Our strategy
Last updated:
13 January 2026
The world needs creativity
Our mission is to empower individuals to shape culture, society, and the economy through creativity. We nurture talent, challenge convention and support our students to thrive in a complex, interconnected world.
By 2032, we'll be a world-leading university for creative education:
- We'll celebrate our heritage and make a major societal impact through excellent teaching, lifelong learning, and research and knowledge exchange.
- We'll be a gateway to opportunity in the creative sector and beyond.
- While globally minded, we'll have extensive national reach and deep links to our local communities.
Our 5 strategic pillars
To achieve where we want to be by 2032, we'll focus on 5 strategic pillars.
1. The student journey
We're focusing on delivering a transformative creative education, in person and online. It starts when someone first interacts with UAL, through to applying, studying, and being part of our alumni community.
We aim to deliver a consistently excellent student experience and will:
- harness the individual strengths of our Colleges
- ensure an equitable experience that allows students to build on their individual strengths
- work to close outcome gaps and help all learners thrive and progress.
The world of work and creative practice is evolving, so we'll make our education future-proof. It will:
- be responsive to emerging technologies
- support students to navigate and shape the rapidly changing landscape
- include opportunities to engage with digital tools, data, and AI, so students can use them confidently, ethically, and in ways that amplify their creative ambition.
A UAL education will improve students’ creative skills, critical thinking, technological fluency, and professional readiness. Our graduates will be able to secure good jobs, enjoy creative lives, and contribute positively to society.
2. Access and lifelong learning
This priority focuses on widening participation in creative education.
We'll attract, admit, and support students:
- at different life stages
- from diverse backgrounds
- at every point in their learning journey.
As learners’ needs and career pathways evolve, we'll respond by offering flexible routes into and through creative education.
By embracing new opportunities in online, hybrid, and technology-enabled learning, we'll allow students to:
- learn at their own pace
- build on prior experience
- return to education as their interests and lives change.
We want UAL to become the destination of choice for learners who want to reskill, upskill, pivot careers, or re-enter creative education.
3. Impact and innovation
We aim to advance innovation in creative education and be globally recognised as a leader in creative research.
Our research, knowledge exchange, innovation and enterprise will:
- focus on AI and emerging technologies
- contribute to sustainable futures and create a positive social impact
- be rooted in our local communities through our Colleges
- extend nationally and globally through collaborations that amplify our expertise and influence.
We'll ally with organisations that share our commitment to creativity, inclusion, and innovation. This means we can experiment, co-create, and lead in the future of creative education and practice.
4. Global affairs
We'll focus on our role in global creative education. It's shaped by our international student community, worldwide partnerships, academic collaborations, and thought leadership.
Our aim is to strengthen and express a distinctive global identity. We seek to attract students from a range of countries and ensure that what, how, and where we teach reflects the needs of our international community.
We'll build global collaborations that:
- enhance opportunities for students and staff
- support knowledge exchange
- position UAL as a trusted partner in addressing shared global challenges.
Our global network of alumni, partners, and collaborators will amplify our reach and ensure our creative education remains relevant, impactful, and connected in an increasingly interdependent world.
5. Our operating model
How we deliver our activity is important. Our aim is to build a sustainable, student-centred and high-performing institution.
We'll be flexible, so we can adapt to change and deliver outstanding creative education now and in the future.
Our operating model will support:
- financial sustainability
- environmental responsibility
- organisational resilience.
We'll enable our diverse staff to do their best work and our students to thrive by strengthening our operations, digital capacity, and physical and virtual learning environments.
Bringing our strategy to life
We have 4 bold, organisation-shaping initiatives that bring our strategy to life.
Education strategy
We'll engage with colleagues, students and our broader community on a new education strategy. We'll look at how we can give students a great creative education experience and equip them with the skills they need for the future.
International diversification
We'll broaden our global reach and are committed to attracting student from a wider range of international backgrounds. We'll do this through a phased strategy that:
- balances markets
- builds partnerships
- enhances our international offer.
Student success redesign
We're renewing our commitment to ensuring we set up students for success in their lives after UAL. We're:
- developing and launching a new Careers and Employability Service
- reimagining our approach to postgraduate education.
Improving our operating model
We need to make sure that we're collaborative, effective and able to adapt to change, now and in the long term. We'll redesign our structures, systems and financial models.
Foundations for delivery
We'll also focus on improving some of the foundations that help us deliver our strategy.
Digital infrastructure
We'll launch a digital roadmap that will align technology investment with strategic goals, enabling seamless learning and operations.
Estates and capital plan
We'll continue to invest in high-quality facilities that support creativity and community, including the new London College of Communication building. Our capital programme will also drive progress towards net zero and ensure that future estate developments reflect our long-term sustainability ambitions.
Financial sustainability
We'll implement a new financial model that supports strategic investment in our priorities, while maintaining institutional resilience, transparency, and accountability.
People and culture
We'll continue to build a culture that empowers people to do their best work in support of our vision.
3 delivery phases
We'll take a phased approach to the delivery of our strategy.
Phase 1: Reset and rebalance (2025-2026)
We'll use the first year to further develop the plans that support our strategy. We'll look at how we organise ourselves and rebalance our effort.
Phase 2: Strategic alliances and global positioning (2026-2028)
We'll focus on building strategic alliances that help us deliver the strategy. We’ll reposition ourselves at the global, national and local level. We'll have to be both ambitious and flexible to adapt to geopolitical changes and the national policy landscape.
Phase 3: Global leadership (2028-2032)
We'll maintain and develop UAL as the world leader in creative education.
A commitment to creativity
This strategy is our commitment to our students, staff, partners, and communities. It reflects who we are, what we value, and where we're going. Together, we'll realise our vision for a more creative, inclusive, and sustainable future.
Download our strategy
