Art & Design Foundation Diploma FAQ

Hello @coffeeaddict777

After reading through your interests within Art but also within writing, psychology as well as the practical elements, I think you'd be really suited to a course we teach here in Central Saint Martins called BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation.
https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/curation-and-culture/undergraduate/ba-hons-culture-criticism-and-curation-csm

It's an incredibly unique course, we are the only UK institution to teach it and we have done for 15 years now. Our graduates have gone on to work within the British Film Institute, Frieze art fair, Gagosian Gallery, Tate Modern and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The course covers theory of art, design, architecture, fashion, film, performance, media and literature.

I really recommend that you look into it! It's incredibly niche and I think you would be a good match.

All the best,
Mike
Student Recruitment Officer

The UK system is predominantly focused on focused on single subject degrees - in the US you could major in English and take art as a minor subject or vice versa. Combined degrees in the UK, particularly relating to art, will most likely leave you neither here nor there. I advise my mentees to fully explore their interests in circumstances such as yours through a thorough programme of open day visits and related art degree show visits (they'll be online this summer!). You can see the outcome of other people who have committed to 3-4 years of study and ask yourself if you want to be where they are in a similar time frame. Research degree webpages - read about related careers and alumni - again, ask whether this is something you want to be? Book illustrators tend to be from illustration or graphic communication design backgrounds rather than fine-art degrees - you'll discover there's a big difference between school stage art studies and the huge breadth of specialist options at foundation and degree level. Your idea to study on a foundation is a good one as this will allow you to study art with far greater depth and intensity than you have at school - this may reveal to you that you'd rather keep art as a hobby and follow your English passion, or it might clarify that art really is the future for you.. Art is a great vehicle for exploring ideas within psychology as of course is English so neither choice would necessarily leave your psychology interests behind. At a glance and without knowing you it seems like art is your primary area of interest and extracurricular activity and would be the option that could allow you to absorb your interests in English and Psychology, but you should explore your options more thoroughly as above before committing.

Who is it for?
All sorts of people take FAD courses for a range of reasons. Some of these include:
- students who have done art & design A levels but aren't quite at degree level yet
- students who know they want to study a creative degree but aren't sure which degree is right for them
- students who are considering a creative degree but who aren't 100% sure and want to study art & design full time for a year before deciding
- students who didn't have a chance to study creative subjects in sixth form
- students who want more time to develop their portfolio before applying to university

Isn't it just a foundation year?
No - there is a lot of confusion between different "foundation" courses.
A Foundation DEGREE is a 2 year full time HE course which is equivalent to the first two years of a degree or an HND. Often it is possible to go from an FdA/FdSc on to a one year "top up" course to get a BA/BSc. These are funded like a university course (~ £9k fees plus living costs loans).
A Foundation YEAR is an extra year on an HE degree (so a 3 year degree becomes 4 years). Some foundation years are designed for students with the wrong A level subjects, others are for people who didn't do as well as hoped at A level and some are for people from certain backgrounds. These are funded like a university course (~ £9k fees plus living costs loans).
An Art & Design Foundation DIPLOMA (FAD for short) is a one year FE course that bridged the gap between A levels and degree for Art & Design courses. These are funded like an Access course (no fees for under 19 year olds or ~£5k fees for those over 19 and no living cost loans).

What award do I get?
There are three main FAD exam boards: UAL, Edexcel/BTEC and ABC. All three offer both Level 3 and Level 4 FAD courses. Level 3 FADs attract UCAS Tariff points but Level 4 don't (because they're considered equivalent to first year university study).
Edexcel/BTEC and UAL also offer an Extended Diploma which is a two year course that can be done straight from GCSE.
There are some FAD style courses that don't result in an official qualification (eg Royal Drawing Academy Foundation course)

Where can I study it?
There's no global listing of FAD courses online anywhere
We've collected some links to the main UNIVERSITY FAD courses below. However because you can't get any living cost loans a LOT of people study a FAD at their local sixth form or FE college. It's really up to you what you can afford and whether you want to upheaval of moving to university for a one year course before possibly moving elsewhere.
There are also a couple of providers offering an online FAD (OCA is one of these)

University	Exam Board	Level	Entry Requirements	Places	More info
Arts University Bournemouth	UAL	3	CC at A level	250	Y
Arts University Bournemouth (Media)	UAL	3	CC at A level	50	Y
Bath Spa	WJEC	???	2 A levels	???	N
Bucks New	ABC	3	1 A level	100	Y
Cleveland College of Art & Design	UAL	???	1 Alevel	???	N
Coventry	???	???	1 A level	???	N
De Montfort	BTEC	???	1 A level	???	N
Hereford College of Arts	UAL	3	1 A level	???	N
Kingston	???	???	1 A level	???	N
Leeds Art University	UAL	???	1 A level	???	N
Loughborough	UAL	3	2 A levels	170	Y
Manchester Metropolitan	BTEC	3	2 A levels (or an A in 1 A level)	185	Y
Oxford Brooks	???	???	BB at A level	???	N
Plymouth College of Art	UAL	???	???	???	N
Ravensbourne (Media Production)	UAL	3	C at A level	100	Y
Ravensbourne (Design & Media)	UAL	3	C at A level	100	Y
Ravensbourne (Fashion & Textiles)	UAL	3	C at A level	100	Y
UAL - Camberwell	UAL	???	???	???	N
UAL - Central Saint Martins	UAL	???	???	550 (only 240 Home/EU places)	N
UCA - Canterbury	???	???	C at A level	???	N
UCA - Epsom	???	???	C at A level	???	N
UCA - Farnham	???	???	C at A level	???	N
UCA - Rochester	???	???	C at A level	???	N

How do I apply?
NOT through UCAS.

Because FAD courses are FE nor HE you apply directly - that means that you can apply through UCAS and have additional applications for FAD courses as well.

Deadlines are normally LATER than UCAS but not always (eg Man Met has a December deadline)

What about Fees and Funding?
If you're under 19 at the start of the course then you would normally not pay any tuition fees. You might still have to find a small equipment/kit fee.

If you're over 19 at the start of the course then you would have to pay fees. These are normally ~£4-6k (including any equipment/kit fees) and you can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to cover these fees if you're eligible for English student funding.

If you're living away from home then there are no living cost student loans to fund a FAD. Some universities/colleges might have bursary support for some of their students. This would normally be around £1k.

Note Welsh, NI and Scottish students - sometimes your funding agencies will refuse to pay fees/funding for a FAD if you're studying in England on a course that is available in your country. This mainly seems to affect Welsh students (there's no university based FAD courses in Scotland - I don't know about NI but I suspect it's similar) and is something you should check with your Local Authority/Funding agency before you commit to a course.

International Students: You will still need a Tier 4 Visa (and then another if you continue on to a degree) for a FAD course.

If you're not sure?
Applying for both UCAS and FAD courses is very common. The universities listed above that offer FAD courses too may well be able to transfer/duplicate your UCAS application to their FAD courses if you ask them.

You can accept offers from multiple FAD courses as well as having a firm on UCAS - but it's good manners to let everyone know once you decide on which place you plan to take up!

Do I have to take a FAD to study Art and Design at university?
Nope - lots of people apply straight from A levels. There are a small handful of courses that insist on a FAD for applying (Goldsmiths Fine Art is one example) but they are in the minority.

If you feel ready to go straight onto a university course and you're successful in getting offers for entry onto a BA then there's no requirement to take a FAD.

What about my portfolio?
Most of the universities above have some advice on portfolios. Generally there's less expectation that your portfolio will be as polished/developed as would be required for a BA course. You would still be expected to show a variety of work ideally including some development work, some work showing different influences/inspiration from other artists and normally some life drawing/sketching from life.

How to decide were to study?
Specialisms - does the course include a specialist pathway that you're particularly keen on (or if you're not sure then are the options broad enough that you're confident you'll find your niche)

Equipment - what specialist equipment is available (3D printers, ceramics/kilns/drying rooms, textile resources, dark rooms, studios, cameras, print rooms, workshops)

Reviews from students - have a look on TSR (and if you've done a FAD course then please tell us what you thought about it!)

Compact/Progression guarantees - are you guaranteed a place on a degree course (and if so is it your choice or do they have the option to veto you!)

Support with UCAS - some FAD courses with progression onto their degrees don't ask their FAD students to apply through UCAS. That means that if you're not 100% sure you want to stay at that university you would have less support available on putting together a good UCAS application. Also if you're taking a FAD because you're not completely sure about whether a creative degree is for you then make sure that they'll be able to help you with an English, History or Law application.

Visits and open days - questions to ask: on top of the above it's worth asking about contact time and studio space (and ask the students not just the staff to get the real picture!), ask about the end of year show, ask about whether as a FAD student you're included in social activities by the BA students/student union, ask about whether you can live in halls, ask about extra costs for equipment or trips and where students completing the FAD tend to end up afterwards.

What are the differences between an Art Foundation Degree with a top up to BA, and a Foundation Art Diploma with a BA afterwards?
Can you do both without an Art A level or GCSE?
Thanks

A Foundation Degree is a 2 year HE course equivalent to the first 2 years of a 3 year BA degree.
A Foundation DIploma is a 1 year FE course designed to bridge between A levels and 1st year of a 3 year BA degree.

(see Q2 in the first post:
Isn't it just a foundation year?
No - there is a lot of confusion between different "foundation" courses.
A Foundation DEGREE is a 2 year full time HE course which is equivalent to the first two years of a degree or an HND. Often it is possible to go from an FdA/FdSc on to a one year "top up" course to get a BA/BSc. These are funded like a university course (~ £9k fees plus living costs loans).
A Foundation YEAR is an extra year on an HE degree (so a 3 year degree becomes 4 years). Some foundation years are designed for students with the wrong A level subjects, others are for people who didn't do as well as hoped at A level and some are for people from certain backgrounds. These are funded like a university course (~ £9k fees plus living costs loans).
An Art & Design Foundation DIPLOMA (FAD for short) is a one year FE course that bridged the gap between A levels and degree for Art & Design courses. These are funded like an Access course (no fees for under 19 year olds or ~£5k fees for those over 19 and no living cost loans).

OK, thank you. Is there any difference in quality or how the courses are perceived?
So without an Art A-level or GCSE, which is the best option to take - a Foundation Degree with the top up year, or an FAD with BA after?
Also, some FADs are level 3, some are level 4, some are level 3/4. What is the difference? Which level do universities want?

With no experience studying art/design full time I would recommend a FAD. It's a much less expensive option and they're designed to help you explore your options.

All FADs are a mixture of level 3 and 4 - some are 60% level 3 and 40% level 4 (and so have a level 3 final award), others are the other way around.
Again if you don't have experience with art education I would say a level 3 course is a better option - you'll get to the same place by the end of the year but with more time to build up to that...but the differences are pretty small. If you find a L4 course you like (that will take you), with staff you get on with and facilities that suit your interests then that's still a good option.

Thank you so much for your help! Do FAD courses accept people with no art qualifications? I know you said lots of people go in after A level Art, so my portfolio would obviously be completely independent and self taught, and therefore not as good.
And after the FAD would I be up to standard to compete against students with A levels for the BA?

Some do, some don't. You'll need to approach course providers to find out if they'll consider an application from someone in your situation.

Potentially yes you could choose to go on to a BA. I've also known students without a creative undergraduate course take a FAD and then progress onto an MA. Without seeing your work it's difficult to say what your options would be - especially for in just over a year's time.

Ok, will have to ask some colleges and unis. What sort of things should be in a portfolio for entry onto the FAD?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f2FFdVKM0I that's a good general guide

Thank you so much for your help! Do FAD courses accept people with no art qualifications? I know you said lots of people go in after A level Art, so my portfolio would obviously be completely independent and self taught, and therefore not as good.
And after the FAD would I be up to standard to compete against students with A levels for the BA?

I also have an independent and self taught portfolio (I don’t even have GCSE art) I got into Leeds FAD! Go for it!

Wow, well done! It's nice to know not everyone on the FAD has done art GCSE and A-level (I don't even have GCSE art either), so congrats! Very encouraging, especially given those applicant numbers, thank you. You must have a very good self taught portfolio to be able to compete with A level students! How did you know what to put into your portfolio? Did you do any courses online or anything?

If Lincoln is the university I wanted to go would you recommend me take it? what's the difference comparing
foundation diploma from other Unis like Loughborough?
thank you

Who is it for?
All sorts of people take FAD courses for a range of reasons. Some of these include:
- students who have done art & design A levels but aren't quite at degree level yet
- students who know they want to study a creative degree but aren't sure which degree is right for them
- students who are considering a creative degree but who aren't 100% sure and want to study art & design full time for a year before deciding
- students who didn't have a chance to study creative subjects in sixth form
- students who want more time to develop their portfolio before applying to university

Isn't it just a foundation year?
No - there is a lot of confusion between different "foundation" courses.
A Foundation DEGREE is a 2 year full time HE course which is equivalent to the first two years of a degree or an HND. Often it is possible to go from an FdA/FdSc on to a one year "top up" course to get a BA/BSc. These are funded like a university course (~ £9k fees plus living costs loans).
A Foundation YEAR is an extra year on an HE degree (so a 3 year degree becomes 4 years). Some foundation years are designed for students with the wrong A level subjects, others are for people who didn't do as well as hoped at A level and some are for people from certain backgrounds. These are funded like a university course (~ £9k fees plus living costs loans).
An Art & Design Foundation DIPLOMA (FAD for short) is a one year FE course that bridged the gap between A levels and degree for Art & Design courses. These are funded like an Access course (no fees for under 19 year olds or ~£5k fees for those over 19 and no living cost loans).

What award do I get?
There are three main FAD exam boards: UAL, Edexcel/BTEC and ABC. All three offer both Level 3 and Level 4 FAD courses. Level 3 FADs attract UCAS Tariff points but Level 4 don't (because they're considered equivalent to first year university study).
Edexcel/BTEC and UAL also offer an Extended Diploma which is a two year course that can be done straight from GCSE.
There are some FAD style courses that don't result in an official qualification (eg Royal Drawing Academy Foundation course)

Where can I study it?
There's no global listing of FAD courses online anywhere
We've collected some links to the main UNIVERSITY FAD courses below. However because you can't get any living cost loans a LOT of people study a FAD at their local sixth form or FE college. It's really up to you what you can afford and whether you want to upheaval of moving to university for a one year course before possibly moving elsewhere.

University	Exam Board	Level	Entry Requirements	Places
Arts University Bournemouth	UAL	3	CC at A level	250
Arts University Bournemouth (Media)	UAL	3	CC at A level	50
Arts University Bournemouth (Intensive 6 month)	UAL	3	CC at A level	20 International only
Bucks New	ABC	3	1 A level	100
Northern School of Art	UAL	???	1 Alevel	???
Coventry	???	???	???	???
De Montfort	UAL	3	1 A level	???
Hereford College of Arts	UAL	3	1 A level	???
Kingston	BTEC	???	1 A level	???
Leeds Art University	UAL	???	2 A levels	???
Loughborough	UAL	3	2 A levels	170
Manchester Metropolitan	UAL	3	2 A levels (or an A in 1 A level)	185
Oxford Brooks	UAL	3	CC at A level	???
Plymouth College of Art	UAL	???	???	???
Ravensbourne (Media Production)	UAL	3	C at A level	100
Ravensbourne (Design & Media)	UAL	3	C at A level	100
Ravensbourne (Fashion & Textiles)	UAL	3	C at A level	100
UAL - Camberwell	UAL	???	1 A level	???
UAL - Central Saint Martins	UAL	???	1 A level	550 (only 240 Home/EU places)
UCA - Canterbury	???	???	C at A level	???
UCA - Epsom	???	???	C at A level	???
UCA - Farnham	???	???	C at A level	???
UCA - Rochester	???	???	C at A level	???

How do I apply?
NOT through UCAS.

Because FAD courses are FE nor HE you apply directly - that means that you can apply through UCAS and have additional applications for FAD courses as well.

Deadlines are normally LATER than UCAS but not always (eg Man Met has a December deadline)

What about Fees and Funding?
If you're under 19 at the start of the course then you would normally not pay any tuition fees. You might still have to find a small equipment/kit fee.

If you're over 19 at the start of the course then you would have to pay fees. These are normally ~£4-6k (including any equipment/kit fees) and you can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to cover these fees if you're eligible for English student funding.

If you're living away from home then there are no living cost student loans to fund a FAD. Some universities/colleges might have bursary support for some of their students. This would normally be around £1k.

Note Welsh, NI and Scottish students - sometimes your funding agencies will refuse to pay fees/funding for a FAD if you're studying in England on a course that is available in your country. This mainly seems to affect Welsh students (there's no university based FAD courses in Scotland - I don't know about NI but I suspect it's similar) and is something you should check with your Local Authority/Funding agency before you commit to a course.

International Students: You will still need a Tier 4 Visa (and then another if you continue on to a degree) for a FAD course.

If you're not sure?
Applying for both UCAS and FAD courses is very common. The universities listed above that offer FAD courses too may well be able to transfer/duplicate your UCAS application to their FAD courses if you ask them.

You can accept offers from multiple FAD courses as well as having a firm on UCAS - but it's good manners to let everyone know once you decide on which place you plan to take up!

Do I have to take a FAD to study Art and Design at university?
Nope - lots of people apply straight from A levels. There are a small handful of courses that insist on a FAD for applying (Goldsmiths Fine Art is one example) but they are in the minority.

If you feel ready to go straight onto a university course and you're successful in getting offers for entry onto a BA then there's no requirement to take a FAD.

What about my portfolio?
Most of the universities above have some advice on portfolios. Generally there's less expectation that your portfolio will be as polished/developed as would be required for a BA course. You would still be expected to show a variety of work ideally including some development work, some work showing different influences/inspiration from other artists and normally some life drawing/sketching from life.

How to decide were to study?
Specialisms - does the course include a specialist pathway that you're particularly keen on (or if you're not sure then are the options broad enough that you're confident you'll find your niche)

Equipment - what specialist equipment is available (3D printers, ceramics/kilns/drying rooms, textile resources, dark rooms, studios, cameras, print rooms, workshops)

Reviews from students - have a look on TSR (and if you've done a FAD course then please tell us what you thought about it!)

Compact/Progression guarantees - are you guaranteed a place on a degree course (and if so is it your choice or do they have the option to veto you!)

Support with UCAS - some FAD courses with progression onto their degrees don't ask their FAD students to apply through UCAS. That means that if you're not 100% sure you want to stay at that university you would have less support available on putting together a good UCAS application. Also if you're taking a FAD because you're not completely sure about whether a creative degree is for you then make sure that they'll be able to help you with an English, History or Law application.

Visits and open days - questions to ask: on top of the above it's worth asking about contact time and studio space (and ask the students not just the staff to get the real picture!), ask about the end of year show, ask about whether as a FAD student you're included in social activities by the BA students/student union, ask about whether you can live in halls, ask about extra costs for equipment or trips and where students completing the FAD tend to end up afterwards.

`Hi, do you reccomend any unis for foundation diploma