Former name | London Institute (1986–2004) |
---|---|
Motto | Primus inter artifices |
Motto in English | First among artists |
Type | Public |
Established | 1986 |
Endowment | £6.5 million (2023) [1] |
Budget | £419.3 million (2022/23) [1] |
Chancellor | Clive Myrie |
Vice-Chancellor | Karen Stanton (interim) |
Academic staff | 2,740 (2022/23) [2] |
Administrative staff | 1,720 (2022/23) [2] |
Students | 23,625 (2022/23) [3] |
Undergraduates | 17,520 (2022/23) [3] |
Postgraduates | 6,105 (2022/23) [3] |
Other students | 1,329 FE (2021/22) [1] |
Location | London , United Kingdom 51°31′4″N0°6′59″W / 51.51778°N 0.11639°W |
Colours | |
Affiliations | Universities UK |
Website | arts |
The University of the Arts London is a public collegiate university in London, England, United Kingdom. It specialises in arts, design, fashion, and the performing arts. [4] The university is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, the London College of Communication, the London College of Fashion and the Wimbledon College of Arts. [5] : 263
The University of the Arts London was established as The London Institute in 1986, became a university in 2003, and took its present name in 2004. The university hosts one of the largest international student bodies out of all universities in the United Kingdom.
The university has its origins in seven previously independent art, design, fashion and media colleges, which were brought together for administrative purposes to form the London Institute in 1986. [6] They were: Saint Martin's School of Art; Chelsea School of Art; the London College of Printing; the Central School of Art and Design; Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts; the College for Distributive Trades; and the London College of Fashion. [7] The colleges were originally established between the mid-nineteenth and the early twentieth century.
Under the Education Reform Act of 1988, the London Institute became a single legal entity, and the first court of governors was instated in the following year, 1989. The first appointed rector was John McKenzie. [7] The institute was granted degree-awarding powers in 1993 by the Privy Council. Sir William Stubbs was appointed rector after the retirement of McKenzie in 1996. A coat of arms was granted to the institute in 1998. [7] Will Wyatt was appointed chairman of governors in 1999, and Lord Stevenson of Coddenham was installed as the first chancellor in 2000. [7]
On the retirement of Sir William Stubbs as rector in 2001, Sir Michael Bichard was appointed and he encouraged the London Institute to apply for university status. The London Institute originally chose not to apply because its individual colleges were internationally recognised in their own right. [8] In 2003, the London Institute received Privy Council approval for university status; it was renamed University of the Arts London in 2004. [9]
Wimbledon School of Art joined the university as a sixth college in 2006, and was renamed Wimbledon College of Arts. Sir John Tusa was appointed chairman, replacing Will Wyatt, in 2007. [7] Nigel Carrington was appointed rector in 2008, replacing Sir Michael Bichard. [7]
From 2008 to 2010, staff were made redundant and courses closed. At the London College of Communication, where 16 of the 19 courses were discontinued in 2009, staff resigned and students demonstrated and staged a sit-in in protest at the cuts in budget and staff numbers. [10] [11]
Central Saint Martins moved to a purpose-built complex in King's Cross in June 2011. [12] [13]
In 2015, Grayson Perry was appointed to succeed Kwame Kwei-Armah as chancellor of the university. [14] [15]
James Purnell was appointed Vice Chancellor and President, replacing Sir Nigel Carrington (he had been knighted in 2019) from March 2021. [16]
The University of the Arts London has six constituent colleges:
Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts was established by the Technical Education Board of the London County Council on 10 January 1898, in a building beside the South London Gallery, with the financial support of John Passmore Edwards and following advocacy by Edward Burne-Jones, Lord Leighton, Walter Crane and G. F. Watts. The subjects taught were mainly technical until a Fine Arts department was established between the Wars. The school became part of the London Institute in January 1986, and was renamed Camberwell College of Arts in 1989. [17]
Central Saint Martins College was formed in 1989 by the merger of Saint Martin's School of Art, founded 1854, and the Central School of Art and Design, founded as the Central School of Arts and Crafts in 1896. Drama Centre London, founded in 1963, became part of Central Saint Martins in 1999, [18] and the Byam Shaw School of Art, founded in 1910, was merged into CSM in 2003. [7] The school was renamed Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design in 2011. [7]
The Chelsea School of Art originated as part of the South-Western Polytechnic, which opened in 1895 and in 1922 became the Chelsea Polytechnic. In 1957 the science department of the polytechnic was renamed Chelsea College of Science and Technology; the School of Art became independent from it at that time, and merged with the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Art to create the Chelsea School of Art in 1964. In 1975 Chelsea merged with Hammersmith College of Art and Building, founded in 1891 by Francis Hawke and taken over by the London County Council in 1904. The Chelsea School of Art became part of the London Institute in 1986 and was renamed Chelsea College of Art and Design in 1989. [19]
The London College of Printing descends from the St Bride's Foundation Institute Printing School, which was established in November 1894 under the City of London Parochial Charities Act of 1883. The Guild and Technical School opened in Clerkenwell in the same year, but moved a year later to Bolt Court, and became the Bolt Court Technical School; it was later renamed the London County Council School of Photoengraving and Lithography. St Bride's came under the control of the London County Council in 1922 and was renamed the London School of Printing and Kindred Trades; in 1949 it was merged with the LCC School of Photoengraving and Lithography, forming the London School of Printing and Graphic Arts. In 1960 this was renamed the London College of Printing. The printing department of the North Western Polytechnic was merged into it in 1969. The London College of Printing became part of the London Institute in 1986.
The Westminster Day Continuation School opened in 1921, and was later renamed the College for Distributive Trades. It became part of the London Institute in 1986. In 1990 it merged with the London College of Printing to form the London College of Printing and Distributive Trades, which in 1996 was renamed the London College of Communication. [20]
The London College of Fashion derives from three trade schools for women, the Shoreditch Technical Institute Girls Trade School, founded in 1906, Barrett Street Trade School, founded in 1915, and Clapham Trade School, founded in 1927; all were established by the Technical Education board of the London County Council to train skilled workers for the clothing and hairdressing trades. [21] The Barrett Street school became a technical college after the Education Act 1944 and was renamed Barrett Street Technical College. Shoreditch also became a technical college; in 1955 it merged with Clapham Trade School to form Shoreditch College for the Garment Trades. In 1966 it was renamed Shoreditch College for the Clothing Industry and in 1967 merged with Barrett Street Technical College to become the London College for the Garment Trades, which in 1974 was renamed the London College of Fashion. [22] [23] It became part of the London Institute in January 1986. In August 2000 it merged with Cordwainers College, founded as the Leather Trade School by the Leathersellers and Cordwainers Company in 1887 in Bethnal Green, and later renamed the Cordwainers Technical College and, in 1991, Cordwainers College. [24]
The foundation of Wimbledon College of Arts goes back to 1890, when an art class for the Rutlish School for Boys was started. Between 1904 and 1920 this was housed in the Wimbledon Technical Institute in Gladstone Road. It became independent in 1930 and moved to Merton Hall Road in 1940. Theatre design was taught from 1932, and became a department in 1948. In 1993 the school, which previously had been controlled by the London Borough of Merton, was incorporated as an independent higher education institution. Wimbledon School of Art became part of University of the Arts London in 2006 and was renamed Wimbledon College of Arts. [25]
The University is a higher education corporation established under Section 121 of the Education Reform Act 1988, and is an exempt charity under charity legislation. [26]
In the financial year to 31 July 2017, the university had a total income (including share of joint ventures) of £281.4 million and total expenditure of £264.0 million. [27] Sources of income included £214,624 million from tuition fees and education contracts, £28,400 million from Funding body grants, £1,439 million from research grants and contracts, £2,718 million from endowment and investment income and £34,227 million from other income. [27]
National rankings | |
---|---|
Complete (2025) [28] | 29 |
Guardian (2025) [29] | 13 |
Times / Sunday Times (2025) [30] | 40= |
In 2019 and again in 2021, the university was ranked number 2 for art and design in the QS World University Rankings. [31] [32]
UAL received an overall ranking of 84 out of 124 in the 2019 Complete University Guide league tables, down from 48th place in 2013 and 59th in the 2012 ranking. It scored 56.5 out of 100 for graduate prospects, and 3.94 out of 5 for student satisfaction with teaching. [33] UAL was ranked 75th in the 2019 Guardian University Guide [34] and 21st out of 67 institutions in the Art subject table. [35]
A Queen's Anniversary Prize was awarded to Camberwell College of Arts for the conservation of "works of art on paper" in 1996. The prize was also awarded to Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design for its contributions to the British fashion industry, and for nurturing the creativity of students, in 1998. [36] Cordwainers College of London College of Fashion was awarded the prize for its continued excellence in shoe and accessory design, development and teaching practice in 2008. [37] The University of the Arts London was among the twenty winners of the prize in 2013, for its "industrial and product design". [38]
Central Saint Martins and the London College of Communication have been awarded Skillset Media Academy status, recognising the achievements in the area of media, interactive design and film respectively. [39]
Chelsea College of Arts and the London College of Fashion share the "Creative Learning in Practice Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning". The centre is funded by the British government in recognition of the two colleges' results in developing student learning. [40]
|
Domicile [44] and Ethnicity [45] | Total | ||
---|---|---|---|
International Non-EU | 43% | ||
British White | 31% | ||
British Ethnic Minorities [lower-alpha 1] | 16% | ||
International EU | 10% | ||
Undergraduate Widening Participation Indicators [46] [47] | |||
Female | 76% | ||
Private School | 8% | ||
Low Participation Areas [lower-alpha 2] | 8% |
The university gave offers of admission to 43.2% of its undergraduate applicants in 2022, the 10th lowest offer rate across the country. [48]
The 2001 Research Assessment Exercise published results by subject area on a point scale from 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5 to 5*, the University achieved a 5 rating. In 2006–07, this rating equated to a QR grant of £8.6 million. [49] In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise the Times Higher Education 's RAE league tables placed the university 44th out of 132 universities in the institution-wide table. In the "Art and Design" subject tables it was placed 22nd out of 72 submissions (for "submission A" – the majority of the constituent colleges) and 23rd out of 72 submissions (for "submission B" – Wimbledon College of Art alone). [50] The university had the largest number of researchers in the arts and design subject area (237.89 full-time equivalent staff); it was followed by Glasgow School of Art with 76.85 equivalent staff. More than half the university's research was rated as "world leading" or "internationally excellent", and 77.5 per cent as internationally significant. [51] [52] An open-access collection of its research outputs, including text and multi-media items, was developed in 2009 by the Kultur project of the Joint Information Systems Committee [53]
The University of the Arts London Students' Union (stylised as Arts Students' Union or Arts SU) offers various services to students, including running student-led sports clubs and societies. They also operate arts-based opportunities to students, [54] represent students through six elected Sabbatical Officers, and offer independent advice to members. [55] [56]
The university has 13 halls of residence in various parts of London. [57] It is fourth among United Kingdom institutions by number of international students. [58]
The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. Its origins are in education for the printing and retail industries; it now specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation, film, graphic design, photography and sound arts.
Goldsmiths, University of London, legally the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in New Cross, London. It was renamed Goldsmiths' College after being acquired by the University of London in 1904, and specialises in the arts, design, computing, humanities and social sciences. The main building on campus, known as the Richard Hoggart Building, was originally opened in 1844 and is the site of the former Royal Naval School.
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offers postgraduate degrees in art and design to students from over 60 countries.
Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of short and summer courses.
Camberwell College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art and design university in London, England. The college offers further and higher education programmes, including postgraduate and PhD awards. The college has retained single degree options within Fine Art, offering specialist Bachelor of Arts courses in painting, sculpture, photography and drawing. It also runs graduate and postgraduate courses in fine art as well as design courses such as graphic design, illustration and 3D design. It has been ranked as the top British art school by The Times.
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in 1944.
The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate study, short courses, study-abroad courses and business training in fashion and related topics. The patron is Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. The current head of college is Professor Andrew Teverson.
Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art and design university in London, England.
An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. They may be independent or operate within a larger institution, such as a university. Some may be associated with an art museum.
The Northern School of Art is a further and higher education art and design college, based in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool in the north-east of England. The college was called Cleveland College of Art and Design after the former non-metropolitan county of Cleveland, operational from 1974 to 1996. In April 2018 it was announced that the college would change its name to The Northern School of Art effective from September 2018.
The Wimbledon College of Arts, formerly Wimbledon School of Art, is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college specialises in theatre, screen and performance art. It is located in Wimbledon and Merton Park, South West London.
London is a leading global educational centre, having one of the largest populations of overseas students of any city in the world.
The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in Southern England.
The Stoke-on-Trent Regional College of Art was one of three colleges that were merged in 1971 to form North Staffordshire Polytechnic. The College of Art achieved Regional Art College status after the Second World War, but its roots lay in the nineteenth century as it was formed from three of the Potteries’ art schools.
Garnett College was a higher education college in London which trained lecturers in further and higher education colleges between 1946 and 1988. Its main focus was on teaching towards post-graduate qualifications awarded by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA). Students had to be at least 25 years old and be qualified in their teaching subject.
The College for the Distributive Trades was a technical training college in London. It was founded as the Westminster Day Continuation School in 1921. In 1986 it was one of the seven London art colleges which became part of the new London Institute, the others being Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, the Central School of Art and Design, Chelsea School of Art, the London College of Fashion, the London College of Printing and Saint Martin's School of Art. In 1990 the college was merged with the London College of Printing to form the London College of Printing and Distributive Trades, which in 1996 changed its name to London College of Printing and in 2003 was renamed the London College of Communication.
The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Crafts. Central became part of the London Institute in 1986, and in 1989 merged with Saint Martin's School of Art to form Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design.
Founded in 1854 as the Lambeth School of Art, the City and Guilds of London Art School is a small specialist art college located in central London, England. Originally founded as a government art school, it is now an independent, not-for-profit charity, and is one of the country's longest established art schools. It offers courses ranging from art and design Foundation, through to BA (Hons) undergraduate degrees and MA postgraduate courses in fine art, carving, conservation, and art histories. In addition, it offers the only undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Britain in stone and wood carving: architectural stone and woodcarving and gilding.
Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of the London Institute in 1986, and in 1989 merged with the Central School of Art and Design to form Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.