Illustration courses UK and portfolios

Hello! I'm looking to start university in 2025 doing an illustration or concept art course. I was wondering if anyone can give any recommendations for universities? Preferably in the North of England. I've been looking at The Northern School Of Art currently as well as Leeds Arts University for Comic and Concept Art. Any students at these able to say what the course is like and the people there?
Also wondering what universities would want to see in an illustration portfolio??

Thank you!

Original post by DynamightLiar

Hello! I'm looking to start university in 2025 doing an illustration or concept art course. I was wondering if anyone can give any recommendations for universities? Preferably in the North of England. I've been looking at The Northern School Of Art currently as well as Leeds Arts University for Comic and Concept Art. Any students at these able to say what the course is like and the people there?
Also wondering what universities would want to see in an illustration portfolio??
Thank you!

Hiya @DynamightLiar I hope that you're well. That's great to hear that you're considering an arts course at uni - very exciting. Student Ambassadors from various unis are available to chat to via a platform called UniBuddy. This allows you to ask any questions that you may have about a specific course or campus. You can find our ambassadors here.

Attending open days is also a great way to get a feel for the universities and talk to staff and students there. A list of our upcoming events can be found here: Norwich Uni Arts Open Days. I personally found that attending as many of these as possible and also requesting prospectuses really helped me out. I actually collected quite a few of these before settling on a course/ uni.

I hope this helps and good luck on University hunting! I know it can be daunting, but I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have 🙂
Charlotte, Student Ambassador

Original post by DynamightLiar

Hello! I'm looking to start university in 2025 doing an illustration or concept art course. I was wondering if anyone can give any recommendations for universities? Preferably in the North of England. I've been looking at The Northern School Of Art currently as well as Leeds Arts University for Comic and Concept Art. Any students at these able to say what the course is like and the people there?
Also wondering what universities would want to see in an illustration portfolio??
Thank you!

Hi 😊,

It is great to hear that you are interested in our BA (Hons) Comic and Concept degree, it is one of the first to bring together comic and concept art. Throughout this degree, you will refine your design, drawing and digital visualisation skills to create believable worlds and bring to life immersive stories from your imagination. You can find out more on the link below:

https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/courses/ba-hons-comic-and-concept-art

In terms, of what we look for in an application for one of our undergraduate courses we have a comprehensive list below:

https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/apply/undergraduate-entry-requirements

We recommend that you attend one of our open days, they will give you the chance to see the university and ask any questions to current students and staff. Our upcoming open days can be found on the link below.

https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/book-an-open-day

Leeds is a great city to be a student in, our campus is based next to the city centre, so you have a range of great cafes, shops, green spaces and galleries at your doorstep. The Sunday Times has recently named Leeds as the best place to live in the north. I have enclosed a link below with some of our must-visit places:

https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/life-in-leeds

You can also chat with one of our current students on the link below, they will be happy to answer any queries:

https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/chat-to-a-student

I hope that helps and if you have any questions please let me know.

Leeds Arts University Rep

Illustration courses UK and portfolios

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