EPSAA

What EPSAA does

EPSAA (Ecole Professionnelle Supérieure d'Arts graphiques de la Ville de Paris) is a public art school operated by the City of Paris under the Direction de l'Attractivité et de l'Emploi, located at the Manufacture des Oeillets in Ivry-sur-Seine. It delivers visual communication education across three core programs: preparatory workshops (Ateliers préparatoires) for art-school entrance exam candidates, a three-year Arts Graphiques curriculum awarding a state-certified Niveau 7 (Master's-equivalent) diploma as Directeur de Communication Visuelle et Multimédia, and a Post-Diplôme Digital Média Lab for emerging-technology specialization. Supporting programs include evening courses for adult continuing education and a VAE (Validation des Acquis par l'Expérience) certification track for working professionals.

The school's technical infrastructure centers on a Fab Lab offering 3D printing, laser cutting, risography, sublimation printing, physical computing (Arduino, Touch Board), and professional photo studios, alongside a documentation centre housing specialized collections in fine arts, applied arts, and digital arts. Curriculum covers illustration, graphic design, 3D animation, photography, typography, video and motion, ceramics, and printing techniques, taught by working professionals connected to the Paris design ecosystem.

EPSAA's business model is non-commercial: as a public institution it charges €440/year tuition (waived for CROUS scholarship recipients), with the Ville de Paris municipal budget constituting the primary funding source. Distribution is direct-to-student via competitive entrance examinations, education fairs (Studyrama, l'Étudiant), annual Open Days (~1,000 visitors in March 2025), and a 4,000+ subscriber newsletter. Reported outcomes include 100% graduate placement within six months and an alumni network of 800+ professionals supporting recruitment pipelines.

Name

EPSAA

Legal name

Ecole Professionnelle Supérieure d'Arts graphiques de la Ville de Paris

Website

https://epsaa.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPSAA is a public art school of the City of Paris offering preparatory, three-year degree, and post-graduate programs in graphic design and digital media, serving ~60-90 enrolled students annually with €440/year tuition and a Master's-equivalent state-certified diploma.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art and Design Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Services (61)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Graphic design education
• Visual communication training
• Art school programs
• Digital media courses
• Preparatory art workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Ivry-sur-seine

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: As a public school of the Ville de Paris, EPSAA charges annual tuition fees of 440 euros per year. These fees are waived for students receiving CROUS scholarships (government financial aid). The institution is primarily funded through municipal public funding from the City of Paris.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EPSAA is a public art school of the Ville de Paris that delivers visual communication and graphic arts education. Its core offerings include preparatory workshops (Ateliers préparatoires) for art school entrance exams, a three-year Arts Graphiques degree leading to a state-certified Director of Visual and Multimedia Communication qualification, a post-graduate Digital Media Lab, evening adult courses, and a VAE certification pathway for working professionals. Teaching is delivered at the Manufacture des Oeillets campus in Ivry-sur-Seine with access to a Fab Lab, photo studio, darkroom, ceramic workshop, and documentation centre.

Product overview

EPSAA (Ecole Professionnelle Supérieure d'Arts graphiques de la Ville de Paris) is a public art school offering a unified portfolio of visual communication programs. The core offerings include Ateliers préparatoires (preparatory workshops for art school entrance), Arts graphiques (a 3-year graphic arts curriculum leading to a Director of Visual and Multimedia Communication certification at Master's level), Post Diplôme Digital Média Lab (post-graduate digital media program), and Cours du soir pour Adultes (evening courses for professionals seeking retraining). The school operates at the Manufacture des Oeillets campus in Ivry-sur-Seine, combining theoretical instruction with practical workshops including Fab Lab facilities for physical prototyping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ateliers préparatoires One-year preparatory workshops helping students develop creative potential and prepare for competitive entrance examinations to elite French art schools. Open to lycéens, gap-year students, and adults considering a creative career change.
• Arts Graphiques
• Post Diplôme Digital Média Lab
• Cours du soir pour Adultes
• VAE (Validation des Acquis par l'Expérience)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of graduates find employment within 6 months
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Accra Metropolitan Assembly (Ghana)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024International cooperation project on waste management awareness. Students from EPSAA and GH MEDIA SCHOOL (Accra municipal communication school) collaborate in cross-border teams to create environmental awareness posters. 24 posters will be exhibited in both cities.
• École Élémentaire Riblette (75020)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2023Collaboration as part of Cultural Olympiade heritage project. EPSAA students worked with CM2 students to graphically decorate Stade Louis Lumière, creating a permanent artistic legacy in the sports center.
• Concept - École d'art du CalaisisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2023Collaborative workshop between preparatory class students of EPSAA and students from Concept art school. Project on 'machinery in fiction universe' organized within APPEA network of public preparatory schools.
• Ville de Paris (Direction des Affaires Culturelles - DAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2023The Direction des Affaires Culturelles of the Ville de Paris is the primary institutional partner and funder. The DAC proposes creative challenges to EPSAA students, such as the 'Voyage' exhibition on Pont St-Ange and the 'Embellir Paris' urban beautification project. The Bureau des Arts Visuels within DAC curates student work for public spaces throughout Paris.
• Cité Universitaire de Paris (CIUP)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 December 2022Student posters celebrating Ukrainian culture were exhibited at CIUP as part of Art-Hop-Polis program. The Maison de l'Ukraine at CIUP presented the exhibition showcasing cultural richness of Ukraine created by EPSAA second-year students.
• City Ballet de KyivminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2022Ukrainian ballet company met with EPSAA students during cultural exchange about Ukrainian heritage, inspiring poster designs celebrating Ukrainian culture displayed at Cité Universitaire.
• Institut Convergence Q-lifeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021PSL University consortium initiative supporting the science-art collaboration project between EPSAA and Parisian research institutions since 2019.
• ESPCI (École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Research institution participating in the annual science-art exchange program where EPSAA students observe laboratory work and create scientific vulgarization graphics.
• Collège de FranceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Participating research institution in the science vulgarization partnership, opening laboratory doors to EPSAA students for graphic documentation of scientific work.
• Institut CuriecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Annual partnership for scientific vulgarization projects. Students spend immersive days in research laboratories observing scientists, then create graphic illustrations of scientific discoveries. Projects result in booklets shared with laboratories and public exhibitions. Project coordinated through Institut Convergence Q-life since 2019. Carsten Janke, CNRS Research Director, initiated the collaboration at Institut Curie.
• Quartier Jeunes (QJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQJ (Quartier Jeunes), the youth center at 4 place du Louvre (1st arrondissement), partners with EPSAA for public exhibitions. Student posters on gender-based violence were displayed at QJ, and skateboard art was featured for Nuit Blanche 2023.
• Théâtre des Quartiers d'IvryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Théâtre des Quartiers d'Ivry hosts the monthly TAGS public conferences featuring industry professionals. The school's location at Manufacture des Oeillets shares proximity, and the theatre provides an exceptional venue for student and professional encounters.
• APPEA (Association Nationale des Prépa Publiques aux Ecoles supérieures d'Art)minorOthersEPSAA is a member of APPEA, the national association connecting public preparatory art schools, facilitating exchanges and collaborative projects like workshops with Concept art school in Calais.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HEAD Genève (Haute école d'art et de design): HEAD is a Geneva-based public higher education institution offering programs in visual communication, graphic design, and digital creation. It shares EPSAA's state-recognized credentials, public funding model, and visual communication focus, though geographically focused on Switzerland.
• ECAL (École cantonale d'art de Lausanne): ECAL is a Swiss higher education school of art and design offering Bachelor's and Master's programs in graphic design, photography, and visual communication. It is comparable to EPSAA in discipline mix, public-institution status, and small cohort model, though it serves a different (French-speaking European) market.
• Strate École de Design: Strate is a French design school near Paris offering programs in product design, mobility, and digital design. It shares EPSAA's small-cohort, project-based pedagogy and state-recognized Master's-level credentials, targeting similar post-secondary design students.
• LISAA School of Art & Design: LISAA is a French private network of design and art schools offering Bachelor's and Master's-level programs in graphic design, motion design, and digital media. It competes with EPSAA for the same post-secondary students in similar design disciplines, especially in Paris.
• École Estienne: École Estienne is a Paris public school of graphic arts, design, and publishing under the Île-de-France region. It overlaps closely with EPSAA in graphics, typography, and visual communication programs, with comparable state-recognized certifications and small cohort model.
• École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs (ENSAD): ENSAD is a prestigious Paris public art school under the Ministry of Culture, offering programs in graphic design, photography, video, and digital creation. It shares EPSAA's Paris location, state-recognized credentials, and visual arts focus, though it operates with broader degree-granting authority and longer history.
• ENSCI - Les Ateliers: ENSCI is a Paris-based design school offering a postgraduate Master's-level program in industrial and product design. It is comparable to EPSAA as a Paris-based, public-interest design school with state-recognized credentials, project-based pedagogy, and small cohort sizes.
• Penninghen (École de Design Graphique): Penninghen is a Paris private art school focused on graphic design, interior architecture, and art direction. It targets the same student profile as EPSAA (preparatory-level entry, post-secondary degrees) but operates as a private institution with significantly higher tuition.
• Gobelins Paris: Gobelins is a Paris-based school of visual communication, animation, and design offering Bachelor's and Master's-level programs. It is directly comparable to EPSAA in target students, disciplines taught (graphic design, photography, motion), and state-recognized credentials, though it operates as a CCI (chamber of commerce) school rather than a municipal one.

Broad incumbents

• Central Saint Martins (UAL): Central Saint Martins is a leading London-based art and design college, part of University of the Arts London. It is comparable to EPSAA as a global art school with graphics and visual communication disciplines, though broader in scope (fashion, fine art) and operating at a much larger international scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/EcoleEPSAA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=29bJdYVMKk4
• Facebookfacebook.com/EPSAAofficiel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epsaa
• Instagraminstagram.com/epsaa_officiel
• TikToktiktok.com/@epsaa_off?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EPSAA