Leeds Arts University

Leeds Arts University is the North of England's sole specialist arts university. Its story starts with the Leeds School of Art in 1846, and the institution was subsequently known as Jacob Kramer College, then Leeds College of Art and Design, later Leeds College of Art, before it received university title in 2017. Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, both sculptors, studied there, and the Basic Design method of foundation teaching, which the college developed during the 1950s, continues to shape its Foundation Diploma.

The university has two sites in central Leeds. The building on Vernon Street has been used since 1903, while the Blenheim Walk campus was built in the 1980s; a large new building finished in 2019 provided a 230-seat auditorium, a specialist library and studios for film and photography. Higher education students number about 2,200, most on undergraduate degrees in subjects such as animation, fashion, photography, filmmaking, fine art, illustration, graphic design, creative writing, popular music performance and acting for screen, with a smaller number on MA programmes. Further education is also offered, including Level 3 extended diplomas and the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.

Information for International Students

Students of more than 60 nationalities attend Leeds Arts University. Its dedicated international team, which has country representatives for some markets, supports applicants from their first enquiry until enrolment. Degree applications are judged on qualifications together with a portfolio or audition, and some courses hold auditions or interviews digitally. International students may also spend a year preparing for degree study on the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, a one-year course awarded by UAL Awarding Body. This further education route has a published English requirement of IELTS for UKVI 5.0 overall and a minimum of 4.5 in every component; for degree courses, the admissions team confirms English language conditions.

Instead of running its own halls, the university has rooms reserved in two partner residences a short walk from campus. Accommodation is guaranteed for first-year students who accept their place as a firm choice and finish booking before the published deadline. International scholarships, such as Vice-Chancellor's awards and discounts for applicants from partner institutions, are considered automatically at admission, based on academic merit and the quality of the portfolio or audition. The UK Graduate Route is open to eligible graduates.