Goldsmiths, University of London

Goldsmiths, University of London was founded in 1891 by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths as a technical and recreative institute, and became part of the University of London in 1904. It occupies a single urban campus in New Cross, south east London, centred on the Richard Hoggart Building, a former Royal Naval School. The surrounding area has a lively arts and music scene, and central London is a short train journey away.

Goldsmiths is a relatively small, specialist institution with around 8,000 students, a high proportion of whom are postgraduates or mature students. It has an international reputation in the creative arts, design, media and communications, music and cultural studies, and also teaches computing, psychology, anthropology, sociology, politics and education. In recent years the college has carried out a significant restructuring in response to financial pressures, while continuing to offer a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes.

Information for International Students

Goldsmiths has a strongly international student body, with over a third of its students coming from outside the UK. As a licensed student sponsor, the college issues the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) needed for a Student visa and publishes guidance on visas, immigration and arrival in London.

The typical English language requirement is IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and no element below 5.5, for most undergraduate programmes, and IELTS 6.5 overall, with higher writing scores, for most postgraduate programmes. Applicants with lower scores may be accepted after completing a pre-sessional English course, which lasts between 5 and 12 weeks depending on the level of support needed. Goldsmiths runs its own preparation programmes through its Centre for Academic Language and Literacies on the New Cross campus. These include one-year International Foundation Certificates in subjects such as arts and humanities, social sciences, media and computing, which lead to guaranteed progression to named degrees for successful students, and one-year Pre-Masters pathways leading to a Graduate Diploma or Pre-Masters Certificate. The college has just under 1,100 rooms in its halls of residence. Graduates may be eligible for the UK Graduate Route.