art school applicaton?

[timeandtimeagain]

Can someone tell me how to apply for art or art & design types courses? Are there a lot of differences between HND and degrees in the first 2 or 3 years? Which one will have more choices HNDs or degrees? Also considering long term finance implications? I believe it may be cheaper at FE than unis. Perhaps spend two years in FE then continue in a HE or Uni. Your views?

Degrees are better. They are the higher level qualification. Very many people access art degrees by doing a foundation course and these may be available locally. HND is a stepping stone to a degree too but they are not the same level as a degree. FE courses are not university degrees. So they are cheaper but you are comparing apples and pears. Is it ultimately the degree that you want?

My advice would be to do the traditional route of a foundation course. This should give you wide exposure to different art and from that you can discover if your degree should be fine art, photography, textiles, ceramics etc and you will get the opportunity to produce the necessary portfolio of work for your degree application. If you would rather to a BTEC type course, I would check what type of course is best as a foundation for a higher level course. You may well still need to do a foundation course though but it will depend on the university.

Depend on the university and the degree. (I meant to say).

Thanks I suppose for HNDs you need to know the course or skill area you want first.

What sort of A levels do unis expect?

A good start would be to decide what universities you're looking at and check their websites. Falmouth, for instance, would be looking for Level 3 equivalent qualifications, such as A Levels, Foundation Diploma, Extended (National) Diploma, International Baccalaureate or equivalent experience, for entry to first year of a BA Hons course.

A portfolio of work relevant to the course is vital. Some do get in straight after A levels / equivalent at school or college, but that's usually because they have an exceptional portfolio. Most have to do a foundation year - no fees as it's an FE course, but no loan either, so usually done locally.

As an example, my daughter knew she wanted to do Graphic Design, so did A level Art and Psychology and BTEC Graphic Design in 6th form. Although she applied to universities from the 6th, she ended up having to do a foundation course at a local university, and then got into her first choice university for her degree course.

All the Unis have different A level grade requirements.

It was once that the HNDs were more vocational subejcts, like Graphic Design, Interior Design etc. where a career path was laid out more. Fine Art subjects more in Uni at Degree level.

But all are provided for now at FE and HE. I'd be careful using an HND as a stepping stone to Uni. If you wish to articlate from HND to Degree you're qualified to get into 3rd year here in Scotland or 2nd year in the rest of UK. However, this doens't often happen, therefore either entering at a lower level or the Unis feeling that you're not 'right' for their course as you're so ready for industry.

This is just my experience, not gospel but I work wtih students preparing art portfolios for art college for many years and have taught at many of the art schools and FE colleges in Scotland.

Hope this helps, Julie

From my DD's college, everyone interested in art degrees (graphic design, product design, fine art etc) went straight to uni, without foundation course. However, one uni tutor we spoke to was very keen on students who'd done foundation courses. Said they tended to get better results in degree, and since they're free, he argued that everyone should do one.
My DD needed 3 Bs to get into Bournemouth Arts; other unis were asking for less, and a few wanted higher than that. Interview and portfolio also required.

My DD did both Art and Graphics A levels, so she had plenty of opportunities to build up a portfolio. She also included some personal work in her portfolio (for graphic design application). She'd gone to an adult ed evening class in Life Drawing, which some tutors at open days were keen on, and included some of that stuff. She also included a poster she'd done for a local football club, a food label she'd designed for a friend, etc. Her college helped her put the portfolio together and the uni interviews were fairly relaxed, just talking about her work.

dd is doing an HND in this area at a local FE college.
It is 2 year course and you apply via UCAS the same as degrees.
There is a progression onto degree courses but many go straight into employment.
Fees are less and you apply via the main student loan schemes.
The main difference which you haven't mentioned though is that the teaching groups are smaller than one degree courses and learning has not been as disrupted due to COVID.
Apart from Jan to March (where live on-line classes took place and students were also provided with Art equipment to use at home) there was full face-to-face teaching whereas peer group taking degrees had much less face-to-face.

@menotastic

From my DD's college, everyone interested in art degrees (graphic design, product design, fine art etc) went straight to uni, without foundation course. However, one uni tutor we spoke to was very keen on students who'd done foundation courses. Said they tended to get better results in degree, and since they're free, he argued that everyone should do one. My DD needed 3 Bs to get into Bournemouth Arts; other unis were asking for less, and a few wanted higher than that. Interview and portfolio also required.

I’ve noticed that students are going on to university degree courses without the foundation course. This seems to be a new thing as back in my day the foundation course was essential regardless of whether or not you had A levels. Most people I know did two years of A levels, the one year foundation diploma and a 3 year degree in that order.

Two of my DCs friends have got offers at unis for degree courses, straight from 6th form.
Their offers were based on their portfolios, not a levels.

I also know of DC going straight to degree level, but everything hinged on the portfolio and interview.

The DC I know had good size portfolios because they did lots of work adding to it outside of their A levels/college courses.

You can a apply with just A levels but I would suggest they also apply for a foundation course at the same time, because without a good portfolio their chances of a degree course is slim.

Some unis are advertising design courses and not asking for a portfolio, but then these unis are not art schools, so the quality and resources of the degree could be questioned, I wouldn't recommend one of my DC to apply for one of those Universities if they are passionate about art/design.

Are foundation years still fee-free? If so, I’d recommend doing one rather than embarking on a degree before exploring different art and design options. Fine Art is very portfolio based, usually students will have done a foundation year first. If someone wants to be a practising fine artist, I’d recommend trying to go down the degree route. Of course location will alter the experience and the expense- there are lots of artistic hubs across uk.

As far as I know foundation years are free.

My understanding is that foundation years are only free if you have just finished A levels and are under 19 years old at the start of the course.

Yes they are free if you are under 19.

My Dd did 3 x Art Alevel (Fine Art, Graphics and 3D) and submitted a portfolio at applicaiton, but most of the people on her course did a foundation course between A level and BFA.

Some unis are advertising design courses and not asking for a portfolio, but then these unis are not art schools, so the quality and resources of the degree could be questioned, I wouldn't recommend one of my DC to apply for one of those Universities if they are passionate about art/design. I agree with this. Both of my DC, despite good A level results and excellent portfolios, were required to undertake the foundation year as there was stiff competition for places on the highly regarded degree courses they chose. DC2 was one of only 16 accepted onto her course from 250+ applicants. That was Design for Performance at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.