A high school student interested in object design or graphic design often finds themselves facing a curriculum that does not prepare them at all for what awaits after the baccalaureate. No workshops, no three-dimensional projects, no structured visual culture. The gap between the expectations of design schools and what general high school offers is real, and it becomes evident as soon as the portfolio requested for entry into training is being compiled.
Design Portfolio: What High School Doesn’t Teach You to Build
Most post-baccalaureate design programs, whether DN MADE or private schools, require a portfolio when applying through Parcoursup or in direct competitions. We are talking about a personal work portfolio that demonstrates a process, not just a collection of pretty drawings.
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The problem is that in general high school, students produce almost nothing that resembles a design project. Art classes, when they still exist in the first and final years, remain very far from project logic. A convincing portfolio shows how one thinks, not just what one draws. The juries look for curiosity, research, failed attempts that have been corrected.
For those looking to prepare for design studies after high school, the work often starts outside of class: sketchbooks kept regularly, photographs of everyday objects analyzed from a usage perspective, small models made of cardboard or fabric. It is these free productions, even if clumsy, that make the difference against an empty portfolio.
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Arts Specialization in the Baccalaureate and Design Training: A Common Misunderstanding
Many families believe that choosing the arts specialization in the baccalaureate is enough to prepare for a design orientation. In reality, the arts specialization and design studies share little common ground. One is focused on personal artistic expression, while the other is on design serving a purpose.
Design schools are more interested in a candidate’s ability to analyze a problem, propose several avenues, and justify their choices. A student who has taken the math or engineering sciences specialization can very well enter a DN MADE program, provided they have developed a personal practice alongside it.
What Really Matters in the Parcoursup Application
- The motivation letter must demonstrate a concrete knowledge of the targeted field of design (object, space, graphic, digital), not a vague discourse on creativity
- School grades matter, but teachers’ comments on autonomy and curiosity weigh just as much in some institutions
- Documented personal projects (even modest ones) are worth more than a brilliant academic record without any visual production
Feedback varies on this point depending on the juries, but the general trend remains clear: profiles are recruited who have already started to seek out information on their own.
BNMA and DN MADE: Degrees Restructuring Access to Design
The landscape of training has recently changed. The BNMA (National Certificate of Arts Professions) is a new baccalaureate-level diploma that will come into effect in the 2026 school year. It is gradually replacing the old BMA and vocational baccalaureate in crafts, and it is explicitly designed as a springboard to the DN MADE.
For a second-year high school student who is hesitating between the general and vocational paths, this reform changes the game. The BNMA offers a workshop-based curriculum starting in high school, with a direct continuation to a recognized design degree at the bachelor’s level (bac+3). This is a path still little known to families, but it partially addresses the problem of the lack of practical experience in general high school.
DN MADE: What This Degree Covers Specifically
The DN MADE (National Diploma of Arts and Design Professions) is available in several specializations: object, space, graphic, digital, fashion, heritage. It is a bac+3 degree recognized by the State that has replaced the old patchwork of BTS and DUT in the field of public design.
Access is through Parcoursup, with a precise timeline: wish submissions open in January and close in March. Some institutions like L’École de design Nantes Atlantique have already published their dates for 2026. Selection is based on the academic record, motivation letter, and portfolio.
Art Prep Year or Foundation Course: A Necessary Step for Some Profiles
When coming out of a general baccalaureate without an artistic specialization and without a portfolio, a foundation course in applied arts (formerly MANAA, now integrated into some programs) or a private art prep becomes a useful investment. Here, students learn to work in project mode, manipulate materials, and present their ideas before a jury.
A prep year allows students to practically catch up on what high school did not provide. They build a solid portfolio, discover the different branches of design, and refine their choice of school or DN MADE specialization.
- Public prep courses are rare and very selective, often based on academic records and motivation interviews
- Private prep courses (like Prép’Art, Atelier de Sèvres) cost several thousand euros per year, which raises a real question of accessibility
- Some students choose to prepare their portfolio independently during their final year, with occasional guidance from an arts teacher or designer
The choice depends on the level of accumulated practice and the type of school targeted. For the most selective public programs (ENSAD, ENSCI, fine arts schools with a design mention), prep remains a clear advantage.
The Parcoursup timeline requires early action. Wishes must be formulated as early as January, and the portfolio must be ready by that time. Waiting until the spring of the final year to address this means arriving with a portfolio that is too thin compared to candidates who have been working on theirs for months. Preparation for design studies begins well before the end of high school, and often outside its walls.