The Student Room Group

Fine Art University Courses

Hiya! I'm currently in year 13 and am in the process of searching for Fine art (BA) courses. My predicted grades are A, A, E (rip maths). I have also sat an EPQ related to art in which I got an A, Completed Gold DofE as well as having strong reference, portfolio work, personal statement etc, and a large range in extracurricular and voluntary work. My teachers have told me that, at least for a fine art course, that having the E grade won't affect my application when applying to higher courses, although I'm not sure how true this is?

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knew of Fine art courses within the UK that provide a large amount of workshop-based work and allow freedom in terms of experimentation. I'm mainly interested in painting and digital mediums, however, I would like to try to expand this as much as I can.

I've noticed that a fair amount of them have a more traditional focus and incorporate art history into the course, which I don't have an interest in studying. I've found some courses (University of Leeds, Leeds Arts, University of Newcastle, University of Bristol, University of Brighton, Manchester MET, Dundee etc.) however I'd love to hear about any others that may be worth taking a look at.
(edited 2 years ago)
Have you looked into UKADIA (art and design specialist) universities?

AUB, UAL, Falmouth, UCA, NUA, PCA etc?
Original post by lukecll
Hiya! I'm currently in year 13 and am in the process of searching for Fine art (BA) courses. My predicted grades are A, A, E (rip maths). I have also sat an EPQ related to art in which I got an A, Completed Gold DofE as well as having strong reference, portfolio work, personal statement etc, and a large range in extracurricular and voluntary work. My teachers have told me that, at least for a fine art course, that having the E grade won't affect my application when applying to higher courses, although I'm not sure how true this is?

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knew of Fine art courses within the UK that provide a large amount of workshop-based work and allow freedom in terms of experimentation. I'm mainly interested in painting and digital mediums, however, I would like to try to expand this as much as I can.

I've noticed that a fair amount of them have a more traditional focus and incorporate art history into the course, which I don't have an interest in studying. I've found some courses (University of Leeds, Leeds Arts, University of Newcastle, University of Bristol, University of Brighton, Manchester MET, Dundee etc.) however I'd love to hear about any others that may be worth taking a look at.

Hi @lukecll :biggrin:

In terms of the BA Fine Art course at Brighton, we are looking for highly motivated and creative students. We will consider you on an individual basis. Your portfolio is the most important and mandatory part of your application. If your predicted or actual grades fall below the range but you can evidence your thinking, ideas and abilities through a high-quality portfolio we will still consider your application.

Within this course you will work in dedicated studio spaces to create artworks where thinking is explored through making. Opportunities to present work in progress to your peers and staff in a project space allow the testing out of your ideas in a friendly, supportive environment.

You'll develop your emerging fine art practice within the studio and in relation to a specific site or sites. There is an emphasis on material exploration and experimentation and work is challenged through critical discussions and debate, building confidence in articulating your practice.

We also have an art design and media blog which maybe of interest, you can take a look at this here.

I hope this is helpful, best of luck with whichever universities you decide to choose and if you have any questions feel free to get in touch!

Bex – Brighton Uni rep :nyan:
Reply 3
do an art foundation year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cannot emphasise this enough !!! schools tend not to tell art students about this because it looks better for them if you go straight to uni, but the best artists at uni pretty much have always done an art foundation course first.

The course is free if you go to a college, i go to a local one and live at home as you don't get any loans. It is so much fun and really expands your knowledge as an artist and what you would like to apply for at uni. Also, if youre worried about your E in maths this will help as you get SOOO many UCAS points for simply passing an art foundation course (it is not at all hard to pass, and anyone could achieve a distinction if they work hard enough).
Reply 4
Original post by lukecll
Hiya! I'm currently in year 13 and am in the process of searching for Fine art (BA) courses. My predicted grades are A, A, E (rip maths). I have also sat an EPQ related to art in which I got an A, Completed Gold DofE as well as having strong reference, portfolio work, personal statement etc, and a large range in extracurricular and voluntary work. My teachers have told me that, at least for a fine art course, that having the E grade won't affect my application when applying to higher courses, although I'm not sure how true this is?

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knew of Fine art courses within the UK that provide a large amount of workshop-based work and allow freedom in terms of experimentation. I'm mainly interested in painting and digital mediums, however, I would like to try to expand this as much as I can.

I've noticed that a fair amount of them have a more traditional focus and incorporate art history into the course, which I don't have an interest in studying. I've found some courses (University of Leeds, Leeds Arts, University of Newcastle, University of Bristol, University of Brighton, Manchester MET, Dundee etc.) however I'd love to hear about any others that may be worth taking a look at.

Hi!
I also really recommend doing a foundation course. I'm currently doing my foundation in Leeds and I think it's a great city to live and study in. I don't think that A-level grades are the most important factor when applying for art degree courses - a lot of the ones I've looked into only require one or two above a C.

A foundation really supports you in finding a specialism in art that really suits you. I have been able to attend many workshops allowing me to experiment much more than I did at A-level. Your portfolio will be much better after a foundation and you will grow as an artist.

I used to really hate anything to do with artist research and art history but learning about other artists and their practice has really helped support the development of my own work. You never know, you might find yourself more interested in art history than you think!

I really struggled to find foundation courses at first so I recommend looking into Leeds Arts, UAL, Ravensbourne, Kingston, Loughborough, Camden and there may be one in ur local area. However, if you are still wanting to go straight onto an undergraduate course you might want to look into Goldsmiths, Kingston, GSA, Edinburgh or UAL.
Original post by jamia029
Hi!
I also really recommend doing a foundation course. I'm currently doing my foundation in Leeds and I think it's a great city to live and study in. I don't think that A-level grades are the most important factor when applying for art degree courses - a lot of the ones I've looked into only require one or two above a C.

A foundation really supports you in finding a specialism in art that really suits you. I have been able to attend many workshops allowing me to experiment much more than I did at A-level. Your portfolio will be much better after a foundation and you will grow as an artist.

I used to really hate anything to do with artist research and art history but learning about other artists and their practice has really helped support the development of my own work. You never know, you might find yourself more interested in art history than you think!

I really struggled to find foundation courses at first so I recommend looking into Leeds Arts, UAL, Ravensbourne, Kingston, Loughborough, Camden and there may be one in ur local area. However, if you are still wanting to go straight onto an undergraduate course you might want to look into Goldsmiths, Kingston, GSA, Edinburgh or UAL.

Goldsmiths don’t accept applicants for fine art without a foundation:
β€œPlease note, students applying directly from A-Levels who have not completed an Art and Design Foundation or BTEC Extended Diploma in Art and Design will not be eligible for this programme.”
Original post by jamia029
Hi!
I also really recommend doing a foundation course. I'm currently doing my foundation in Leeds and I think it's a great city to live and study in. I don't think that A-level grades are the most important factor when applying for art degree courses - a lot of the ones I've looked into only require one or two above a C.

A foundation really supports you in finding a specialism in art that really suits you. I have been able to attend many workshops allowing me to experiment much more than I did at A-level. Your portfolio will be much better after a foundation and you will grow as an artist.

I used to really hate anything to do with artist research and art history but learning about other artists and their practice has really helped support the development of my own work. You never know, you might find yourself more interested in art history than you think!

I really struggled to find foundation courses at first so I recommend looking into Leeds Arts, UAL, Ravensbourne, Kingston, Loughborough, Camden and there may be one in ur local area. However, if you are still wanting to go straight onto an undergraduate course you might want to look into Goldsmiths, Kingston, GSA, Edinburgh or UAL.


hiya I'm interested in applying to a foundation year in a different city and i was just wandering what the living situations are like as you are not offered a student loan for a one year course. I've tried looking it uo but theres not a lot of information on art foundation years online, do foundations students live in student accomodation?

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