Assessment and appeal

Assessment and appeal

How are applications assessed?

Stage 1 of selection

An administrative eligibility check is performed immediately after the end of the Call of Application. This eligibility check covers:

  • respect of application deadline;
  • completeness of the application file;
  • eligibility of the candidate in relation to the EMJM criteria.

Ineligible applicants will be informed immediately after the eligibility check and provided with the reasons of ineligibility. 

An academic eligibility check is also performed. Application files whose profile does not match the fundamental requirements of the DIGICREA programme will be discarded without quantitative evaluation. 

Each eligible applications are evaluated by members of the Examination and Selection Board according to the scoring table and weighted criteria as indicated below:

Criteria used to assess online application

weight

Academic excellence & potential

40%

 

recognition of home institution/ recognition of the first degree

rank/grades/distinctions 

20%

 

Adequacy of academic background with DIGICREA requirements

20%

Track-record

40%

 

Research projects / Professional experience / Former international experience

25%

 

Recommendation (academic and professionals)

15%

Motivation (as per cover letter)

20%

English proficiency (as per cover letter + test scores)

Discriminating variable (pass/fail)

The evaluation is scored on a scale of 5 (5=Excellent, 4=Very good, 3=Good, 2=Satisfactory, 1=Sufficient, 0=Insufficient). All evaluators are required to share the same view on the criteria to be applied and to ensure correspondence between subjective quality of each item and the scale used. All applications that achieve an average rating of 3.5/5 or higher after full partner evaluation will be selected for stage 2.

Stage 2 of selection

All applications selected for stage 2 will be scheduled for an online 15-minute interview (forecast dates April 7 to 9). The conversation will recognize the candidate's personality characteristics, way of thinking, personal life experience, and character attributes. During this second stage, the applicants’ performance is scored on a scale of 5.

Criteria used to assess interview performance

weight

ability to listen, understand questions and provide relevant and concise answers

10%

ability to illustrate personality and skills, and notably soft skills, by providing past real life stories to answer competency-based questions

20%

ability to demonstrate adequacy and consistency between the academic background, objectives of the Programme and professional project

20%

knowledge of Programme objectives

20%

degree of engagement for the Programme (with respect to other on-going applications) and motivation for the specific training of DIGICREA

30%

English proficiency (oral expression and understanding)

Discriminating variable (pass/fail)

The final grade of each application is determined by calculating the average of the application score (stage 1) and the interview grade (stage 2).

As a maximum of 10% EMJM scholarships can be delivered to students from the same nationality for the duration of the European Funding (2024-30), only a maximum of 5 of the best students from each country could be selected over the period.

Final selection is agreed during a final meeting with all partners full consensus on the basis of averaged selection and interview grades.

A final administrative check is performed (diploma authenticity, contact of applicants’ referees).

Successful applicants are notified of the outcome of their application by email. Non-successful applicants can appeal  the selection committee decisions (see below). Only aggregated statistics on applicants and selected students are published to ensure the confidentiality of applicants. Original certificates of admission will be sent to successful applicants.

Tips for a successful application

Before applying online,

  • Take the time to read about DIGICREA program (see How to apply and FAQ )
  • Read selection criteria, that will help you focus on what matters
  • The DIGICREA programme aims at training experts in the fields of new audio-visual media, new technologies in the film industry, music, graphics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and their applications in a broad context. Students need to submit artistic works. 
  • The Examination and Selection Board initially assesses the candidates' predispositions to professions related to the use of digital technologies for the production of audiovisual and musical forms, including the production of documents in Virtual/Extended Reality.

During the interview:

  • Be confident
  • Make sure you understand the questions of the jury. Don’t hesitate to ask your jury to rephrase questions if necessary
  • The interview should sound more like a conversation: follow-up on question, be proactive
  • Listen to the jury and be concise. Keep to the point. Be as specific as possible
  • Prepare brief real life stories to discuss your accomplishments, strengths and your ability to learn from past experiences
  • Tell us your story: why you’re here, where you come from, where you want to go?

Appeal procedure

Candidates wishing to appeal the jury's decision may contact the DIGICREA Consortium for further information: digicrea @ univ-st-etienne.fr

Unsuccessful applicants to the programme and/or the associated scholarship may appeal following the rejection of their application (including application to EMJM scholarships that are attributed at the time of selection), provided that they have good arguments to oppose.

Candidates who fail to provide the required documents within the established timeframes should not submit an appeal. The purpose of the appeal procedure is to consider any concerns you may have regarding the handling of your proposal in the evaluation and eligibility-check process.

If after reading the above mentioned conditions you still have reasons to believe that a mistake has been made, please send an email to digicrea @ univ-st-etienne.fr with all the necessary information. All appeals have to be submitted within ten (10) days following the publication of selection outcome at the latest.