I'm scared about studying at UAL: LCC for Games Art. I've heard rumours UAL is bad..

HELP?! title! am i gonna regret this????? i dont know if the institution is at its core actually crap. like how an elite school is elite with high rankings but being a student there ur overworked, lack of support, bad community/culture, etc. also what about a campus uni!?

Heya, I saw your post over here https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7628969&p=101163827#post101163827 - but i'll answer you here instead.
I'm a Game Art graduate & work in industry now.
UAL Game Art is a comparatively new course, starting in ~2022. I would describe the course as still finding their feet at the moment. I think it's worrying that they are still showcasing a lot of cartoony 2D artwork on their course page for something that's billed as a largely 3D course.
TIGA is an accreditation for universities that are preparing students for a career in the games industry, vouched for by industry members.
Rankings for art courses are almost completely redundant in my eyes. Overall league tables are overhwlemingly biased towards traditional subjects (i.e. History, Politics, Maths) and subject-specific league tables (i.e. for Art & Design) are overwhelmingly biased towards "prestigious" universities, London universities, and universities with strong Fine Art courses (often not particularly helpful for digital arts students). Rather than league tables, accreditations are the way forward - TIGA (as mentioned) are my personal recommendation but Rookies, Screenskills and Unreal Accreditation are all good too.

Hello, I studied at UAL London College of Fashion from 2022 to 2025, where I specialised in Fashion Contour. This discipline focuses on areas such as lingerie, swimwear, corsetry, sportswear, athleisure, and activewear, combining technical garment construction with creative design development.
From my personal experience, many students choose to attend the university primarily because of its global reputation and brand recognition rather than the actual quality of education and support provided. In my honest opinion, spending £9,000 or more per year on a short course or degree at any UAL college does not represent good value for money.
During my time there, I found that student support was extremely limited, particularly for those with learning disabilities, neurodivergent students, and students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The level of understanding, accommodation, and meaningful inclusion often felt inadequate, and many students were left to manage challenges on their own. I also personally witnessed and experienced behaviour that felt discriminatory, including instances of racism, sexism, and homophobia, which contributed to an environment that did not always feel safe or inclusive.
Additionally, many members of staff and teaching faculty came across as dismissive or disrespectful, which made the learning environment challenging and, at times, discouraging. The workload is intense and often overwhelming, yet there is a noticeable lack of structured academic and emotional support. Students are expected to meet high creative and technical standards while managing tight deadlines with minimal guidance. The overall culture can feel highly competitive rather than collaborative, and the sense of community is often lacking.
Although the university offers a placement year known as DIPS (Diploma in Professional Studies), there is very little practical assistance provided in preparing students for industry opportunities. Students are largely expected to independently develop their own creative and professional CVs, cover letters, and portfolios without meaningful guidance. Securing internships is also entirely self-directed, which can be particularly stressful when balancing demanding coursework and assignments.
The lack of support does not end at graduation. There is minimal career guidance or structured assistance once you complete your degree. Networking opportunities, job placement support, and ongoing mentorship are limited, leaving many graduates to navigate the competitive fashion industry alone despite having invested significant time and money into their education.
Overall, my experience at UAL London College of Fashion was challenging due to the high financial cost, limited institutional support, and an environment that often lacked inclusivity, respect, and meaningful guidance both during and after the degree.

thanks, this is helpful.
i have since submitted my portfolio to Arts Bournemouth and Hertfordshire for 2d Anim and Comics & Concept. On the same day I was emailed, saying I was rejected from 2D Anim for not enough animation but they liked my portfolio for Comics & Concept and want to interview me. So now I have a real chance there.

The thing is, I do quite like 2d art and I actually like that the ual course is doing both 3d and 2d. In terms of interest I'm in between games art and concept art. The way UAL advertised the course, or atleast one of their teachers did so and he apparently seems to be the go-to guy for this, is of really finding your brand identity. They'll also try get you into an indie job as a graduate. I wish I could show you everything from the two universities and you could help me with this, I'm lost doing this on my own! 😩

The way I am/understand myself as an artist right now, I sit between Games Art and Concept Art.

If your other offers are for C&CA I would probably stick with Game Art at UAL. Concept is great but concept art roles in games have about 1 job to every 200 people interested (if not worse) so entry level roles are hyper competitive and there may only be a few openings a year. They are also often short term contracts or freelance work, it can take a decade to get a permanent gig in concept art. Having some 3D skills as a concept artist is also essential in modern pipelines and not every C&CA course teach it, which is a massive issue IMO.
Having a more balanced background in 2D and 3D from a Game Art course will probably open more doors - also opens you up to opportunities in adjascent industries like 3D visualisation for architecture, medical and marketing. Basically, it makes you more employable in a climate where the games industry is experiencing mass layoffs and even those with professional experience are prone to stints unemployed.
I would be wary of any claims of them saying they will try and get you a job - this is usually marketing fluff. Be prepared to have to put in a lot of work to job search and be ready for a lot of rejections. It took me ~50 applications to land my first job in games and i've heard stories of it taking people 200 or 300.
Hope some of this is helpful (I always hate to be too much doom & gloom, but it is the reality of our industry right now)
Best of luck, happy to help more if I can

The thing is Hertfordshire's 1st year works in that all the animation students (2d anim, 3d anim, games art, vfx, comic concept..) all learn together in the 1st year basically the same stuff, and students are able to make a switch by the end of the 1st year into another pathway/course. This appeals to me.
Hertfordshire is ranked, according to Rookies, in top 10s in most of the categories. Accredited by TIGA.
UAL's games art course is more personal brand identity, while Herts is more moulding you to a specific job in the industry. I still feel unsure of myself and so UAL comforts me in that as it feels more vague and personal to the student's journey. I think also I don't want to admit that I'm still attached to Concept Art, so being in a course named "games art" makes me feel safer. Herts' courses are more strict/specific. I also know that becoming a concept artist is very difficult now. I'd probably learn concept art skills anyway in UAL's Games Art.
I was excited to find out I had a chance at Hertfordshire. I feel lost. I don't know what's better for me. Industry and skill-wise I bet Hertfordshire. Personal brand wise, and i DO like that it's geared towards GAMES (my appreciation for games is growing) I bet UAL.
I plan on messaging some hertfordshire students

I think those are some reasonable, sensible reasons to heavily consider Herts in your situation. I don't think there's a wrong or right answer here - you're doing the right thing by reaching out to current students.

thanks,
im pretty sure i remember from either the open day or from their portfolio video that they want students coming in prepared with a studio theyd like to join. i.. dont know a studio i would want to join. they said not the obvious big ones like sony. ive been sheltered for most of my life and dont know how to start researching this stuff. do you have any advice?

I would suggest aiming to either specialise in stylised or realism, rather than aiming for a specific studio. If you aim for a specific studio and they have no openings, you might be left stuck with how to diversify. But looking at studios for reference is certainly a good idea.
For stylised - UK: Rare, Two Point, Frontier
For realism - UK: Playground, Rockstar, Codemasters
Here's a fairly thorough list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_game_companies_in_the_United_Kingdom
There's also a "map of the industry" on Game Jobs Live.
Would you consider Clearing, just out of interest? I wonder if there might be an opportunity for you to take Game Art somewhere accredited through clearing

hi, thanks lots for the advice on studios, really appreciate it
clearing for certain universities? well I don't have any other universities I'm interested in, and i attended an applicant day today for hertfordshire and it went really well, i talked to the teacher who will interview me and he seemed pleased with my work, and i talked to other prospective students about their interviews and got advice
talking to the course leaders and current students, there will be collaboration between concept artists and games designers to help them make a game (surprisingly, according to the games lecturer they're usually unimaginative? XD), 2d animation makes a film collaborating with a team of students in later years, concept art will also work with prop design i think, and i could get into storyboarding with the Comics part of comic & concept, also in the first 3 months everyone is taught everything so everyone gets 2d anim, 3d modeling anim, vfx, comic concept, etc... (and i may be forgetting other information) so over all it sounds fulfilling and like it will give me a lot of experience and teaching/training for industry in the end.
but yeah, i don't have any other universities in mind, and I feel pretty excited for hertfordshire. but do you have other universities you think i should look at? i appreciate your help btw and your replies

My suggestion for Clearing comes mostly because I think C&CA (at least, when it comes to a career in the games industry) is not viable at the moment. Game art/ a stronger fundamental in 3D at least opens doors to careers in Advertising visualisation, product design/CAD, visualisation for architectural firms and in motorsports/vehicle brands.
Games and Film are in pretty serious ruts at the moment and more people are being laid off than hired. If you're gonna do C&CA, Herts is by no means a bad place to do it. But I'd go in with the expectation that you will be freelancing at the end of it, possibly for a long time. So learn the business skills, build social media presence, stall at local craft fairs etc.
It sounds like you've had a really positive experience talking about the course with Herts - I'm glad! But remember they are ultimately a business and they are trying to sell the course to you. Telling you their best success stories makes them look good, and if you enroll, you make them money. (As much as that's a cynical way of looking at it, I am sure they also want you to succeed!)
So if you're dead set on C&CA, sure. Herts is absolutely a good pick for that course. But if you're still open to considering a course with more 3D content: Staffordshire (games art) is my #1 - also worth considering would be DMU (game art), Escape Studios (the art of videogames), Abertay (computer arts).

HELP?! title! am i gonna regret this????? i dont know if the institution is at its core actually crap. like how an elite school is elite with high rankings but being a student there ur overworked, lack of support, bad community/culture, etc. also what about a campus uni!?

damn. im not sure now.
i mean herts' 1st year (most especially the first 3 months as everyone will be doing the same classes teaching every course) will teach everyone 3d as well, modeling and animation and sculpting if i recall correctly, and i see myself moving out of comic & concept into another course; that 1st year would help me find out *what* course to join. i don't have 3d work in my portfolio, so i wonder if thatd affect applying to staff.

i do enjoy the idea of learning games art as a whole rather than specializing in a specific field as hertfordshire does its courses, though talking to other students theyve said you can just sit in on other course's classes if you find them interesting, and sign up for electives i believe

ill look into applying for clearing (i hope you dont have to pay for that) anyway just in case, but.. yeah idk!

I think if they have some prescadent for allowing lateral movement between courses that sounds positive. If you're just hoping it will be possible, it might be worth sending some emails to check as it's not always something courses can facilitate.
Signing up for electives and making the most of the resources you have while you're there is definitely worthwhile.
If you want to enter clearing you have to release yourself from your other choices, so you'd have to be really sure. It sounds more like you're leaning towards accepting Herts from what you've said. For what it's worth, though- I applied to DMU Game Art with no digital 3D in my portfolio - just physical model-making etc. It's definitely doable but it does lean on your portfolio being otherwise very strong.

yes they do have prescadent for it; doing electives will be fun! i didnt know that was a thing in uk unis, thought that was just in american schools like in the movies lol. idk where to find out stuff like that, hopefully they'll talk about it if you actually go to the uni.

i didnt know that about clearing; yes i feel very sure about hertfordshire. i'm going to stick with herts or ual.

thanks again for your great great help

It depends on the university! All of my modules were mandatory. But at some universities you have a little more control over which modules you want to take, as long as they add together to make up enough credits overall - you might have a split of some that are mandatory and some that you can choose. I think "electives" as a term is an americanism though.
They usually have a full list of modules on the course page.
No problem at all. I'm glad I could be helpful! Feel free to reach out again anytime, my Dms are open

update: i had my interview and got accepted! )