Considering college in the UK or Canada?
Going to school abroad can be an amazing opportunity to experience new cities, cultures, and different types of making. Art colleges outside of the US are structured differently from those that we are most familiar with here, however. One significant difference is that while many schools in the US have a campus culture where students can enjoy both academics and social activities, in the UK and Canada, many schools offer primarily academics and the amenities and campus life familiar to us are not part of the college environment. Here are a few things to keep in mind when considering art and design colleges in the UK and Canada.
Unlike in the US, art colleges in the UK are three year specialized programs. Students enter these institutions ready to begin studying a selected practice rather than matriculating through a foundation year of interdisciplinary studies. In order for international students to enter these programs, many arts institutions offer a year-long foundation program directed specifically at international students and those without clear knowledge of their chosen discipline. This year-long program consists of 6-8 weeks of coursework where students explore a variety of majors, with the remaining portion of the year focused on helping students develop their portfolios in their desired major for application to the three year undergraduate degree program.
Two separate applications are offered through each school's portal, and often require a second application into the undergraduate (BFA) program after completion rather than guaranteed entry. One critical note, once accepted to your major you can not change, so, you can't apply as an animation major and then decide you are more interested in graphic design, as you could in many schools in the US. Additionally, these institutions require a separate application to secure on campus housing. Many schools note, however, that priority is given to undergraduate and international students for housing.
Art Colleges in Canada are very institution specific. Some schools offer a foundation year built into the degree path, like the US, while others are more like schools in the UK that jump straight into discipline specific work. Unlike the UK, however, all of these programs are four years. Some large schools in Canada offer fine arts faculty, the equivalent of an arts college located within a university, and these schools are more likely to function like traditional colleges in the US with strong campus culture and housing options. Independent art colleges in Canada are more similar to those in the UK. They have minimal housing options and are often built into the fabric of a city.
UK Programs
Applications to UK schools are through UCAS, include both a personal statement, artist statement and portfolio, and are due at the end of January. Here are some options in the UK for creative students:
University of the Arts London (UAL)
University of the Arts London, UAL, is comprised of 6 different colleges, all offering a pre-degree Foundation Diploma (one year degree), undergraduate and post graduate courses:
Camberwell College of Arts - specializing in art and design.
Central St Martins - known mostly for fashion and fashion related majors though they also offer courses in architecture, ceramics, product design, and performance design.
Chelsea College of Arts - offers courses in contemporary fine arts and areas of design.
London College of Communication - specializing in all areas of visual communication including animation, film, game arts, music, photography, UI/UX and other areas of motion related communication.
London College of Fashion - offers 33 majors in accessories, footwear and jewelry; fashion business; fashion communication; fashion design; fashion styling and makeup; and theatre, screen and performance design.
Wimbledon College of Art - offers courses in theatre, theatre design, and performance/costume design.
University College London
University College London (UCL) is a large university in London with about 25,000 undergraduates. It houses the Slade School of Fine Art at UCL where students can begin their studies with the one year Slade Foundation Diploma Course in Art and Design, which introduces students to art and design options such as fashion, illustration, 3D design and fine art, before each student goes on to chose one of these specialist areas. A Foundation course is not a requirement for application to the Slade, but the majority of successful candidates will have undertaken a Foundation course. Upon completion of the Foundation course, students can then apply to the three year BFA in Fine Art which allows students to study traditional mediums of painting, drawing, sculpture and integrated critical studies.
Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art located in Scotland is one of the renown art schools in Europe. The school offers 17 undergraduate majors ranging from architecture to textile design and is similar to traditional art schools in the US in that it is an institution specializing only in art and design. Unlike UAL or UCL, most courses are four year courses of study and application is similarly made through UCAS. You can find comprehensive application guidelines for international applicants here.
Canadian Programs
There are several well established art schools in Canada and similar to the US require students to apply to a four year course of study.
Alberta University of the Arts
The Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary offers both a BFA and BDes (Bachelors of Design) curriculum. For both programs students are required to take a foundation year to build a strong foundational knowledge of art, craft and design. Students are required to take 2 drawing courses, 4 studio courses of your choice of concentrations, 2 writing courses, and 2 art history courses. The BFA program has concentrations in typical studio arts, the BDes program has concentrations in photography and visual communication design. Similar to OCAD, the university is embedded in the culture and life of the city and does not offer traditional amenities of a US university including housing which students must procure on their own. Applications, due by February 1 for priority admissions, require both a statement of intent and a portfolio. Application Guidelines for international students can be found here.
Emily Carr University of Art and Design
Located outside Vancouver, Emily Carr University of Art and Design offers three bachelor's degrees: Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Media Arts all beginning with a Foundation year. They offer bachelor’s degrees in 11 majors with four additional possible minors. Their application process is outlined here and requires students to select a major upon application, write or record your artistic process process document and submit a prompt specific “studio assignment”. While the campus has comprehensive studio, classroom and gallery space, Emily Carr offers no residential facilities though they do have on campus cafes.
Ontario College of Art and Design
Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) is located in Toronto and has 4500 undergraduates. Students may apply to only one of the 19 programs offered in digital art, fine art, design, gallery/museum studies, and publishing. Studio related programs require a portfolio and statement of interest when applying due in early February. OCAD offers student housing as well as resources for finding your own housing near campus.
Sheridan College
Sheridan College, has three campuses in Ontario between the cities of Toronto and Hamilton, with the arts related programs found at each of these locations. The arts programs include animation, performing arts (both performance and design), and traditional arts. Sheridan also offers many one year certificate programs in several fields. Several of their more popular programs are “high demand” and admissions to them is based also on GPA and applicants are advised to apply early in the admissions cycle. Application requirements are determined by major, with the arts related majors requiring specific portfolios for admissions. Unlike other schools in Canada, Sheridan does offer housing and other traditional non-academic university amenities and facilities.