Royal College of Art

Founded in 1837 as the world’s first publicly-funded Government School of Design, the Royal College of Art is now the world’s largest community of postgraduate art and design students, with a student population of approximately 2,300 (projected to rise to 3,000 by 2027). The College received its Royal Charter as an Institution of University Status in 1967 and its objectives are ‘to advance learning, knowledge, and professional competence particularly in the fields of the fine arts, in the principles and practice of art and design in their relation to industrial and commercial processes and social developments, and other subjects relating thereto, through teaching, research, and collaboration with industry and commerce.’ A national asset, the RCA attracts talent from all of Britain’s communities and is an important fountainhead for UK creative industries. It is consistently ranked as the top university worldwide for art and design.