressive periods of immersion in the school. At the end of the preparatory year, provided they succeed, students are awarded the DUEF for both B1 and B2 levels and they can pass the entrance exams for ésam Caen/Cherbourg.
More information on the University of Caen website
To apply you must register on Campus Art