Apply to a postgraduate taught course
Postgraduate study is a big decision with lots to think about and consider. We want you to feel confident throughout, from choosing a course all the way through to applying.
To help guide you through this journey, we've broken the postgraduate application process into 6 steps. You'll also find advice on the documents and tasks you may need to prepare for your application.
1: Choose your course
Browse our postgraduate taught courses and consider visiting us at an open day or evening to discover more about us.
International students can contact a UAL representative in their country to receive personalised advice and support with applying.
You can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL. This excludes online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas. See the 'Applying to more than 1 course' section of this page for more information.
2: Check the course webpage
Read the 'Entry requirements' and 'Apply now' sections of your chosen course webpage carefully before applying.
Courses may ask for a written task, study proposal, essay, CV, digital portfolio, video task or personal statement as part of the application process.
Get advice on how to prepare these documents and tasks in the What you'll need to prepare section of this page. View our tips on how to prepare a portfolio.
If English isn't your native language, you'll usually need to meet an English language requirement.
3: Think about funding
Fees information is on your specific course webpage
Use the scholarship finder tool to explore a range of additional funding options. We also have scholarships available for eligible UK and International applicants:
UK students may also be eligible for a Postgraduate Master's Loan of up to £12,471 from the UK government.
4: Apply
There are 2 rounds of applications for UAL postgraduate courses. This is to ensure that all applicants are considered fairly and equally.
Application deadlines
- Round 1: You must apply by 10 December 2024 at 1pm (UK time).
- Round 2: You must apply by 26 March 2025 at 1pm (UK time).
After 26 March, courses will remain open to applications until they're full. We recommend you submit your application as early as possible before these deadlines.
You can only apply for a postgraduate course once in the academic year. If your application is unsuccessful, or you decline an offer but then change your mind, you'll need to wait until the next academic year to reapply. This means that if you apply in round 1, you can't apply again in round 2.
How to apply
Apply by clicking the 'Start your application' button on the 'Apply now' section of your chosen course webpage. This takes you through to the online application form.
International applicants
We strongly recommend you apply through a UAL representative in your country. This means you'll be fully supported and guided throughout your application. Read our application guidance for international students.
5: Check your emails
After you’ve applied, you’ll receive a confirmation email with your login details for the UAL Portal. We’ll contact you by email to ask you to upload any additional information.
This might include inviting you to provide documents, a portfolio, a video task or book an interview. Make sure you check your email regularly, including spam folders.
If the course asks for a digital portfolio as part of the application process, you'll be invited to submit this through UAL’s online portfolio tool, PebblePad.
Submission deadlines
These deadlines are by when you need to submit any additional information, tasks or documents, following your initial application.
- Round 1: you'll be given an individual submission deadline which will be on or before 8 January 2025 at 1pm (UK time).
- Round 2: you'll be given an individual submission deadline which will be on or before 9 April 2025 at 1pm (UK time).
6: Wait for a decision
Once we’ve reviewed and assessed your application, we’ll contact you via the UAL Portal to let you know whether your application has been successful.
When you'll hear from us
- Round 1 outcomes will be released no later than 21 March 2025.
- Round 2 outcomes will be released no later than 20 June 2025.
We receive a large number of applications from talented students from the UK and across the world and it’s very important that each one gets the consideration it deserves.
The amount of time it takes to reach a decision depends on many factors, including volume of applications, level of competition and whether your application is portfolio-based.
Read more about what happens after you apply.
What you'll need to prepare
Always check the ‘Apply now’ section of your chosen course webpage before applying. This is where you’ll find details about any tasks or documents you’ll need to send over as part of your application.
You may be asked to provide a written task, essay, study proposal, personal statement or CV as part of the initial online application. Later in the process, you might be asked to upload a digital portfolio and/or a video task to PebblePad – our online portfolio tool.
Discover our advice and top tips on how to create and prepare each of them:
Written task
Some of our courses will ask for a written task as part of your initial application. A written task can help us understand more about you, your work and practice and the way that you think and write.
It’s important to check the ‘Apply now’ section of your course webpage carefully. Specific information about the written task will be found there, including the minimum and maximum word count.
Requirements of a written task vary across our courses. Just some examples of written tasks include:
- essays
- published or unpublished writing
- reflections
- your response to a discussion question.
If you’ve been asked to provide a written task, you’ll be asked to upload it as part of the online application form. The document will need to be in an offline format, for example .doc or .pdf. Using one of these formats will mean we’ll be able to open your files properly.
Before you upload your written task, make sure you:
- proofread it carefully – check spelling and grammar
- include references if relevant – you’ll find guidelines on this page
- double-check the course webpage to make sure you’ve followed the instructions.
Bibliography and referencing
When we review your application, it’s useful for us to understand who and what influences your ideas and work. Depending on your practice, this may include artists, designers, filmmakers, websites, books, magazines, exhibitions, performances, experiences – anyone or anything that has influenced your written task.
Here are some referencing guidelines:
- Try to include up to 10 references.
- The bibliography is not included in the word count.
- There are different ways to add references to a written document and we don’t ask for a specific style.
- Whichever referencing style you choose, use a consistent style throughout your written task.
Study proposal
Some of our courses will ask for a study proposal as part of your initial application.
This is a written outline of the project you think you’ll work on during the course. What do you think you’ll be doing and how will you do it? A study proposal can help us understand more about you, your work and practice and the way that you think.
Check the ‘Apply now’ section of your course webpage for any specific information you need to include and the maximum word count.
The proposal helps support your application and we understand your ideas are likely to develop and change throughout your time on the course.
If you’ve been asked to provide a study proposal, you’ll need to upload it as part of the online application form. The document will need to be in an offline format, for example .doc or .pdf. Using one of these formats will mean we’ll be able to open your files properly.
Bibliography and referencing
When we review your application, it’s useful for us to understand who and what influences your ideas and work. Depending on your practice, this may include artists, designers, filmmakers, websites, books, magazines, exhibitions, performances, experiences – anyone or anything that has influenced your study proposal.
Here are some referencing guidelines:
- Try to include up to 10 references.
- The bibliography is not included in the word count.
- There are different ways to add references to a written document and we don’t ask for a specific style.
- Whichever referencing style you choose, use a consistent style throughout your study proposal.
Personal statement
A personal statement is like a written pitch. It’s an opportunity to tell us about yourself, what inspires you, what you’re interested in and why you want to study your chosen course at UAL.
Most of our postgraduate courses will ask for a personal statement as part of the initial application. It’s a good way for us to learn more about you.
Check the ‘Apply now’ section of your course webpage for the specific instructions on what your personal statement should cover and the maximum word count – usually 500 words.
Your personal statement can be written beforehand using any software you like. You’ll need to copy and paste the text into the online application form.
The personal statement usually asks for you to outline the following:
- Your reasons for choosing the course.
- Your current practice and how the course will help you achieve your future goals.
- Any relevant education and professional experience, especially if you don’t have formal qualifications.
Personal statement tips:
- It’s about you – your personal story is what makes you unique.
- Make it relevant – talk about examples and experiences that match your course.
- Think experience – talk about relevant professional experience or volunteering.
- Structure and substance – structure it carefully to create a clear narrative.
- Check for mistakes – proofread yourself or ask someone else to do it for you.
- Read aloud – make sure you’re happy with your final edit before you submit.
- Check it again – have another read through once it’s in the application form.
- Avoid including links.
CV
Most of our postgraduate courses will ask for a CV as part of the initial application. CV stands for curriculum vitae which essentially means ‘a short account of your career and qualifications’.
We ask for a CV because it's useful for us to see information relating to your experience and qualifications in one place when we’re reviewing your application.
Your CV will be uploaded as part of the online application form. The document will need to be in an offline format, a .pdf for example. Using this format will mean we’ll be able to open and view your file properly.
It’s helpful to make sure your CV is updated and accurate before applying. You can then use it to help you complete the online application form.
What to include on your CV:
- Your name and contact details.
- A short outline of who you are as a professional/practitioner and your most relevant qualifications and achievements – make sure this is clearly visible on the first page of your CV.
- List your work experience including any voluntary experience along with dates. Don’t leave any unexplained gaps – if there were times you weren’t working, mention what you were doing instead.
- List your education, qualifications and results.
- You can include links to relevant web projects you’d like to share – make sure the links work.
- If you speak English as an additional language, include your most recent English language test score.
How to format your CV:
- Consider using a PDF format as this is a fixed document (so it will look the same to our academic as it does to you).
- A CV is usually between 2–3 pages long, but it’s fine if it needs to be slightly longer.
- Use a minimum font size of 10 so that we can read it clearly.
- Keep it simple with no fancy backgrounds or borders.
- Use text only – no images, graphics or icons.
Digital portfolio
If your initial application is approved, you may then be asked to submit a digital portfolio through PebblePad – our online portfolio tool.
What is a digital portfolio?
- It’s a collection of your work demonstrating how your creativity has developed over time.
- A portfolio shows us your ability to work with different materials, themes and techniques, as well as how you research and develop your ideas.
- It’s a way of showing us your skills, personality and potential – we want to see you within the pages.
Our Portfolio advice page will give you all the guidelines needed to create a strong digital portfolio to support your application. And our How to upload your portfolio page will give you instructions about how to upload it to PebblePad.
Video task
Some of our courses will ask for a video task later in the application process. This is uploaded to PebblePad, our online portfolio tool, at the same time as your digital portfolio (if a portfolio has also been requested).
A video task is a 2–3-minute video about something specific to your course – the ‘Apply now’ section of your course webpage will give you full instructions.
A video task is a good way for us to find out more about you. It’s another opportunity to show us who you are, how you think and talk about your work and the specific task detailed on the course webpage.
How to prepare your video task:
- Check the ‘Apply now’ section of your course webpage carefully for instructions on the video task.
- Plan what you’re going to cover using some basic notes or a list of bullet points.
- We want to see how you communicate in a natural way so don’t read every word from a script.
- It might help you to practise what you’d like to say beforehand – this could be on your own, speaking to someone else or filming a few test runs.
- Make sure you stick to the requested length of 2–3 minutes – do this by planning properly, focusing on the strongest points and don’t speak too quickly.
- Video files we accept include: mp4, mov, avi, mpeg, mkv, wmv and a maximum file size of 512mb. When planning, make sure your video meets these file requirements.
How to film your video task:
- We need to see and hear you clearly so film yourself in a quiet, well-lit space.
- You can film yourself using your phone, laptop, tablet or any other means that works for you.
- If you find it hard to film yourself, you could ask a friend or family member to film for you.
- Face the camera and speak in English.
- Don’t talk too quickly or we won’t be able to hear you.
- If you go wrong, try again!
If you choose to edit your video, follow these guidelines:
- Don’t add any music tracks to the film as it can be distracting.
- Don’t speed the video up once recorded as it can make it hard to understand.
- The video should be simple and clear – it’s not a test of your video production skills.
How to upload your video task:
Our How to upload your portfolio page will give you full instructions about how to upload your video task to PebblePad, including the file types we accept.
It’s important to note that your video task is included in your page allocation on PebblePad and it's submitted at the same time as your digital portfolio.
For example, if you've been given 20 pages on PebblePad for your digital portfolio and video task, 19 pages will be used for the portfolio and 1 page will be used for the video task.
Applying to more than 1 course
From October 2024, you can only apply for a maximum of 3 postgraduate courses each year at UAL. This excludes online or low-residency courses and Graduate Diplomas, which you can apply to in addition to 3 other postgraduate courses.
If you apply for more than 3 postgraduate courses between October 2024 and August 2025, we won’t accept the 4th application. It’s not possible to withdraw an application to replace it with another.
You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer.