University for the Creative Arts
RankingComplete University Guide 2027: 85th in the UK · Guardian University Guide 2027: 73rd
Established1856
Famous ForArchitecture, Fashion, Film
Tuition Fees18,000-19,050
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Overview
The University for the Creative Arts traces its origins to the Victorian art schools of the South East: the Guildford School of Art, founded in 1856 as the Guildford Working Men's Institution, the Farnham School of Art, founded in 1866, and the Maidstone College of Art, founded in 1867. These merged in 2005 as the University College for the Creative Arts, which gained full university status in May 2008 and took its current name in September 2008, merging with the Open College of the Arts in 2016.
Around 9,430 students study at the university, which is a specialist art and design university with campuses in Canterbury, Epsom and Farnham, the largest, plus the Maidstone TV Studios. Its alumni include Karen Millen, Zandra Rhodes and Stephen Webster, and Oscar-winning animators Michael Dudok de Wit and Suzie Templeton, as well as the artist Tacita Dean.
The university's campuses give students access to specialist studios, workshops and galleries across the South East of England, with Farnham home to the Crafts Study Centre, a national centre for the study of craft.
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Our Services for University for the Creative Arts
The University for the Creative Arts provides dedicated support for international students, including guidance on visas and immigration, and its international team advises students from application through to arrival. The university publishes accommodation guides for January entrants as well as September entrants, recognising that many international students start their studies mid-year.
International students join a specialist creative community of around 9,430 students across four campuses in the South East of England, with support services covering academic advice, wellbeing, finance and careers, and with a Students' Union and creative societies that help new students settle in and make friends.
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Rankings & Recognition
Complete University Guide 2027: 85th in the UK
Guardian University Guide 2027: 73rd
Complete University Guide 2027: 85th. Guardian University Guide 2027: 73rd. The University for the Creative Arts does not appear in the QS World University Rankings 2027 overall table.
As a specialist art and design university with origins in the Victorian art schools of Guildford, Farnham and Maidstone, the university's standing rests on its creative teaching, its specialist studios and workshops, and an alumni list that includes leading fashion designers, jewellers, animators and artists.
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Accommodation
The University for the Creative Arts does not guarantee accommodation for all first-year students, and its guidance states that it cannot guarantee all first years campus accommodation. Rooms are allocated under a published policy, with priority for students with medical or disability needs, then for students living furthest from campus.
Halls include Ian Dury House in Canterbury, Wilberforce Court and Worple Road in Epsom, and in Farnham the Student Village, with up to 345 students in award-winning houses and flats a minute's walk from campus, and University Walk, plus Polden Studios at Union Yard in Aldershot, with 128 en-suite bedrooms from £168.30 per week. Prices for 2026/27 are around £132 to £205 per week including internet and utilities, with an advance payment of £300 and seven days to accept an offer, and a ten per cent discount is available to new undergraduate students in university-managed halls for September 2026. The university partners with Housing Hand, which acts as a rent guarantor for students.
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Location
The University for the Creative Arts has four campuses across the South East of England. Farnham in Surrey is the largest campus, home to the Crafts Study Centre, Canterbury in Kent offers a historic cathedral city, Epsom in Surrey sits close to London, and the Maidstone TV Studios in Kent provide professional television facilities.
Farnham is a historic market town with a castle, a creative quarter and easy rail links to London Waterloo, Canterbury has direct trains to London and to the Kent coast, and Epsom is a short journey from central London. Students enjoy a choice of historic towns and countryside in the South East, with London's galleries, studios and creative industries within easy reach.
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Courses offered at University for the Creative Arts
1 verified course with 2026/27 fees, IELTS & entry requirements — showing 1–1