Not everyone has equal opportunity to enter higher education. We want to change this through UAL Insights – our projects and programmes which support students as they progress to the next stage in their creative education.

UAL Insights is open to students who attend our partner schools and further education colleges.
Read on to find out more about our eligibility criteria for individual students.

Our approach

We design innovative learning programmes for 2 age groups: ‘pre-16’ and ‘post-16’. This means we can support students as they progress through different stages of their educational journey.

Our partnerships with schools and colleges are vital. By working together we can encourage young people to explore the range of study and career paths open to them.

Collaborations with cultural organisations and initiatives such as Autograph ABP, Cubitt Education, Camden Arts Centre, ICA and the National Arts and Design Saturday Club help us to bring together a diverse range of creative expertise and resources for our programmes and projects.

About UAL Insights

All our projects start with a creative brief and access to subject area experts - UAL tutors and students (Outreach Ambassadors). They provide a space to experiment with different disciplines, techniques and processes. This enables students to discover what kind of art or design practice could suit their creative abilities and interests.

At 'pre-16' level we introduce students to a range of possible 'creative futures' through masterclasses, visits and presentations. From year 9 and 10 onwards, longer, more intense projects help pupils and students to recognise their own creative potential and prepare for the transition between different levels of creative education.

Our core ‘post-16’ programme runs across students’ 1st and 2nd year of Level 3 or A/AS Level study. Spring Schools encourage students to explore a range of disciplines before specialising in a particular subject area in our Summer Schools. During our autumn/winter Schools activities switch to developing portfolios and preparing for interviews in order to support students' progression to university courses.

UAL Insights eligibility criteria for individual students

Our programmes are open to:

• Students whose parent(s) or guardian(s) have not completed a university degree
• Students from low-income backgrounds (based on their London postcode)
• Students whose family receives benefits* for living costs
• Looked after children and care leavers

*Including: Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit, Free School Meals, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), Pupil Premium.

UAL Insights will also consider students on a case-by-case basis if a school or college tutor feels there is information related to the student which we should consider. Such cases will only be considered when a referral has been made by the school or college and decisions will be made by at least 2 managers of the Outreach Team.

Access and participation plan/access agreements

Each year universities are asked to put together a document outlining their commitment to widening participation and fair access to higher education.

UAL's recent documents approved by the Office for Students (OfS)/Office of Fair Access (OFFA) are:

Access and Participation Plan 2019-20 (PDF 350KB)

Access Agreement 2018-19 (PDF 419KB)‌

Access Agreement 2017-18 (PDF 280KB)‌

Access Agreement 2016-17 (PDF 493KB)

Access Agreement 2015-16 (PDF 400KB)‌

Access Agreement 2014-15 (PDF 294KB)‌

Access Agreement 2013-14 (PDF 185KB)‌

Working together across UAL

Our Outreach team is based at sites across UAL’s 6 Colleges.

We are always looking to develop new projects and collaborations and welcome the chance to discuss ideas with teachers and other professionals working with young people.