Ravensbourne University London

A specialist institution, Ravensbourne University London teaches creative, digital, business and technology subjects. Its formation in 1962 brought together the Bromley, Sidcup and Beckenham art schools, the earliest of which had been founded in 1878. The institution was located first at Bromley Common and then, from 1975, at Chislehurst, before relocating in 2010 to the Greenwich Peninsula, where it occupies a purpose-built campus, the work of the architect Farshid Moussavi. It was granted degree awarding powers in 2017, with university title following in 2018.

Its campus forms part of the Design District in North Greenwich, an area built up around creative and technology companies, and working with industry is embedded throughout the curriculum. Courses span media, film, television and music, along with fashion, design, computing, business and management, architecture and interiors, and animation and games, with over 35 undergraduate programmes alongside postgraduate courses. According to Ravensbourne, no other institution in the world holds RIBA accreditation for its courses in both architecture and interiors. It holds Silver in the Teaching Excellence Framework, and the fashion designer Stella McCartney is among its former students.

Information for International Students

International students at Ravensbourne are supported by a dedicated international team, while a separate UKVI team deals with visa sponsorship. The university publishes guidance and holds webinars on the Student visa, the CAS, eVisas and the Graduate Route. Undergraduate entry normally requires IELTS Academic 5.5 overall and in each component, and postgraduate courses call for 6.0 overall with every component at 5.5 or above. A range of school qualifications and other English tests is also accepted, and entry requirements for individual countries are published. A portfolio and an interview may be requested, and both can be done remotely, with the university running portfolio workshops and giving advice. An Integrated Foundation Year provides a preparatory year for those who need one before degree study.

Ravensbourne has no halls of residence of its own. Instead, it partners with residence providers such as International Students House and directs students towards homestays and private rentals. For those without a UK guarantor, it has secured preferential access to a guarantor service. Before a CAS can be issued, a CAS deposit must be paid. Fee discounts and scholarships are available at every level of study.