Study Design in Europe: Portfolios, Entrance Exams and Fees
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Design is the field where school grades matter least and your own work matters most. Many schools select by portfolio and an entrance exam, on a calendar that starts much earlier than ordinary university applications. Our catalogue lists 226 design programmes at 156 institutions in 6 countries.
How selection works
- Germany. 117 programmes, the largest offer: communication design, industrial design, product design and more, at art academies and universities of applied sciences. The usual route is a portfolio followed by an aptitude exam at the school. A strong result can outweigh the school-leaving grade. Design in Germany.
- Portugal. 48 programmes at universities and polytechnics, admitted through the national contest; scores ran from 96 to 176 out of 200. Some courses require drawing or descriptive geometry among the entrance exams. Design in Portugal.
- Italy. 26 three-year degrees in industrial design, with locally limited places and a test set by the university. 4 are taught in English. Design in Italy.
- Switzerland. 12 programmes at the universities of the arts, with a portfolio and an entrance examination. Many applicants first complete a one-year preparatory course in art and design. Design in Switzerland.
- Czechia. 12 programmes with talent exams. Applications to art schools typically close in late autumn, months before other faculties. Design in Czechia.
- Spain. 11 university degrees, with access scores at public universities from 5 to 11.65 out of 14. Spain also has public higher schools of design that award a qualification equivalent to a degree and select by their own specific test; they are outside the university system and outside our catalogue. Design in Spain.
French design courses, such as the three-year national diploma in arts and design, are not in our catalogue.
Building a portfolio
Schools publish what they want to see: usually 10 to 20 pieces of your own work, with sketches and process, not only finished images. Some set a home assignment. Read the requirements of each school separately, because sending the same folder to everyone rarely works. Open days and portfolio consultations are worth the trip: German and Swiss schools in particular offer them every year.
What it costs
Typical fees for EU students at public institutions: no tuition in Germany, €697 a year in Portugal, €1,061 a year in Spain and €2,811 a year in Italy before income-based reductions. Private design schools, common in Italy and Spain, charge several times more: check the type of institution on each programme page. Materials, printing and software are extra everywhere.
Language
10 programmes are taught in English. Art schools sometimes accept a lower language level than universities at the application stage and ask for the full certificate by enrolment. The school's admission page states the rule.
Where to look next
Official sources
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.