r/UAL

hiiii! i’m moving from melbourne to london in mid-september for a masters in fashion marketing at LCF . starting to look into housing now so thought I’d throw a post up here in case anyone has leads or advice. i’m really only looking for a flatshare/ longer sublet + flat buddies too! women only please. lgbtq+ friendly.

ideally something walkable to uni - hackney wick would be my dream spot given how close it is to campus, but also considering stratford, bethnal green,hackney, bow, daltston, hoxton, shoreditch and ilford as backups.

a bit about me if it’s relevant for a flatshare: i’m tidy, easygoing, can cook and don’t mind sharing my clothes with the girlies. i don’t drink but don’t care if housemates do. into fashion (obvs), vintage shopping, pilates/gym, long walks, coffee and matcha. sociable but also happy with quiet nights in.

if anyone has tips on the areas above, realistic price expectations, good places to search, or knows someone looking for a flatmate, i’d really appreciate it. also happy to chat further over dm if easier. you can also message me on ig @aemomemo <3

thanks in advance! 🫶🏼

Hi, I am an international student. I had gotten a conditional offer at UAL for CSM this fall. But my offer was conditional. I gave the required documents the same day I got the study offer, yet it has been a month, and there has been no update on it. I emailed them once a week ago, and they gave a very vague answer. I think they are taking time since this is a busy time of the year. Yet I need the Unconditional offer to get CAS and then apply for the visa. I don't want to delay that. Any help on why this is taking too long, or is this normal? I need some insight on this.

hey guys, im an international student starting my bachelors at LCC this fall, i’ve already booked Gardens House as my accommodation (it was the only one available) but since then everyone who i’ve spoken w keeps telling me to stay away from Peckham 😭 (my parents are also lowkey concerned bout the area) and i dont really know much bout London as a city and its areas

is it really as sketchy as they say it is or should i just switch to accommodation closer to LCC? (yourtribe or somewhere else)

would appreciate any insight on this^^

Hi everyone,

I'm an international undergraduate applicant to the University of the Arts London (UAL).

I was wondering if anyone has been accepted without IELTS or had the English language requirement waived. If so, what did you use instead?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience.

Thank you!

For context, I’m French and I’ve graduated from an IB school, where I took IB Visual Arts.
I applied for Fine Art at Chelsea College, and I was feeling really good about it considering it’s classed as the second best art school in the UK. But with all of the incredibly negative reviews I’ve been seeing from former students lately (even though they are mostly for CSM) I’m having a really hard time feeling like UAL is the right fit for me.
Already, it’s not easy for my family to pay for the school, so I’ve very concerned people calling it a ‘cash grab’, and saying that all of the students are snobby and lack creativity.
I was really exited to go into a welcoming environment where I could make friends and share my art/receive valuable critique from my peers.
Some opinions and advice would be seriously appreciated, thank you so so much.

So basically I got accepted into camberwell and I applied a little late because I wasn't sure I wanted to go to ual. tbh I was surprised applications were still open in late june so I applied for BA (hons) spatial and interior design because I heard it was really good and the resources at camberwell are pretty great. anyway I'm supposed to give my deposit soon but like im kinda scared they're gonna cancel the course. They haven't led me to believe anything like that, but the fact that the applications are still open, im lowkey scared and since the deposit is non refundable if they cancel it. I know going there is worth it but then why aren't enough people applying?

I am going to study at LCC (UAL) and I am trying to choose a student accommodation. I am thinking about Archwood House (because it is available now) and would be grateful for any feedback! 

Actually I wanted to book a room in YourTribe (Elephant&Castle or Southwark), but it is all booked. Is there any chance to catch it in August? Chat GPT says that many students will cancel their reservations once everyone receives their uni responses in August but I am not sure, so any advice is very welcome!

Hi this may be a slightly different post than what others are posting on here but I am a Year 1 (hopefully going into year 2) student at UAL! (I won’t be sharing my course here to protect my privacy) and I was wondering how people have made friends at uni or UAL specifically.

I think my main struggles so far for me is that I feel like I don’t fit into the regular types of students I see, so I’m already nervous to talk to people in general. I am probably the only “working class” student I’ve met besides another girl, and I still live at home in a council flat and commute. I also am like alternative and I didn’t think this would be an issue at a fashion school but I still feel like I stick out like a sore thumb especially in my class, I think people have avoided me or given me weird looks which is not an issue for me as I’m used to it! But it does also put me off from talking to people because of this.

I also am extroverted and not super shy! I love to compliment people who seem also nice and friendly but a lot of people seem just not approachable (but this could also be me overthinking. )

If anyone has any tips or things such as UAL clubs or societies or just anything I would really really appreciate it! I’m not a shy person and I am quite friendly and always smile! So I am wondering if there’s more I can do to make friends besides what I’m already doing! Thanks for reading

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide between three postgraduate options and I’d really appreciate some honest advice from people who have studied at these universities or know the creative industries.

My options are:

• University of Warwick
• University of Manchester
• University of the Arts London (UAL)

A bit about my background: I recently graduated with a BSc in Information Science and Media Studies. My experience has mostly been around creative production, storytelling, and media. I’ve worked in video production/content creation, directed theatre productions, written scripts, managed creative teams, and worked on events and live productions.

Long term, I’m interested in moving into film production, especially directing and screenwriting, but I’m also interested in the wider creative industries and building a strong network.

The complicated part is UAL. I originally wanted to study MA Film, but I was offered MA Television instead. I’m trying to figure out whether that is still a good route for someone who wants to move into film, or if I should prioritise a course that is more directly aligned with film.

Things I’m considering:

• Which university would give me the strongest creative industry connections?
• Which course would actually help me build practical skills and a portfolio?
• Is UAL’s location/network worth choosing even if the course isn’t exactly Film?
• Would Warwick or Manchester offer a better overall experience and career value?
• How much does the university name matter compared to the actual work I produce?

I’m not just looking for rankings, I’m more interested in hearing from people who understand the creative/media side of things.

Would really appreciate any advice, especially from current students or graduates from these programmes. Thank you!

I’m an international student that’s been hesitating between my offer for a foundation year at Limegrove and another uni’s offer in Hong Kong for a few months now. I’ve finally started leaning more towards UAL’s offer, but I’m a bit concerned about accommodation. I haven’t tried applying to any of their halls and saw that remaining rooms will be made available on July 1st. The closet hall is costume store, but how likely is it to still have available rooms? How likely are any other closest halls to still have rooms? I want to avoid the 1h+ journey to get to campus but if costume store is fully taken then I don’t have much choice 😭

Also, are there other non-UAL student dorms in the area that anyone on here knows about? Or just any other option? Would rly appreciate all kinds of advice and anecdotes 🙏

Hi! I’m an international mature postgraduate student in my 30s starting at UAL this September.

I’m trying to decide between living in a private flatshare in Stratford and UAL accommodation(Town Hall).
My biggest concern is making friends. If I live in a private flat instead of student accommodation, will I miss out socially?

Also, as a UAL student, can I regularly use the LCF East Bank library and Mac room even if I’m based at another college?

I’d really appreciate hearing from current or former UAL students. Thank you!

hi! i'm sure there's an abundance of posts asking all about how ual truly is. i may or may not have read them all, but i still wanna make a tailored post for myself.

so for starters, i am a chinese international student who's gonna study the ba course of interaction design. lowk i predict that it's going to be 70% chinese students, which in itself isn't an issue. it's just that chinese people, especially those that have mostly lived in china, aren't too fond of me 😭

that and the toxicity of asian friend groups! even though i'm a rather social person and i don't find it hard to make friends, i have a slight fear of being outcasted within the class due to the kind of people that will be there. of course, imma try to keep a positive attitude. but after hearing all the talk about how the people at ual are often not the nicest, i'm kinda scared to say the least! i also got a studio so there goes my chances of making friends from that..

i also hear quite often that ual isn't worth it? personally, i'm quite a proactive person and i'll be striving to be attending all sorts of events and not staying inside all day. i'm good with independent learning! i find that by following what i want, i get the best results.

anywho, what do you guys think?

Helloo, im going to lcf for my bachelors, is anyone else going there? if yes, I would love to connect!

i haven't really gotten the gist of it.. i've submitted all my documents on cas apart from my a level results. soo can the visa process not start before i get my a level results (in august)? that just seems very tight, have i mistaken something?

Hi, is ual generally easy to get into for MA programs, or is it quite competitive? How strict are they with portfolios and requirements?

I'm hoping to apply to university in the autumn coming up. My end goal is to become a University level educator/lecturer alongside continuing my practice as an artist.

Is UAL a good place to achieve this? If not, does anybody have any suggestions for which places are the best? Thank you!

So, I currently have offers for the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design and the UCA Visual Communication BA.

I think UAL is obviously the better uni, but the thing is they only offer the residential bursary for the foundation year, and it's not even guaranteed. It only covers accommodation, which is great, but there's no help with other living costs, and London is hella expensive. My family doesn't have a lot of money, and I'm not sure I'll handle a significant amount of work alongside studying without burning myself out.

And at UCA I can apply for a normal maintenance loan, and the cost of living is much lower in Canterbury.

So, for financial reasons and for the sake of my mental health, UCA feels like the more sensible choice.

I was thinking of how realistic it would be to do my first year in Canterbury and then transfer to UAL to complete my degree there. I want to transfer into Communication and Graphic Design at CSM, which is highly competitive, so I'm not sure how realistic that is.

I'm also considering transferring to Leeds Arts, the Uni of Leeds, Manchester Metropolitan or another good art uni in a mid-sized city.

Which offer should I accept?

Has anyone here transferred between universities, and in particular these two? Do you think it's a good idea?

I'll also appreciate any thoughts on anything I wrote about <3

I have received the recent Graduation Robe Hire reminder stating that students must hire a UAL academic robe from Ede & Ravenscroft as a condition of attendance.

However, I have already hired my graduation gown from Churchill Gowns because I needed access to it several days before the ceremony for a graduation photoshoot with my friends. Before booking, I checked the UAL graduation information, which stated that students are not required to hire from Ede & Ravenscroft and may use another supplier, provided the gown meets the correct specifications. My gown has been hired to the required UAL standards.

I just wanted to clarify whether I will still be permitted to attend the ceremony wearing this gown, as the reminder email appears to contradict the information on the graduation website.

I’m an incoming student for the foundation yr & was wondering if there where any breaks/holidays outside of the normal winter & summer breaks to be aware of. I’m an international student so any info on uk specific bank holidays and such would be appreciated:)