University for the Creative Arts

Overview

Dream. Discover. Disrupt. The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) challenges its students to think outside of the box – and the latest university marketing handle neatly captures this spirit. With just under 8,000 undergraduates spread across four sites in South-East England, UCA is the second-largest specialist arts institution in this guide, behind the University of the Arts London. And, like its London rival, it boasts a line-up of illustrious alumni – including Dame Zandra Rhodes, Karen Millen, Dame Tracey Emin and last year’s RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, Nymphia Wind – to inspire the current generation of would-be creatives. Applications are flourishing, with the near-7,000 who applied through Ucas for admission in September 2024 contributing to a total beaten just twice in the past decade. Many students are assessed for their place via a portfolio or audition as well as, or instead of, the traditional grade-based route. There are campuses in Farnham, Canterbury and Epsom and a site at the Maidstone television studios. The three campuses form compact, supportive academic and artistic communities with good student-staff relationships. Courses span most arts disciplines, from acting, animation, body art and ceramics to fashion design, filmmaking, TV production and textiles.

Paying the bills

One in 11 students qualify for hardship support and associated bursaries, with many more benefiting from the wide range of scholarships on offer. UCA’s Financial Assistance Fund is open to all UK students facing financial difficulties, with priority given to those from homes in areas with the lowest university participation rates, mature students, student parents, those from ethnic minority groups, carers, care leavers and those estranged from their parents. There is also a bursary of £1,000 per year available to care leavers, and a full fee waiver for Category A survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. There are more than 1,200 places available in university accommodation, which are split between Canterbury, Epsom and Farnham. Prices range from £6,004 to £7,409 at Canterbury for 38 and 40-week lets respectively; £6,460 to £7,524 at Epsom for 38 weeks; and £5,016 to £7,524 at Farnham, also for 38-week contracts.

What’s new?

A new BA in body art typifies UCA’s innovative and creative approach to the arts curriculum. This unique course, based on the Canterbury campus, admits its first students in September and comes with or without a professional practice year. It is not just a course for wannabe tattoo artists (although tattooing can be taken as an apprenticeship in a licensed studio alongside studying) but also the UK’s only degree dedicated to body art as an artistic and cultural practice, encompassing body painting, digital design, printmaking, sculpture, photography and performance art. The main recent infrastructure development has been the opening of The Wells on Church Street at UCA’s Epsom campus. The multi-million-pound development comprises teaching studios, workshops, staff offices and student break-out areas for collaborative working across multiple disciplines. It brings the university back to where it all began. Church Street was the former home of Epsom Technical College and School of Art – UCA’s predecessor institution in the Surrey town.

Admissions, teaching and student support

The use of portfolios and auditions is a standard part of the admissions process for most courses, which means UCA does not have a set grade or tariff point reduction that is applied when making contextual offers. UCA ‘may accept on the basis of a strong portfolio or audition’, it told us. UCA seeks to broaden the social diversity on campus through outreach projects which target those under-represented in higher education – especially those in Kent and Medway. These schemes include activities in schools and colleges, spring and summer schools and Saturday clubs. UCA’s Cultural Ambassador programme, which is now in its 19th year, is used to engage mature learners, who make up more than one in six of the undergraduate student population. Given the hands-on nature of so many courses, it is no surprise that most teaching takes place face-to-face, and where there is an element of online learning it accounts for less than 20% of any course. Degrees are delivered with the help of industry professionals, and a fully integrated careers curriculum gives students the best possible chance of employment when they leave. This takes the form of industry-facing work experience, professional networking, funding opportunities and career training and development. Students meet regularly with a personal academic tutor and university staff are trained to recognise signs of mental ill-health. The university’s central, on-campus, one-stop student support hub, known as the Gateway, provides students with guidance and signposts services. They also have access to 24/7 online support via Spectrum.Life; the myWellbeing app which helps build healthy habits; and Togetherall, a digital peer support platform. UCA is one of a minority of institutions to have a compulsory induction session for students – delivered through its Safer Universities e-learning module – which covers sexual harassment and misconduct, safeguarding, preventing extremism and suicide prevention.