What uni is good for an art and design foundation degree / art degree?

I’m considering doing an art foundation year after i leave sixth form, and possibly an art related degree afterwards, but have no idea which unis are the best for me. I’m finding it difficult to get the honest opinions about unis im looking at. What unis have a good reputation, student satisfaction, and work life balance.
If you are a foundation art student / art student, or have been, id be very appreciative of ur opinion on ur own uni or any unis you’ve heard of. Thank you!

Reply 1

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by paintting

For art and design foundation diploma courses there’s an faq at the top of art and design university courses
because they’re FE courses the universities offering them will have an ofsted report available that might help understand the strengths/weaknesses of the courses involved.

Reply 2

ArtsUniPlymouth

Official Rep

Hello there paintting,

I did a UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at Bath College before coming to Plymouth College of Art for my degree. I found it really pushed me to think outside the box and broadened my mind further when it came to art. Not only that, but I was struggling to decide whether to pursue Fine Art or Photography, and it helped me to decide on specialising in Photography for my degree. It gave me experience of exhibiting my work, visiting exhibitions around the world and taught me new mediums that I had never heard of before.

PCA also offers this course, which develops your making and creative thinking to prepare you for a course at degree level; it’s perfect if you’re unsure of what artistic medium you want to specialise in or if you don’t quite feel ready for a degree yet. As well as having access to the vast range of facilities that the main PCA buildings offer, you also have a specialised studio space just for FAD students. As a practitioner who was previously clueless on what would suit me best for a degree, the foundation course was amazing. It was a great experience and I'd definitely encourage you to look into it, even if you are certain of what you want to do a degree in; I learnt so many things that I had never even heard of before the course!

Plymouth College of Art also offers a range of UAL awarded extended diplomas, with specialised subject areas. If you want more information about all of our pre-degree courses, please feel free to visit our website to see your options. If you want any more information about the FAD course or PCA, please feel free to ask and I will try my best to answer anything you may be wondering about!

Hope this helps!
Harriet :smile:

Second Year Photography Student and Student Ambassador at Plymouth College of Art

Reply 3

zhijia wang

Are foundation courses hard to get in?

Reply 4

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by zhijia wang

Are foundation courses hard to get in?

Some are but generally they aren’t looking for a polished artist - they’re looking for potential and enthusiasm

Reply 5

rosiesouthworth

Leeds Art Uni (LAU) is deffo one to concider, im studying the foudation year there at the moment and so far its great. It has so many students from all over which suggests to me its one of the best and so many good reviews. LAU was the only foudation open day i looked at bcoz im from leeds but so mant southeners study here as an alternative to London too.

Reply 6

amelia4422

Hi there,How was your overall experience since leaving? Ive applied to Leeds and I'm trying to get a gist of the student life and how easy it is to settle in. Also what accommodation would you suggest?Hope to hear from you :smile: