University for the Creative Arts

Overview

The University for the Creative Arts justify is a well-known ‘art and design university’ situated in the south of England. Students find a creative journey through this unique institution to make the world a better place.

It is the place for talents to make a difference, work with professional creatives, and build industry experience. So many expert tutors inspire students to build a creative future.

Therefore, people from all different backgrounds gather here and feel excited to join a close-knit community. The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has flexible as well as creative undergraduate, postgraduate, and research degrees.



It also offers pre-degree and foundation studies as an alternative to A-levels. Meanwhile, pre-degree studies are designed suitably even for mature students who wish to flourish their creativity.

University of the Arts Creative Opportunities

University for the Creative Arts (UCA) students get an opportunity to work alongside practising artists and industry leaders who share their in-depth knowledge and experience during their study period.

Therefore, career advisers will be there for students to show them how to make the most of industry contacts, and students can access universities’ online resources, lectures, workshops, and live events even after their graduation. Moreover, the university opens a graduation show to the world by sharing graduates’ incredible works and information.

Creative arts graduates are cordially accepted anywhere around the world. Almost 97% of the employment rate is found in the UK. A great employment opportunity is waiting for this creative skill. Large companies offer attractive positions to degree holders.

History

The origin of the university was found in 1867. At that time, the Maidstone College of Art was established. After that, the college changed names to be The Kent Institute of Art and Design, which started its’ journey with multiple art colleges in 1987.

In 2004, the institution was initially established as a university. And finally, this art institute is given university status and becomes the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in 2008.

Students Statistics

  • Female-63%
  • Male-35%
  • Other-2%
  • UK Students-75%
  • EU Students-6%
  • International-20%
  • Full-time-77%
  • Part-time-23%
  • First year-51%
  • Other years-50%
  • Postgraduate-14%
  • Undergraduate-86%

  • Ranking Achievements

  • 73rd in the UK (Times University Guide 2024)
  • 71st in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2024)
  • Ranked country's top creative specialist university for 2021 in The Guardian Best Universities League Table.
  • Secured the highest position as a specialist arts institution in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019).
  • Secured the 7th position for business and management in the Guardian Best Universities League Table.
  • Regarded as the best quality teaching in the most recent Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework assessment.
  • 93% of research works were internationally recognised in the recent Research Excellence Framework assessment.
  • Ranked 71st in the Times University Guide 2021
  • Secured 33rd place in the Guardian University Guide 2021
  • Ranked 44th in The Complete University Guide 2021; University Ranking (UK)
  • NSS 2021 Rank: 137
  • The Guardian-32
  • Faculties

    Subject Areas

    University for the Creative Arts (UCA) students gain real-world skills that are appreciated by creative employers. A lot of interesting subjects are offered by UCA.

    They are as follows:
  • Animation
  • Communication and media
  • Crafts
  • Film
  • Games
  • Graphic Design
  • Illustration
  • Interior Design
  • Music
  • Performing Arts
  • Photography
  • Product Design
  • Pre-degree courses
  • TV
  • Textiles
  • Advertising
  • Architecture
  • Business and Management
  • Computer Arts
  • Fashion
  • Fine Art
  • Marketing
  • UCA Fees

    UCA fees for international students is - £8,750- £17,500

    UCA Scholarships

    The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and fee discounts to assist students with the cost of their studies. UCA scholarships are given below:

    Scholarships: undergraduate courses
  • Sir Ray Tindle Scholarship (up to three available)  - £1,500 per year for the duration of the course
  • Invicta Scholarship
  • Elaine Thomas Bursary for Care Leavers-£1,500 per year
  • The Elizabeth Hammond Bursary
  • Bashir Makhoul International Excellence Scholarship
  • Ones to Watch Scholarship Competition
  • Future Style-Makers Scholarship Competition

  • Scholarships for Postgraduate Courses
  • Nick Jack Scholarship
  • Elfriede Windsor Scholarship
  • UCA Creative Europe Scholarship

  • International students have the opportunity to get fee discounts. The international fee discounts for new students are:
  • Early-bird reduction
  • International Future Leaders of the Creative Industries Scholarships
  • UCA Crafts Scholarships
  • Vice Chancellor’s Scholarships
  • UCA Impact Scholarships

  • The international fee discounts for current students.

    Apart from that, there are lots of fee discounts available for UK students. However, the UCA‘s Researcher Development Framework (RDF) is designed by academic leaders and builds the UK’s research base. Students can apply for both external and internal funding for their research.

    Courses

    Foundation

  • Art, Design& Media - Farnham
  • add tofavourites
  • Business
  • Creative Writing – Open Foundation
  • Drawing – Open Foundation
  • International Foundation in Art, Design and Media
  • International Foundation in Art, Design and Media
  • International Foundation in Art, Design and Media
  • International Foundation in Art, Design and Media
  • International Foundation in Business
  • Music – Open Foundation
  • Pathway for Art, Design & Business
  • Photography – Open Foundation
  • Textiles – Open Foundation

  • Undergraduate

  • Acting & Performance BA (Hons)
  • Advertising BA/BSc (Hons)
  • Animation - Four Year BA (Hons)
  • Animation BA (Hons)
  • BA (Hons) Creative Arts
  • BA (Hons) Creative Writing
  • BA (Hons) Drawing
  • BA (Hons) Fine Art
  • BA (Hons) Garden Design
  • BA (Hons) Graphic Design
  • BA (Hons) Illustration
  • BA (Hons) Interior Design
  • BA (Hons) Music
  • BA (Hons) Painting
  • BA (Hons) Photography
  • BA (Hons) Visual Communications
  • Business and Management
  • Business and Management with Professional Practice Year
  • Business Innovation & Management BA (Hons)
  • Ceramics & Glass BA (Hons)
  • Computer Animation Arts BA (Hons)
  • Creative Computing BSc (Hons)
  • Creative Industries Management in Fashion BA (Hons)
  • Design for Theatre & Screen BA (Hons)
  • Digital Marketing & Social Media BA/BSc (Hons)
  • Digital Media & Magazine Publishing BA/BSc (Hons)
  • Event & Promotions Management BA/BSc (Hons)
  • Fashion - Epsom
  • Fashion Atelier BA (Hons)
  • Fashion BA (Hons)
  • Fashion Branding & Communication BA (Hons)
  • Fashion Business & Management BA/BSc (Hons)
  • Fashion Business and Management
  • Fashion Business and Management with Professional Practice Year
  • Fashion Design - Four Years BA (Hons)
  • Fashion Design BA (Hons)
  • Fashion Image & Styling BA (Hons)
  • Fashion Photography BA (Hons)
  • Fashion Textiles BA (Hons)
  • Film & Digital Art BA (Hons)
  • Film Production
  • Fine Art - Four Year BA (Hons)
  • Fine Art BA (Hons)
  • Games Arts BA (Hons)
  • Graphic Design
  • Hand Embroidery BA (Hons)
  • Illustration & Animation BA (Hons)
  • Illustration - Four year BA (Hons)
  • Illustration BA (Hons)
  • Industrial Design BSc (Hons)
  • Jewellery & Silversmithing BA (Hons)
  • Make-Up & Hair Design BA (Hons)
  • Music Business & Management BA/BSc (Hons)
  • Music Composition & Technology BA/BSc (Hons)
  • Photography - Four years BA (Hons)
  • Photography BA (Hons)
  • Product & Furniture Design BA (Hons)
  • Television & Media Production BA (Hons)
  • Television Production BA (Hons)
  • Textile Design BA (Hons)

  • Postgraduate

  • Animation MA
  • Architecture MA
  • Art, Design and Media - Farnham
  • Ceramics MA
  • Creative Direction for Fashion MA
  • Creative Education Postgraduate Certificate
  • Design & Brand Management MA/MSc
  • Digital Fashion MA
  • Digital Media MA
  • Experience & Service Design MA/MSc
  • Experimental Film MA
  • Fashion Business and Management
  • Fashion Design
  • Fashion Photography MA
  • Filmmaking (FT)
  • Filmmaking MA
  • Games Design MA
  • Glass MA
  • Global Marketing and Communications
  • Global Master of Business and Management (MBM)
  • Graphic Design (FT)
  • Graphic Design MA
  • Human Resource Management for the Creative Industries MA/MSc
  • Illustration MA
  • Interface & Interactive Design MA
  • Interior Design (FT)
  • Interior Design MA
  • International Music Management MA/MSc
  • Jewellery MA
  • Luxury Business Management MA/MSc
  • Master of Architecture MArch
  • Photography MA
  • Photography MFA
  • Printed Textiles for Fashion & Interiors MA
  • Product Design MA
  • Professional Practice in Architecture Postgraduate Certificate
  • Screen Acting & Performance MA
  • Textiles MA
  • Visual Communication (FT)

  • Pre-Masters

  • Animation (15 Weeks)
  • Animation (30 Weeks)
  • Architecture (15 Weeks)
  • Architecture (30 Weeks)
  • Art Writing (15 Weeks)
  • Art Writing (30 Weeks)
  • Ceramics (15 Weeks)
  • Ceramics (30 Weeks)
  • Composition for Screen (15 Weeks)
  • Composition for Screen (30 Weeks)
  • Creative Direction for Fashion (15 Weeks)
  • Creative Direction for Fashion (30 Weeks)
  • Curation (15 Weeks)
  • Curation (30 Weeks)
  • Design Innovation & Brand Management (15 Weeks)
  • Design Innovation & Brand Management (30 Weeks)
  • Digital Fashion (15 Weeks)
  • Digital Fashion (30 Weeks)
  • Experience & Service Design (15 Weeks)
  • Experience & Service Design (30 Weeks)
  • Experimental Film (15 Weeks)
  • Experimental Film (30 Weeks)
  • Fashion Business & Management (15 Weeks)
  • Fashion Business & Management (30 Weeks)
  • Fashion Design (15 Weeks)
  • Fashion Design (30 Weeks)
  • Fashion Forecasting & Data Analysis (15 Weeks)
  • Fashion Forecasting & Data Analysis (30 Weeks)
  • Fashion Photography (15 Weeks)
  • Fashion Photography (30 Weeks)
  • Filmmaking (15 Weeks)
  • Filmmaking (30 Weeks)
  • Fine Art (15 Weeks)
  • Fine Art (30 Weeks)
  • Fine Art (Canterbury) (15 Weeks)
  • Fine Art (Canterbury) (30 Weeks)
  • Fine Art (Farnham) (15 Weeks)
  • Fine Art (Farnham) (30 Weeks)
  • Game Engineering (15 Weeks)
  • Game Engineering (30 Weeks)
  • Games Design (15 Weeks)
  • Games Design (30 Weeks)
  • Glass (15 Weeks)
  • Glass (30 Weeks)
  • Global Business & Management (15 Weeks)
  • Global Business & Management (30 Weeks)
  • Global Fashion Cultures (15 Weeks)
  • Global Fashion Cultures (30 Weeks)
  • Global Marketing & Communications (15 Weeks)
  • Global Marketing & Communications (30 Weeks)
  • Graphic Design (15 Weeks)
  • Graphic Design (30 Weeks)
  • Human Computer Interaction (15 Weeks)
  • Human Computer Interaction (30 Weeks)
  • Human Resource Management for the Creative Industries (15 Weeks)
  • Human Resource Management for the Creative Industries (30 Weeks)
  • Illustration (15 Weeks)
  • Illustration (30 Weeks)
  • Independent & Serious Games (15 Weeks)
  • Independent & Serious Games (30 Weeks)
  • Interactive App Development (15 Weeks)
  • Interactive App Development (30 Weeks)
  • Interface & Interactive Design (15 Weeks)
  • Interface & Interactive Design (30 Weeks)
  • Interior Decoration & Styling (15 Weeks)
  • Interior Decoration & Styling (30 Weeks)
  • Interior Design (15 Weeks)
  • Interior Design (30 Weeks)
  • International Music Management (15 Weeks)
  • International Music Management (30 Weeks)
  • Jewellery (15 Weeks)
  • Jewellery (30 Weeks)
  • Landscape Architecture (15 Weeks)
  • Landscape Architecture (30 Weeks)
  • Luxury Business Management (15 Weeks)
  • Luxury Business Management (30 Weeks)
  • Luxury Buying & Logistics (15 Weeks)
  • Luxury Buying & Logistics (30 Weeks)
  • MBA (15 Weeks)
  • MBA (30 Weeks)
  • Photography (15 Weeks)
  • Photography (2 Years) (15 Weeks)
  • Photography (2 Years) (30 Weeks)
  • Photography (30 Weeks)
  • Product Design (15 Weeks)
  • Product Design (30 Weeks)
  • Screen Acting & Performance (15 Weeks)
  • Screen Acting & Performance (30 Weeks)
  • Textiles (15 Weeks)
  • Textiles (30 Weeks)
  • Urban Design (15 Weeks)
  • Urban Design (30 Weeks)
  • User Experience Design (15 Weeks)
  • User Experience Design (30 Weeks)
  • Virtual & Immersive Reality (15 Weeks)
  • Virtual & Immersive Reality (30 Weeks)
  • Visual Communication (15 Weeks)
  • Visual Communication (30 Weeks)
  • Visual Effects (15 Weeks)
  • Visual Effects (30 Weeks)
  • Facilities & Services

  • Career-focused learning and working closely with course teams
  • The latest computer technology
  • Well-decorated library with exhibition catalogues, e-books, archival, and broadcast materials
  • UCA’s special creative studios and workshops reflect an ideal place for research activities.
  • Archives and special collections with abundant resources that are accessible
  • Specific learning needs for disabilities
  • Spacious studios
  • UCA has a well-decorated library with up-to-date research information.
  • Traditional craft workshops
  • Dye labs
  • Well-equipped art shops and modern amenities

  • Student Life

    The UCA Students’ Union (UCASU) is the mouthpiece of university students that ensures students best at every level and on every issue. The union does everything from fundraising to volunteering and entertainment. During their time at UCA, students can learn new skills, meet new people, and organise live music and regular quiz nights.

    UCASU is independent but always prioritises student interests. After enrollment, every student will automatically be a member of the Students’ Union. So, they can benefit from everything and be able to raise any kind of issue or query.

    Accommodation

    University for the Creative Arts (UCA) students get both on-campus and off-campus facilities. The halls of residence are managed by the university authority. The flats and houses are well decorated with single study bedrooms, which are self-catering.

    The names of the campuses are given below:
  • UCA Canterbury
  • UCA Epsom
  • UCA Farnham
  • UCA Rochester

  • Another campuses 
  • Maidstone TV studios
  • Royal School of Needlewor

  • Apart from that, students can rent private accommodations.

    Transports

    University for the Creative Arts students can travel easily from one place to another by train (South Western Railway) or public transport. Epson and Farnham in Surrey take an hour to reach the international airports.

    Location

    The University of Creative Arts includes campuses in Canterbury, Maidstone, and Rochester, situated in the county of Kent, approximately one hour southeast of London. Additionally, the university has campuses in Epson and Farnham, located in Surrey, about an hour west of London. Both locations are situated within a one-hour drive of international airports.

    FAQ’s

    Why study at UCA UK?

    UCA's curricula are renowned for their exceptional teaching quality and are held in high regard by businesses in the creative industry. Additionally, they are home to the United Kingdom's inaugural business school dedicated to the creative industries.

    Is the University for the Creative Arts public or private?

    The Institution College for the Creative Arts is a specialist public institution in the United Kingdom that focuses on arts and design.

    Is UCA UK a good university?

    According to the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2022, the University for the Creative Arts is positioned at #151-200. The basis for this ranking consists of academic reputation and employer reputation.

    What is the acceptance rate for UCA London?

    There is no prerequisite grade required for admission to UCA. The university has a fairly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 77%.

    Is UCA outside London?

    The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) is located in the picturesque areas of Surrey and Kent, approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes away from London by rail.

    What GPA do you need for UCA?

    UCA may enrol a first-time freshman who meets the following criteria: Applicants must have a least combined high school grade point average (GPA) of 2.50 or above on a 4.0 grading scale for all coursework completed in secondary school or a home school programme.

    Is it easy to get into the UCA?

    The university has a moderately rigorous admissions procedure, resulting in a 77% acceptance rate.