UCA or Hertfordshire for Concept Art?
I am stuck between choosing UCA (Farnham - w/ Placement Year) or Hertfordshire for a 'comics and concept art' course.
I went to UCA's Applicant Day in Farnham- the place seems very small and the dorms look decent (minus the student villa-). Though I heard mixed things from both Hertfordshire and UCA.
I have also offers from Escape Studios and Teesside University.
I'd like to know which place is the safer choice in terms of quality of education- industry links and living there for 3-4 years overall! Please give me honest reviews!
I went to UCA's Applicant Day in Farnham- the place seems very small and the dorms look decent (minus the student villa-). Though I heard mixed things from both Hertfordshire and UCA.
I have also offers from Escape Studios and Teesside University.
I'd like to know which place is the safer choice in terms of quality of education- industry links and living there for 3-4 years overall! Please give me honest reviews!
Reply 1
heya! im doing my art foundation right now and had Hertfordshire for Comics & Concept AND UCA farnham for Concept Art or Games art in my lisitngs.
From what I learned at UCA open day 1-2 years ago, hertfordshire open day months ago, uca farnham confessions instagram page..
if you get accepted at Hertfordshire, take it. It is the superior place. Networking & rankings wise, and probably teacher wise.
They're really high up in rankings for rookies awards and other leagues for similar things. their campus is big, theyve got money - u can tell by how they literally offer to give ppl traveling funds for open days, and i mean from the place in general.
UCA, the vibe is nice in the town imo it reminded me of gilmore girls lol but the confessions... uhhhh the place sounds weird. and they have lower standards. that can be good and bad. depending on your view.
my PERSONAL ranking of your options:
hertfordshire, escape, and uca or teesside. i dont like teesside but i dont have actual evidence of why.
escape is good if u rlly wanna get into the industry i think but for a uni experience definitely uca or teesside above that.
From what I learned at UCA open day 1-2 years ago, hertfordshire open day months ago, uca farnham confessions instagram page..
if you get accepted at Hertfordshire, take it. It is the superior place. Networking & rankings wise, and probably teacher wise.
They're really high up in rankings for rookies awards and other leagues for similar things. their campus is big, theyve got money - u can tell by how they literally offer to give ppl traveling funds for open days, and i mean from the place in general.
UCA, the vibe is nice in the town imo it reminded me of gilmore girls lol but the confessions... uhhhh the place sounds weird. and they have lower standards. that can be good and bad. depending on your view.
my PERSONAL ranking of your options:
hertfordshire, escape, and uca or teesside. i dont like teesside but i dont have actual evidence of why.
escape is good if u rlly wanna get into the industry i think but for a uni experience definitely uca or teesside above that.
Reply 2
2
Thank you so much!! This helps a lot
Reply 3
Original post
by Ragiiuruk1I am stuck between choosing UCA (Farnham - w/ Placement Year) or Hertfordshire for a 'comics and concept art' course.
I went to UCA's Applicant Day in Farnham- the place seems very small and the dorms look decent (minus the student villa-). Though I heard mixed things from both Hertfordshire and UCA.
I have also offers from Escape Studios and Teesside University.
I'd like to know which place is the safer choice in terms of quality of education- industry links and living there for 3-4 years overall! Please give me honest reviews!
I went to UCA's Applicant Day in Farnham- the place seems very small and the dorms look decent (minus the student villa-). Though I heard mixed things from both Hertfordshire and UCA.
I have also offers from Escape Studios and Teesside University.
I'd like to know which place is the safer choice in terms of quality of education- industry links and living there for 3-4 years overall! Please give me honest reviews!
Hi there!
Great to hear you're looking at studying concept art! 🎨
If you're considering your offer from Teesside, I can tell you a little more about what it'd be like to study there. You'll actually learn from professional concept artists who have worked on a variety of art projects for clients such as Double Eleven, Archvillain Games, Sony, Formula 1, Hasbro, Activision, NetEase, Square Enix, Holovis International, Yamination Studios, and Shanghai Media Group. Our concept art students also take part in Animex, our annual international animation and games festival featuring experts from Rockstar, Pixar, Disney and Sony - the perfect event to build industry links!
Head to the course page here to check out the modules, how you learn, how you are assessed and for some great hints and tips for preparing your portfolio. You can also check out this video to hear from the course team all about the course.
In terms of what it's like to study and live in Middlesbrough, check out our blog post here. You can also head to our socials to see first-hand what it's like to be a student at Teesside, through the eyes of our student content creators.
Why not book a campus tour to see for yourself? Find out more here.
The main thing is that you make the decision that's right for you. Make sure to research into all the universities you're considering and try and visit them if you can too.
Best of luck with your decision!
Thanks 😄
G
Reply 4
Original post
by Ragiiuruk1Thank you so much!! This helps a lot
Can I ask have you chosen?
Reply 5
2
Original post
by CityOfTroyCan I ask have you chosen?
I chose Hertfordshire actually and managed to get in with a conditional offer
.Reason why I chose Herts due to it being close to London also they seem very high standard, their applicant day was really good and the my potential teachers seem really fun and cool 👍👍 They provided a lot more information about themselves with their networking and opportunities more than UCA (I've been to both applicant days). - also if anyones reading this in the future i guess explaining my opinion too might help
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Official Digital Arts and Graphics Applicants Thread 2026
- UCA, Teeside or Hertfordshire?
- Got rejected from hertfordshire and now unsure whether to study at UAL instead
- UCA, Escape Studios-, Teesidevor Hertfordshire
- I'm scared about studying at UAL: LCC for Games Art. I've heard rumours UAL is bad..
- How competitive are comic and concept art courses to get into?
- Animation Portfolio Examples
- Interview with Hertfordshire for Comic & Concept Art. Advice?
- Hertfordshire 3D Animation and VFX
- 2d Animation at uni
- UAL, Escape and alt WHAT DO I PICK HELP!!??
- UCA Farnham Concept Art
- Any Hertfordshire animation applicants?
- Concept games art
- Where to go for games animation?
- ** Official - UCAS Applicant Threads by Subject and University - 2026 **
- transferring University
- What Uni is good for concept art/games art
- UCA Farnham OR NUA?
- What unis should I choose for BA Animation (2D & 3D)?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 5 months ago
Graduate diploma in Art at RCA or Goldsmiths - is it worth it?Last reply 9 months ago
RCA Offer Holder - Every programme accept more than 100 students?Last reply 9 months ago
Art Foundation Diploma 2025 Personal Statememt help!! (UAL, Kingston, Oxford Brookes)
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
