University in United Kingdom
London, England, United Kingdom
University profile
University of the Arts London (UAL) is a specialist creative university in London, formed of six Colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts. It began in 1986 as the London Institute and took the title University of the Arts London in 2004. Its legal form is a Higher Education Corporation under the Education Reform Act 1988, which makes it an exempt charity; the Colleges have no separate legal identities.
Teaching covers art, design, fashion, communication, media, screen and performance, from pre-degree and the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design through undergraduate, taught postgraduate and MPhil/PhD study, alongside short courses and online learning. The University offers more than 100 courses at pre-degree and undergraduate level. UAL also acts as an awarding and validating body: the UAL Awarding Body awards Ofqual-regulated pre-degree qualifications to approved centres in the UK and internationally.
Each College has its own site and identity: Central Saint Martins at Granary Square, King's Cross; London College of Communication at Elephant and Castle (design, media and screen); London College of Fashion at East Bank on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford; Camberwell College of Arts on Peckham Road; Chelsea College of Arts on John Islip Street; and Wimbledon College of Arts (theatre, film, television and performance design). All pre-degree courses are taught by the UAL School of Pre-degree Studies at Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush. University-wide institutes include the UAL Creative Computing Institute, the Decolonising Arts Institute, the Fashion Textiles and Technology Institute and the AKO Storytelling Institute.
UAL has almost 23,000 students from 130 countries. In 2024/25 it taught 22,341 students: 16,279 undergraduates, 4,389 taught postgraduates, 385 postgraduate researchers and 1,288 further education students, with 51% of students holding overseas fee status. Students can use every UAL library, and the Archives and Special Collections Centre holds collections including the Stanley Kubrick Archive. Accommodation Services runs halls of residence across London, among them Archwood House, Gardens House and Portland House near Camberwell, Emily Bowes Court, Sketch House, Wick Park, Furzedown Student Village and Cedars Hall, and Glassyard Building, with an events programme run through Halls Life.
International applicants get support from UAL representatives in many countries, BALEAP-accredited Pre-sessional English courses (7 weeks on campus or 12 weeks online), and international preparation courses at pre-degree level. UAL cites a ranking of second in the world for Art and Design in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.
Undergraduate, 2026/27 (full time): Home £9,790 a year (sandwich placement year £1,955; Turing or outgoing study abroad year £1,465). International £30,890 for students starting in 2024, 2025 or 2026; the 2026 international fee may rise by up to 5% in later years of a course. International sandwich year: £5,725 or 20% of the standard fee rate, whichever is lower. Channel Islands and Isle of Man students pay the Home rate.
Postgraduate taught, courses starting September 2026 to August 2027 (whole-course fees): Home MA/MSc/MRes 45-week courses £14,420 (standard rate) or £15,790 (higher rate); 60-week courses £15,100 (standard), £16,610 (higher) or £14,420 (lower); fully online £11,530; Graduate Diploma £14,420. International 45-week courses £30,890 (standard) or £34,885 (higher); 60-week courses £39,690 (standard), £44,350 (higher) or £34,880 (lower); fully online £24,720; Graduate Diploma £30,890. Part-time fees are pro rata, and MBA and other special-rate courses have individual fees.
Research degrees, 2026/27: Home £6,820 full time or £3,410 part time; International £27,100; writing-up status £1,125. Online distance learning (international students only) £27,100 full time or £13,550 part time.
Foundation and pre-degree, 2026/27: the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design is free for Home students under 19 and £5,255 (plus a £165 Awarding Body registration fee) for those aged 19 or over, who may apply for an Advanced Learner Loan. International pre-degree fees are £24,660 plus registration fees where applicable; the international Foundation Diploma fee for autumn 2027 entry is £25,155. International applicants pay a £4,000 tuition fee deposit to secure a place, and a waiver can be requested by students funded by an official financial sponsor.
A £1,500 UAL Bursary goes to every Home fee status student on a full-time undergraduate course (excluding the placement year) in 2026/27 who receives maximum funding from Student Finance England, Wales or Northern Ireland or the Student Awards Agency for Scotland. There is no application: SFE, SFW and SFNI students are assessed automatically if they consented to data sharing, while SAAS students send their funding confirmation letter to [email protected]. The bursary is paid in December. UAL Bursaries
200 scholarships, each a £7,000 fee waiver, are available for 2026/27 to Home fee status students who hold an offer for a full-time or part-time taught master's course (Grad Dip, MArch, MA, MBA, MFA, MRes or MSc; UAL Online courses excluded). Route 1 (means) is open to applicants receiving means-tested benefits including Universal Credit, previous hardship-based funding, or who have been in care; Route 2 (merit) requires a 2:1 or above and a personal statement. Applicants who already hold a postgraduate taught qualification are not eligible. The deadline for autumn 2026 starts is 26 June 2026, and for January 2027 starts 30 October 2026, with applications made through the 'my funding' page of the applicant portal. Home Postgraduate Scholarships
Up to 288 scholarships, each a £10,000 tuition fee waiver, are available for 2027/28 to Overseas fee status students who hold an offer for a full-time or part-time taught master's course starting in 2027/28 and have achieved, or are predicted, a 2:1 or equivalent. A selection panel assesses a personal statement answering three questions (up to 350 words each). The deadlines for September to November 2027 starts are 23 March 2027 (Round 1) and 18 May 2027 (Round 2), and applicants must apply in the same round in which their offer is made. International Postgraduate Scholarships
All scholarships can be searched by fee status, subject, College and level on the scholarships search.
UAL International Postgraduate £10,000 Scholarships →
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View scholarships for University of the Arts London →All undergraduate applicants apply through UCAS; UAL's UCAS institution code is U65. Accepted qualifications include A Levels, T Levels, BTEC Extended Diplomas, the UAL Extended Diploma, the International Baccalaureate Diploma and equivalent international qualifications; typical entry requirements are set out on each course page. Every application needs a personal statement of up to 4,000 characters answering the three UCAS questions and an academic reference. Many practice-based courses require a digital portfolio, which is not uploaded to UCAS: UAL requests it by email after the application and collects it through PebblePad. Some courses also set a written or video task. Interviews are booked through the MyApplications tab in the UAL Portal.
Key dates for September 2027 entry: UCAS deadline 13 January 2027 at 6pm (UK time); decisions on on-time applications no later than 12 May 2027; UCAS Extra from 25 February to 1 July 2027; final deadline for courses still open 30 June 2027 at 6pm. Applications received after 13 January may be reviewed after on-time applications. Applicants living in Iran, Crimea, Cuba, North Korea or Syria cannot apply through UCAS and should contact [email protected].
UK-based applicants with Home fee status who apply for the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design or an undergraduate course are assessed automatically for Contextual Admissions. Flagged applications, and portfolios, are considered in the context of personal circumstances. Care-experienced applicants and those who have come through UAL's Insights programme are automatically eligible.
The UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (one year, full time, at the School of Pre-degree Studies) requires a portfolio, a personal statement, a full Level 3 qualification such as A Levels or equivalent (for example IB Certificates with 2 at Higher Level and 1 at Standard Level, all grade 4 or above), and 3 GCSE passes at grade 4 or above including Maths and English. The application deadline for September 2027 entry is 27 January 2027, 1pm (GMT). A pass on the Foundation Diploma, together with a UCAS application and any additional course criteria, supports progression to a UAL undergraduate degree. International pre-degree routes include Level 3 Introduction to the Study of Design, Media and Screen, Level 3 Introduction to the Study of Fashion, Cert HE Preparation for Design, Media and Screen, and Cert HE International Preparation for Fashion.
Non-UK nationals must complete an Immigration History Form in the UAL Portal soon after applying, and may need to upload a passport copy, official English-translated transcripts and an English language certificate. Applicants who need a Student visa must take a UKVI-approved Secure English Language Test (SELT). UAL representatives in many countries help with applications, portfolios and visas.
Each course sets its own minimum, between IELTS 5.0 and 7.5 overall. Standard profiles are 5.0 (4.5 in each skill), 5.5 (4.5), 6.0 (5.5), 6.5 (5.5), 7.0 (6.0) and 7.5 (6.5); the Foundation Diploma requires IELTS 5.0 with at least 4.5 in each skill. Equivalent scores are accepted from PTE Academic UKVI (for example 59 for IELTS 6.0/6.5 and 66 for 7.0), TOEFL iBT, LanguageCert Academic SELT, Cambridge C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency, the Oxford Test of English (Advanced), Trinity ISE, PSI Skills for English and others. Most results are valid for 2 years. Exemptions apply to nationals of, or those who completed secondary education in, majority English-speaking countries; holders of qualifying English-taught UK-equivalent degrees for courses at RQF Level 6 or above; and some UK English qualifications. BALEAP-accredited Pre-sessional English courses let offer holders progress to their main course: 7 weeks on campus (for a 0.5 IELTS band improvement) or 12 weeks online (1.0 band).
Applications for Masters and Graduate Diploma courses are made online from the course page, and each course may only be applied for once per academic year. Requirements, written tasks, study proposals or CVs vary by course. Applicants may be asked for a digital portfolio through PebblePad and, on some courses, a 2-3 minute video. Transcripts and English certificates are uploaded through the UAL Portal. UAL recommends applying for no more than 3 courses and does not accept deferral requests. For 2026 entry the application rounds closed at 1pm UK time on 2 December 2025 (Round 1, decisions by 20 March 2026) and 18 March 2026 (Round 2, decisions by 19 June 2026); some courses review applications on a rolling basis and stay open until places are filled.
The minimum entry requirement is an upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent, and a master's degree in an appropriate subject is considered particularly valuable preparation. Applicants without this may be considered on the basis of alternative qualifications, professional experience or previous research. Applicants whose first language is not English need, for example, IELTS 7.0 with 7.0 in writing and no other component below 6.0, a recent MA (Merit or above) from a majority English-speaking country, or UAL's Pre-sessional Academic English Programme. Full-time study lasts 4 years for the PhD and 3 years for the MPhil (8 and 6 years part time). The deadline for January 2027 entry was 11.59pm (BST) on 31 August 2026. Overseas applicants are advised to apply early, as the Student visa application takes a minimum of 6 weeks.
Libraries: Students can use all UAL libraries, which have open-access and bookable study spaces, computers, printing and laptop loans. The Archives and Special Collections Centre holds the University's archives and the Stanley Kubrick Archive.
Halls of residence: Halls include Archwood House, Gardens House and Portland House (Camberwell), Emily Bowes Court, Furzedown Student Village and Cedars Hall (Tooting), Glassyard Building (Stockwell), Sketch House (Finsbury Park), Wick Park (near LCF), YourTRIBE Southwark (Peckham), The Costume Store and Town Hall Camberwell. Rooms are booked through the Student Accommodation Portal, with accessible rooms, quiet living options and short stays available.
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