University of the Arts London

Overview

Camberwell College of Arts, Central St. Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion, and Wimbledon College of Arts are the six art and design colleges that make up the University of the Arts London. With more than 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students, including 6,000 from outside the EU, the University of the Arts London is Europe’s leading art and design school.

Photography, graphic design, interior design, product design, media, fine art, and performance art are all part of the curriculum at the University of the Arts London.



History

The institution was established in 1986 as the London Institute from seven separate art, design, fashion, and media institutions that were merged for administrative reasons.

Their names were as follows: Saint Martin’s, Chelsea, the London College of Printing, Central, Camberwell, and the College for Distributive Trades, and the London College of Fashion. In the first half of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries, colleges were founded.

In 1988, the London Institute was consolidated into a single legal body under the Education Reform Act. The first court of governors was established the following year, in 1989. John McKenzie was appointed as the first rector.

In 1993, the Privy Council bestowed degree-granting authority on the institute. Following McKenzie’s retirement in 1996, Sir William Stubbs was appointed rector. In 1998, the institute was bestowed with a coat of arms.

The first chancellor, Lord Stevenson of Coddenham, was installed in 2000, and in 1999, Will Wyatt was appointed chairman of governors.


Location

Established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the University Arts London is a conglomeration of six prestigious colleges dedicated to the arts, design, fashion, and media. All over London, you’ll find colleges that both embrace and enrich the local culture.

Students can easily access all of London’s educational institutions and finest attractions via the city’s extensive public transport system, which includes the tube, train, and bus networks.


Student Statistics

  • Female- 75%
  • Male-24%
  • Other-0%
  • UK Students-47%
  • EU Students-14%
  • International-39%
  • Full-time-97%
  • Part-time-3%
  • First year-43%
  • Other years-57%
  • Postgraduate-23%
  • Undergraduate-77%

  • Ranking & Achievements

  • 42nd the in the UK (Times University Guide 2024)
  • 15th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2024)
  • 2nd in the world for Art and Design according to the 2022 QS World University Rankings
  • 101-120 in QS WUR Ranking By Subject 2023

  • The percentage of UAL research that was deemed world-leading (4*) or internationally outstanding (3*) increased by 2% from 2014 to 85% in the REF 2021. When it comes to research in the fields of art and design (A&D), UAL ranks first among practice-based institutions and among the best-performing specialist HEIs.


    Facilities and Services

    Students from other countries can get a head start on their studies at the University of the Arts London by enrolling in English language courses before classes even begin. If students want to get better at reading and writing, they can do it while they get their degree.

    The purpose of each of these courses is to help first-year students adjust to university life in the UK and to their studies there, while the purpose of the in-sessional courses is to be there for students whenever they need it.


    Tuition fees

    For an undergraduate degree in 2023/24- £25,970

    For 2023/24 postgraduate international tuition fees: 


  • Higher rate- £29,330 (45 weeks) and £37,280 (60 weeks) half of which must be paid in Year 1
  • Standard rate £25,970 (45 weeks) and £33,360 (60 weeks) half of which must be paid in Year 1
  • Lower rate- £22,780 (45 weeks) and £29,330 (60 weeks) half of which must be paid in Year 1
  • Fully online- £20,780 (45 weeks) and £26,690 (60 weeks) half of which must be paid in Year 1

  • Scholarships

  • UAL International Postgraduate £7,000 Scholarships

  • The UAL Colleges and Institutes offer a variety of master’s degrees, including full-time, part-time, and online options, and this scholarship will cover up to £7,000 of the cost of tuition. There is a competition for 300 postgraduate scholarships of £7,000 each year at UAL International.

  • UAL International Postgraduate £50,000 Scholarship and accommodation award

  • The recipient of this scholarship will not only get full or partial payment for their tuition and living expenses but they will also be provided with housing in one of UAL’s residence halls. Four postgraduate scholarships totalling £50,000 are up for grabs at UAL International.

    Courses

    Foundation Courses

  • Art and Design (Camberwell College of Arts)
  • Art and Design (Central Saint Martins)
  • Computer Science
  • Creative Computing
  • Data Science and AI
  • Fashion

  • Undergraduate Courses

  • 3D Effects for Performance and Fashion
  • Acting and Performance
  • Advertising
  • Animation
  • Apple Development
  • Architecture
  • Bespoke Tailoring
  • Ceramic Design
  • Commercial Photography
  • Computer Animation and Visual Effects
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science (with Foundation Year)
  • Contemporary Media Cultures
  • Contemporary Theatre and Performance
  • Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories
  • Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Cordwainers Footwear
  • Cordwainers Footwear (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Cosmetic Science
  • Cosmetic Science (with a placement year in Industry)
  • Costume for Performance
  • Costume for Theatre and Screen
  • Creative Computing
  • Creative Computing (1 Year)
  • Creative Computing (with Foundation Year)
  • Creative Direction for Fashion
  • Creative Robotics
  • Creative Technical Theatre
  • Critical Practice in Fashion Media
  • Culture, Criticism and Curation
  • Data Science and AI
  • Data Science and AI (with Foundation Year)
  • Design for Art Direction
  • Design for Branded Spaces
  • Design for Climate Justice
  • Design Management
  • Fashion Buying and Merchandising
  • Fashion Buying and Merchandising (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Fashion Communication: Histories and Theories
  • Fashion Communication: Image and Promotion
  • Fashion Communication: Journalism
  • Fashion Contour
  • Fashion Contour (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Fashion Design and Development
  • Fashion Design and Development (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Fashion Design Technology: Menswear
  • Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear
  • Fashion Design: Communication
  • Fashion Design: Knitwear
  • Fashion Design: Menswear
  • Fashion Design: Print
  • Fashion Design: Womenswear
  • Fashion Imaging and Illustration
  • Fashion Jewellery
  • Fashion Journalism and Content Creation
  • Fashion Management
  • Fashion Management (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Fashion Marketing
  • Fashion Marketing (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Fashion Marketing and Consumer Behaviour
  • Fashion Marketing and Content Creation
  • Fashion Pattern Cutting
  • Fashion Pattern Cutting (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Fashion Photography
  • Fashion Public Relations and Communication
  • Fashion Sportswear
  • Fashion Sportswear (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Fashion Styling and Production
  • Fashion Textiles: Embroidery
  • Fashion Textiles: Knit
  • Fashion Textiles: Print
  • Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding
  • Fashion Visual Merchandising and Branding (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Film and Screen Studies
  • Film and Television
  • Film Practice
  • Fine Art (Central Saint Martins)
  • Fine Art (Chelsea College of Arts)
  • Fine Art: Computational Arts
  • Fine Art: Drawing
  • Fine Art: Painting
  • Fine Art: Photography
  • Fine Art: Sculpture
  • Games Art
  • Games Design
  • Graphic and Media Design
  • Graphic Branding and Identity
  • Graphic Communication Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Graphic Design Communication
  • Hair and Make-up for Fashion
  • Hair, Make-up and Prosthetics for Performance
  • Illustration
  • Illustration and Visual Media
  • Immersive Media and Mixed Reality
  • Interaction Design Arts
  • Interior and Spatial Design
  • Interior Design
  • Jewellery Design
  • Journalism
  • Magazine Journalism and Publishing
  • Media Communications
  • Music Production
  • Performance: Design and Practice
  • Photography
  • Photojournalism and Documentary Photography
  • Product and Furniture Design
  • Product and Industrial Design
  • Production Arts for Screen
  • Psychology of Fashion
  • Public Relations
  • Service Design
  • Sound Arts
  • Strategic Fashion Management
  • Strategic Fashion Management (with Placement Year in Industry)
  • Technical Arts for Theatre and Performance
  • Textile Design (Central Saint Martins)
  • Textile Design (Chelsea College of Arts)
  • Theatre Design
  • User Experience Design

  • Postgraduate Courses

  • 3D Computer Animation
  • Advertising
  • Animation
  • Animation (Online)
  • Applied Imagination
  • Architecture
  • Art and Science
  • Art: Exhibition Studies
  • Art: Moving Image
  • Art: Theory and Philosophy
  • Arts and Cultural Enterprise
  • Biodesign
  • Character Animation
  • Cities
  • Communicating Complexity
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science (Online)
  • Computing and Creative Industry (Modular)
  • Computing and Creative Industry (Modular) (Online)
  • Contemporary Photography; Practices and Philosophies
  • Costume Design for Performance
  • Creative Computing
  • Creative Computing (1 Year)
  • Creative Computing (Including Thesis Project)
  • Creative Computing (Online)
  • Creative Robotics
  • Culture, Criticism and Curation
  • Curating and Collections
  • Data Science and AI
  • Data Science and AI for the Creative Industries
  • Data Science and AI for the Creative Industries (Online)
  • Design (Ceramics, Furniture, Jewellery)
  • Design for Art Direction
  • Design for Data Visualisation
  • Design for Industry 5.0
  • Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures
  • Design for Visual Communication
  • Design for Visual Communication (30 Weeks)
  • Design Management
  • Design, Media and Screen
  • Designer Maker
  • Documentary Film
  • Fashion
  • Fashion (Knitwear for Fashion)
  • Fashion (Menswear Fashion)
  • Fashion (Womenswear Fashion)
  • Fashion Artefact
  • Fashion Artefact (Low Residency)
  • Fashion Communication: Fashion Image
  • Fashion Communication: Fashion Journalism
  • Fashion Communication: Histories and Theories
  • Fashion Cultures and Histories
  • Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming
  • Fashion Design Management
  • Fashion Design Technology
  • Fashion Design Technology (Menswear)
  • Fashion Design Technology (Womenswear)
  • Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • Fashion Futures
  • Fashion Journalism
  • Fashion Management
  • Fashion Marketing and Sustainability
  • Fashion Media and Communication
  • Fashion Photography
  • Fashion Textiles Technologies
  • Film
  • Fine Art
  • Fine Art (Camberwell College of Arts)
  • Fine Art (Central Saint Martins)
  • Fine Art (Chelsea College of Arts)
  • Fine Art: Digital (Online)
  • Footwear
  • Games Design
  • Global Collaborative Design Practice
  • Global Fashion Retailing
  • Graphic Branding and Identity
  • Graphic Communication Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Graphic Design Communication
  • Graphic Media Design
  • Illustration
  • Illustration (1 Year)
  • Illustration and Visual Media
  • Industrial Design
  • Innovation Management
  • Innovative Fashion Production
  • Interaction Design
  • Intercultural Practices
  • Interior and Spatial Design
  • Interior Design
  • Internet Equalities
  • Internet Equalities (Online)
  • Journalism: Audio and Video Journalism
  • Journalism: Social Justice Journalism
  • Material Futures
  • MBA (Central Saint Martins)
  • MBA (London College of Fashion)
  • Media, Communications and Critical Practice
  • Music Production
  • Narrative Environments
  • Pattern and Garment Technology
  • Performance: Design and Practice
  • Performance: Politics and Social Justice
  • Performance: Screen
  • Performance: Society
  • Performance: Theatre Making
  • Performance: Writing
  • Photography
  • Photojournalism and Documentary Photography
  • Photojournalism and Documentary Photography (Online)
  • Public Relations
  • Publishing
  • Puppetry
  • Regenerative Design
  • Screenwriting
  • Service Design
  • Sound Arts
  • Strategic Fashion Marketing
  • Television
  • Textile Design
  • Textile Design (1 Year)
  • Theatre and Performance Design
  • User Experience Design
  • Virtual Reality
  • Visual Effects

  • Research

  • MPhil
  • PhD
  • Student Life

    London attracts thousands of students every year from all over the world since it was named the best student city in the world in 2022 by QS. It is an ideal location for our students to grow as artists and entrepreneurs because of its wealth of cutting-edge businesses, vibrant cultural scene, and top-notch educational institutions.

    More than 170 museums, 200 theatres, and innumerable independent art galleries and cultural venues call this city home. London stands out above other major cities due to the number of parks and green spaces it possesses.

    There is no shortage of places to get away from it all and enjoy nature in London, from the vast Hyde Park and St. James’s Park in the west to the northern wilderness of Hampstead Heath.

    Student Support

    Learn more about London life, get useful information about relocating to the UK, and get a special deal on airport collections—all before you set foot on British soil.

    If you need help meeting the language requirements of your course, we offer Pre-sessional English and other resources.

    Accommodation

    There are twelve residence halls located all throughout London that house more than three thousand students at the University of the Arts London. Priority housing is granted to international undergraduates residing in resident halls for the first academic year.

    Anyone looking for a place to call home in London’s private housing market can benefit from attending a house-hunting session. The University of the Arts London’s accommodation services staff is available to answer questions and offer guidance all during your time here.


    FAQ’s

    Is the University of the Arts London public or private?

    The University of the Arts London is a public university.

    What is the ranking of the University of the Arts London?

  • 42nd the in the UK (Times University Guide 2024)
  • 15th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2024)

  • Is it hard to get into UAL?

    In general, applying to any college (LCF) and getting into UAL is a daunting undertaking. Even though it is the biggest design and specialist university in Europe, not everyone will be able to attend. Worldwide, UAL has an acceptance rate of about 43.2%.

    How much does it cost to study in UAL?

    International tuition fees- £17,920- 37,280

    What is University of Arts London known for?

    The biggest university in Europe devoted to the study of the arts—including design, fashion, and performance—is the University of the Arts London.

    Does UAL offer scholarships?

    The University of London Postgraduate Scholarships could be the key to finally pursuing your dream degree at a price you can afford, with options for both domestic and international students.

    Does UAL require IELTS?

    IELTS (or its international equivalent) score of 6.0 or above, with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the four skills.