Applications for 2025/26 study are now OPEN.
Please visit our Apply page for full information on how to submit your application.
The BA (Hons) Illustration course is suitable for applicants who can meet the entry requirements that are detailed below, and have an appetite to develop their illustration practice within an intensive studio-based teaching environment.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
All applicants have to meet the minimum entry requirements for admittance to the course, including the English Language Requirements (if you do not speak English as a first language) though there are three different ways of doing so:
1. Standard Educational
Applicants who have achieved, or are expected to achieve, the equivalent of 112 UCAS points, for example:
a) three GCE ‘A’ Level passes with one at grade A; OR
b) two GCE ‘A’ Level passes, plus a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at pass or above.
2. International educational
Applicants who have achieved, or are expected to achieve, the equivalent of 112 UCAS points with a combination of other qualifications including, though not exclusively, the International Baccalaureate or High School Diploma.
Please check UCAS guidance for the various International Qualifications.
3. Other experiential
Applicants who can demonstrate equivalent prior practice and experience, such as extensive work in administration; or perhaps minimal GCSE qualifications plus a number of years working in an arts context.
Using a process called Recognition /Accreditation of Prior Learning (R/APL), Art School Admissions Tutors consider how various work-life and (in)formal educational experiences meet the educational level of the entry requirements.
Please see our Recognition/ Accreditation of Prior Learning Policy here.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
All applicants who do not speak English as a first language are required to provide evidence of their English language skills. The Art School cannot accept any applicant who scores lower than the equivalent of Level 6.0 from the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS), with a minimum of 5.5 for listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
If you do not require a Tier 4 visa and wish to take The Cambridge English Exams, your score requires to be in the range of 169–175 or higher.
SELECTION CRITERIA
To distinguish between all the applicants that meet our entry requirements we select those that we believe have the current ability and potential to:
- – demonstrate commitment and motivation for the subject and the course;
- – explore, articulate and develop their ideas as visual and material outcomes;
- – creatively research information and visual material to support the development of their ideas;
- – demonstrate a range of skills and technical abilities appropriate to their developing illustration practice;
- – communicate ideas visually, verbally and in writing;
- – self-direct and evaluate their own work.
THE INTERVIEW
We interview all applicants who reach our minimum entrance requirements. For further details on the interview process please consult the Course page that you are interested in. All tutors involved are trained in the fair and equitable conduct of interviews and are fully conversant in the Art School’s Admissions Policy.
We encourage you to inform us in advance if the arrangements for your interview require adjustment due to an existing condition or disability. For example if you might require more time or specific access arrangements or other support. Our aim is to ensure that all eligible applicants are given a fair opportunity to demonstrate their potential to study on the course.
INTERVIEW INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
The interview will be relatively informal and we want you to feel comfortable and confident. To ensure fairness and to help you prepare we have agreed upon a set of key questions that all applicants for their designated course will be asked at interview and these are set out below:
BA (Hons) Illustration Interview Information
Please remember that the purpose of the interview is to enable you to demonstrate, and help us to see, your potential to study on the course. You should also use your interview visit as an opportunity to get a good idea about the Art School: our values and ethos, the course, and what studying here would be like and we encourage you to ask questions and see the interview as a two-way process.
PORTOFOLIO
If you are applying for our Illustration course you must provide a link to a portfolio when completing our application form.
For the digital portfolio, we recommend that you display 15-20 images. You should choose what you consider to be your strongest work undertaken within the last two years, representing the range of your interests and practice. We are not only interested in seeing finished work, so please include work in progress.
WHEN SHOULD I APPLY?
We operate application cycles throughout the year so you can plan when to apply and know when you will hear if you’ve been offered a place.
Please see full information on our applications cycles on our Apply page. We recommend submitting your application as early as possible.
CONTACT US
If you’d like to find out more about Illustration at the Art School, you are advised to attend an Open Day – you can book your place here.
For more information and to discuss the application process with our Admissions Team, please email admissions@cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk or call us on 020 7091 1683.
Alternatively, you can send a WhatsApp or text message to +447379 678 596 and a member of our team will get back to you. Be sure to leave your name, contact number and email address and a brief outline of your query.