We are made up of an ever-changing network of cultures, backgrounds and experiences. Our students – past and present – position and direct us. Our alumni have helped shape the world. We are always proud of them but also remain acutely aware that we continue to be defined by the creative energy and extraordinary achievements of our current students.

Across our nine programmes, we persistently question the cores of our disciplines, encouraging collision and exchange across boundaries to generate unexpected outcomes. We guide our students to discover new ways of thinking, making and doing. We give them the confidence to unearth ideas and formations that provoke and disturb accepted norms. We do this with many partners – from the local to the global, from industry to the public.

Our aim is to turn the College inside out, making public the energy, intelligence and creativity that exists inside our walls. We do all this because we believe that arts and design can generate real, productive change.

History

We began as two colleges founded in the nineteenth century: St Martin’s School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. Both believed in the fundamental importance of learning through making and were known for their radical approach to art and design – values which remain at the core of our teaching today. In 1989, the two colleges merged to form Central Saint Martins. We welcomed Drama Centre London in 1999 and the Byam Shaw School of Art in 2003. In 2011, we moved to our new building in King’s Cross, where all of these elements now flourish together under one roof. We sit at the heart of a dynamic part of London: Google, The Guardian, Tom Dixon, Universal Music and many others are our neighbours and partners. In this fast-changing environment, we draw from our own history while always looking to the future.