Royal College of Art

Royal College of Art is an independent art school in London offering postgraduate art and design programmes; admission requires a digital portfolio, a written statement and a short video, with English evidence due by 11 June 2027.

London, United KingdomIndependent art schoolrca.ac.uk

Schools and subjects

  • School of Architecture
  • School of Arts & Humanities
  • School of Communication & Design
  • Service Design
  • Fine Art
  • Design Products

Listed under: architecture schools, product and industrial design schools, fine art schools.

Postgraduate requirements

Degrees

MA / MFA / MArch / MRes / MPhil/PhD

Portfolio

Digital portfolio, specific to the programme applied for. General guidance: School of Communication & Design (incl. Architecture, Communication, Design) should include both finished projects and work-in-progress (sketchbooks, prototypes, research, process books); School of Arts & Humanities only finished projects. Most programmes also require a 300-word written statement and a 2-minute video (critical challenge) speaking to camera about your creative journey. Example (Service Design MA): portfolio showing challenging project topics, user-research insight, empathy, creative ideas, crafted solutions, and ability to shape services/experiences.

English

IELTS Academic accepted (also Password Skills PLUS, LanguageCert Academic, PTE Academic). Per-programme IELTS scores set on individual pages; example Service Design MA requires IELTS 6.5 overall with minimum 5.5 in every component. English results must be submitted by 11 June 2027 for offer holders.

International tuition

£39,250 (Overseas and EU) for Service Design MA, September 2027 entry (representative; varies by programme). Deposit for Overseas/EU: £3,500.

Deadline

2027 entry - Round 1: 8 January 2027, 12 noon UK time; Round 2: 23 March 2027, 12 noon; Master's final deadline (Round 3): 2 June 2027, 12 noon.

Interview

Not generally required; assessment is via portfolio, written statement and video. (Interview requirement varies by programme and is not stated as standard.)

The school’s website lists no first-degree entry, so this page records postgraduate requirements only.

Other notes

Foundation / pathway

Graduate Diploma Art & Design (pre-Master's, not equivalent to BA). January 2027 intake deadline: 7 December 2026, 12 noon UK time. (Note: RCA does not itself offer an art foundation or undergraduate degree; from September 2027 it jointly awards undergraduate degrees with Norwich University of the Arts, delivered in Norwich.)

Scholarships

RCA scholarships are competitive and limited; examples for 2026/27 include: RCA President & Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship (£9,000 towards fees, Overseas fee status); GREAT Scholarship (£10,000, Overseas, selected programmes incl. Service Design MA); House of Fraser / Leathersellers' / RCA Sanctuary / Sir Frank Bowling / Virgil Abloh awards; external options (Chevening, country-specific). Scholarships mostly awarded in Rounds 1-2.

Sources for this page

  1. https://www.rca.ac.uk/
  2. https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/apply-to-study/portfolio-advice/
  3. https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/apply-to-study/english-language-requirements/
  4. https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/apply-to-study/eligibility-and-key-dates/
  5. https://www.rca.ac.uk/study/programme-finder/service-design-ma/

Taken from the school’s website and checked on 2026-10-27. Schools change their requirements every year; open the official pages above to confirm the current version before you apply.