UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design

Course overview

The Foundation Diploma is designed to prepare students for specialist undergraduate degrees in art and design subjects. It’s a year of exciting projects, new faces and experiences that will inform your future study, career and creative life.

Foundation is widely considered the best preparation for progression to an undergraduate degree in the creative arts in the UK. On this dynamic course, you’ll try different disciplines from across art and design while being supported to fulfil your creative potential and ambitions.

What to expect

• Expert staff: You’ll be taught by highly experienced teams based from the UAL School of Pre-Degree Studies. Skilled technicians will also support you in all of our studios.
• Outstanding facilities: Based at UAL School of Pre-Degree Studies, you'll have access to wood, metal, plastic, plaster, textile, stitch, printmaking workshops, photography,  3D printing and laser cutting facilities and a loan store.
• Varied teaching methods: You’ll take part in studio teaching sessions, technical workshops, collaborative projects, group teaching sessions and additional study support sessions.
• Portfolio development: Build a strong portfolio for application onto undergraduate degrees in art and design subjects.
• Progression support: Get advice to help you progress onto further study, including College visits and talks from undergraduate course teams from across UAL.
• UAL library access: You’ll have access to all UAL libraries and learning zones located in our Colleges across London.

Choosing a mode of study

When you apply to the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, we’ll ask you to choose from 2 modes of study: Diagnostic or Specialist.

Diagnostic mode

With over 100 undergraduate courses available at UAL alone, choosing the right one for you can be challenging. The diagnostic mode helps you understand where your skills and interests fit within art and design. It is the best option if you want to explore a wide range of art and design disciplines before committing to a specialist course of study.

In Unit 1 of the diagnostic course, you will have the chance to try out 12 different specialist pathways. The benefit of this diagnostic process is the opportunity to encounter a wide range of approaches, materials and processes led by our staff team of industry experts

As you move into Unit 2 you will have discovered which specialist pathway is the best fit for you, enabling you to develop a unique portfolio of work for application to further study.

Specialist mode

The specialist mode is best for you if you’re already confident about your future direction. This mode allows you to apply directly to one of the 4 curriculum areas: 3D Design, Fashion and Textiles, Fine Art and Communication Design.

If you decide to study in specialist mode, you’ll tell us which curriculum area you’re interested in as part of your application. During the first 8 weeks of study, you’ll take part in workshops across all the pathways in that curriculum area. Then you’ll be guided, through tutorials and assessment, to the pathway that best suits your interests and skills.

Curriculum areas and pathways

The course is divided into 4 curriculum areas, each with their own specialist pathways:

• 3D Design
• Fashion and Textiles
• Fine Art
• Communication Design.

Curriculum Area 1: 3D Design

We encourage thinking, making, and experimentation across a broad range of subjects including architecture, jewellery, product, performance and film design. You'll experiment with functional, craft based and conceptual design methods. Our explorative approach allows you to investigate processes and materials and develop your making skills.

Curriculum Area 2: Fashion and textiles

We encourage a playful, experimental and fearless approach to exploring form, materials, techniques and processes across a broad range of fashion and textile subjects. You'll complete projects that investigate different fashion specialisms. You'll work with textiles within both fashion and interior contexts and large-scale spatial installations.

Curriculum Area 3: Fine Art

We'll support you to develop your own individual visual language or voice. You'll work on a series of projects to encourage you to learn by doing across different types of media. You'll also develop greater awareness of the link between research, theory and practice, the importance of experimentation and open approaches.

Curriculum Area 4: Communication Design

You'll have the opportunity to explore subjects such as graphic design, illustration, fashion communication, filmmaking and animation. You'll learn new ways to develop and communicate ideas and explore creative thinking and storytelling. You'll develop a practice which engages with and responds to society, culture, politics and the environment. Work will often be in the public domain – as a communication designer, it's  your role to persuade, provoke, inform or entertain your audience.

Alternative offers

We may offer you a place on the course, but in a different mode of study or curriculum area to the one on your application form. This happens when we think your application is strong but believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different mode of study or curriculum area.

Progressing onto a UAL undergraduate degree

If you successfully complete the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, you’ll receive at least 1 offer to a UAL undergraduate course, to start the following September.

Which course will you be offered a place on?

How does it work?

Home fee

• Free (if you are under the age of 19 on 31 August of the year you start your course)
• £5,260 (if you are aged 19 or over on 31 August of the year you start your course). You will also need to pay an Awarding Body Registration fee. This was £160 for entry in autumn 2025 and may increase for entry in autumn 2026. The awarding body fee will be confirmed in Spring 2026.

These fees were correct for entry in autumn 2025 and are subject to change for entry in autumn 2026. We will publish fees for 2026 entry as soon as they confirmed, which we expect to take place in April 2026.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£24,660

This fee is correct for entry in autumn 2026 and may be subject to change for entry in autumn 2027.

You will also need to pay an Awarding Body Registration fee. This was £160 for 2025 entry and is subject to change for 2026 entry.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.