We select applicants according to their potential and current ability in the following criteria:

• Visualisation skills (e.g. drawing, photography, 3D works)
• Research and investigative skills
• Creative thinking and problem solving abilities
• The use of a range of materials and processes
• An interest in art, design or related subjects.

Include evidence that demonstrates your commitment to, and enthusiasm for, art and design as well as your potential to achieve the Foundation Diploma. Evidence may be in the form of ideas, notes, research, photographs or sketches, including work you've made outside of your school course work.

Communicating with you

After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an email confirming we have successfully received your application and providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal.  We will request any additional information from you, including inviting you to upload documents / portfolio / book an interview, through the portal.  You should check your UAL Portal regularly for any important updates and requests.

What happens next

Initial application check

We check your application to see if you meet the standard entry requirements for the course.  If you meet the entry requirements you will be invited to submit a digital mini portfolio through UAL’s online portfolio review system.  You should complete the mini portfolio within 7 days of receiving the instructions on how to upload your digital portfolio.

Mini Portfolio Guidance

Prior to being selected for interview for a place on the Foundation Diploma course we ask that you submit 20 pages of your work for consideration against our entry criteria. Please note that these can include photographs of worksheets or sketchbook pages and that you might lay out multiple works in one page as long as they are clearly visible (for example: presentation boards). Please read the following advice carefully:

Visualisation skills

• Include evidence in the form of drawings you've made from observation of the world around you such as landscapes, cityscapes, interiors, people and objects (Don't rely on drawings from photographs.)
• Do include experimental drawings, developmental designs, storyboards, technical design drawings, photographs, details of materials you have used.

Successful applicants demonstrate this through their sketchbook pages, worksheets, drawing, photography, textural or 3D work etc. and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence.

Research and investigative skills

• Include evidence of the primary and secondary research sources which have informed the projects in your portfolio.  Your research should be annotated with critical analysis which demonstrates your engagement with the sources you have identified.
• This can be in the form of scanned pages or photographs from a sketchbook, notebook or blog. It is important for us to see how research informs your practice as an artist or designer.
• It is also important for us to see where you gather your research from; site visits, gallery visits, books, magazines, websites etc.

Successful applicants demonstrate this in a variety of ways and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence.

Creative thinking and problem solving abilities

• Show us that you have considered a wide range of ideas for your projects. This could be shown in sketchbooks where initial ideas are recorded, selected and developed.
• We are particularly interested in the development of ideas and the process you have gone through, the problem you have identified and solved in order to arrive at a final outcome.
• Organise your work so that all stages of the development and decision making processes are evident, including your reflections and evaluations.

Successful applicants demonstrate this through sketchbook pages, worksheets, drawing, photography, model making etc. and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence.

The use of a range of materials and processes

• Show us that you have explored a range of methods. These could include drawing and collage techniques, model making, photography, printing techniques, fabric manipulation or any others.
• We do not expect your portfolio to contain all the above items. Your range of materials and method investigation will largely be determined by your current course of study.

Successful applicants demonstrate this through sketchbook pages, worksheets, drawing, photography, textural or 3D work etc. and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence.

An interest in art, design or related subjects

• This will largely be covered by your personal statement but also Include evidence of your interest in culture and society and show how your interest informs your art and design work.
• This could take many forms such as an interest in politics, the media, history, religion, philosophy, music, theatre, cinema, literature or new technologies.

Successful applicants can demonstrate this through their personal statement, in sketchbook pages and notebooks and there is no prescribed way to submit the evidence.

Following the review of the mini portfolio we select a small number of applicants to move on to the next stage of the process.  These applicants will be invited to a full portfolio review.

Full portfolio review and interview

If you are successfully selected for interview you should read the portfolio advice carefully.  At interview we will ask you to talk about one project so please be prepared for that.

If you are unable to attend in person, you can submit a full portfolio online and we may interview you by Skype.  Please note that we do not accept portfolios by post.

Portfolio advice

Your portfolio should contain a range of visual material, including sketchbooks, research and photographs of three dimensional pieces or work of scale.

• Make sure you allow enough time to prepare your portfolio properly. A well-presented portfolio takes a lot of time to organise, so don't disadvantage yourself by leaving it to the last minute.
• Your portfolio can be organised chronologically or thematically, with sketchbooks linked to final outcomes. Arrange your work so that the admissions tutor can easily follow the way you've developed an idea from initial research to the finished piece (thematic).
• Mount work on plain white cartridge paper. Avoid using black paper for mounting and don't use card as it is heavy and expensive. This may mean remounting schoolwork.
• Labelling of work should be unobtrusive. You could add small titles or captions to bottom of images if you feel it helps explain your work or is providing dimensions.
• Take clear photographs of your large, heavy and/or 3D work, include close up images of details, and label with information about scale, materials and technical processes
• Time restraints mean we can't view films, videos or DVDs. Please present this work in the form of storyboards and/or stills.
• Make sure you've removed everything from the portfolio that isn't intended for review.
• The quality of the work is more important than the quantity.
• Include your sketchbooks and reflective journals. We are particularly interested in seeing work or research that you have carried out in your own time, this could be documented in a small sketchbook or notebook.
• If you've studied design and technology subjects, don't forget to include this work too.

Having prepared your portfolio, check it against these recommendations. Please remember that a poorly prepared portfolio makes it difficult for the admissions tutors to judge your suitability for the course.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive the final outcome of your application through the UAL Portal by Friday 1 May 2020.

Please note that applications made to this course may be given an alternative pathway offer. This decision will be based on our assessment of your creative and potential interests.

Most students go on to study at degree level at Central Saint Martins or at other UAL colleges. Some go on to study at colleges nationally or internationally. Others choose postgraduate study or enter the world of work directly.

For details of the wide range of careers support provided for students, please visit our Careers support page.