The Glasgow School of Art

The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) began in 1845 under the name Glasgow Government School of Design and has been known by its present title since 1853. It is among the UK's few remaining independent art schools, with degrees validated by the University of Glasgow. Studio-led teaching is divided between four schools: Design, Fine Art, Innovation and Technology, and the Mackintosh School of Architecture.

The main campus sits in Garnethill, near the heart of Glasgow, and is closely linked with the Mackintosh Building, which Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed and which ranks among the city's best-known landmarks. Fires in 2014 and 2018 badly damaged the building, and its restoration is a long-term undertaking. A second campus, set in historic buildings on Moray's Altyre Estate near Forres, focuses on master's and doctoral study and research. GSA has about 2,800 students, around two thirds of them undergraduates, and its graduate network extends to over 20,000 people in 95 countries. Its alumni stand out in contemporary art: since 2005, about 30 per cent of those nominated for the Turner Prize have been GSA graduates, several of them winners.

Information for International Students

Applicants to GSA can turn to an international team for help with entry requirements, the application itself, visas and getting ready to study. Admissions staff answer questions about the CAS, and the welfare team gives visa support. Undergraduates apply through UCAS and then send the school a digital portfolio together with a separate portfolio statement, and most programmes also interview candidates. The typical English requirement for undergraduate degrees is IELTS 6.0 overall and no less than 5.5 per component, rising to 6.5 overall for Architecture, with IELTS for UKVI (Academic) the preferred test.

Two preparatory options are taught at the Glasgow campus. GSA's own International Foundation introduces art and design through studio-led study, placing participants alongside first-year students, and offer holders who need stronger English can take Pre-sessional English for Creative Disciplines. Portfolio preparation courses are offered too. New students may apply for rooms in Margaret Macdonald House and Blythswood House, GSA's halls in Glasgow, both within a short walk of the campus, and there is also accommodation at the Forres campus. GSA offers scholarships, and graduates who meet the criteria may apply for the Graduate Route.