Stuck between UCL and UAL for fine art.

I really want to do fine art in London but I am stuck between the two, UCL or UAL. If anyone studying fine art or just attend these unis in general, could let me know their experiences, it would be highly appreciated !

Reply 1

DaisyChain1810

Hi there,

I’ve not had any personal experience of either of these universities but have a couple of suggestions to help you choose.

Firstly you could try putting your post onto the unis’ specific TSR pages. Next have a look on the UniBuddy website as current students at the unis are active at answering questions specifically to their university. Finally I’d really recommend you go to their open days if it’s possible for you as these are a great way for you to get a feel for the uni. The open days give you the opportunity to talk to current students, meet the staff and department tutors and have a look around the campus and all of the facilities. As university is such a personal choice it’s important to see if you like what you see.

Good luck I hope this is of some help

Reply 2

Kingston Vee

Official Rep

Original post

by rafbzy

hi have you visited these unis yourself as I personally found seeing them in person is what helped me decide. You get a feel for campus life and also they usually offer student accommodation tours so you can see where you'd be living. All this helps me picture what life would be like there for the next few years and which one I can better picture myself living in. The surrounding area and student life is also really important so walking round the local area is a good idea and checking out extracirsicalrs and societies offered at each uni if thats something you'd be interested in.

Hope this helps,

Vee (Kingston rep)

Reply 3

user182037

Original post

by rafbzy

UAL always consistently ranks within top 5 art schools in the world

Reply 4

tasha.ki

have you visited both campuses in real life? and which college did you apply / are you planning to apply to at ual?

i previously applied to ucl's slade and ual csm, for ual's csm you must have done a foundation year (doesn't have to be at ual). they don't officially state it but they rarely will ever take in an a level student. ucl's slade is pretty similar, their art course/ department ranks as one of the most competitive departments to get into, so i'd recommend doing a foundation first if you're set on joining only ual's csm or ucl. other than that you could go for other ual colleges.

for fine art usually people will apply for chelsea college of arts or camberwell (and central saint martins). chelsea is more known for graphic design and fine art with a very open course; im doing fine art at chelsea right now (ask me any questions related to chelsea if you're interested!) but keep in mind photography isn't a huge thing here and in my opinion the facilities aren't that wide range. for me a big thing is that the studios don't have lots of natural light, i just dislike the building lol (so make sure you view the studios of each uni, it's important and can impact your work ethic loads) most people i know like to stick to traditional mediums and some with video or performance art. camberwell im not too sure on but i've visited their campus in the past and know someone in their fine art: painting course. both of our courses are quite loose, we don't get briefs so consider what your work ethic is like - do you need guidelines, will you feel lost without given briefs? or will you feel more freedom and experimental / ready to just start making work when you enter your studio?

to summarise:
central st martins (csm) -> fashion, fine art
chelsea college of arts -> graphic design, fine art
london college of communication (lcc) is more digital oriented (marketing, game design, photography)
london college of fashion (lcf) -> fashion
i don't know much about wimbledon, sorry

to note i got rejected from ucl's slade and csm ( didn't realise i needed a foundation for csm) - i really liked slade's studios, they are massive and get so much natural light, but ual's reputation is strong standing, if you're an international student, ual is well known for its rank. then otherwise if you care about russell group etc ucl is good as well

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 5

mayelizabeth

You said as if one have a choice, do you know how competitive it is to get into UCL's Slade School of Art? The two you mentioned are just two different leagues. Worry only if you got an offer from Slade.

Reply 6

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Original post

by rafbzy

I'd recommend trying to go to open days, speak to current students but also especially try and scope out the facilities, including studio space (and whether it's shared/individual spaces/etc!).

Maybe also look at the recent degree show outputs to get a feel for the kind of art the respective institutions develops in a sense - as their approach will probably invariably have an impact on your practice and so you might find one is a better fit for your artistic practice than the other :smile:

Reply 7

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

UCL admit 25 students a year for fine art.
UAL admit thousands.

The two aren't comparable and both have their quite significant downsides.

If you want a proper "art school" fine art experience in London then CGLAS is a hidden gem