The RCA Fund: FAQs
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Architecture Studios
Photographer: Richard HaughtonArchitecture Studios
Photographer: Richard Haughton
What are the challenges facing RCA students?
- Over 25 per cent of UK students and 75 per cent of international students
are turning down offered places at the RCA for financial reasons.
- The average undergraduate debt is £40,000.
- Student fees at the RCA are £9,500 per year for Home/EU MA students and £28,400
per year for international MA students, on top of living costs, materials and
expenditure.
- To fund their studies, the average student has to take on paid work on top of their full-time MAs.
- We want to encourage more creative students from less privileged
backgrounds to apply. These individuals will be identified as having the talent
but not the financial resources to enable them to study at the College.
How can the RCA Fund make a difference?
- Bursaries awarded from the RCA Fund have already enabled first-year
students to complete their studies at the RCA instead of deferring or leaving their studies.
- The RCA Fund contributes to Student Support funding schemes and scholarships and supports a range of projects aimed at improving the overall
student experience, providing scholarships and bursaries
for students. As the fund grows, awards are allocated to students to support capital development, research projects, material costs, travel bursaries, studio renovations, special and programme-specific projects.
- RCA Fund scholarships and bursaries are the only awards open and available to ALL
students at the RCA, no matter what their programme or degree.
- The awards are highly valued by recipients. Applicants are means tested, ensuring the College is helping those who need support the most.
- By easing financial pressures a student can allow their creativity to flourish. Scholarships reduce the need to work long hours in external jobs to fund studies, allowing students to commit 100 per cent to their chosen programme.
Why is the College asking alumni and friends for support?
- In the context of reduced public funding for higher education, the
College has lost over 50 per cent of its Government funding within the last
five years.
- Even though the College seeks to find corporate and private sponsors,
the global recession has impacted many and made external funding increasingly competitive.
- Despite our 'Royal' name, the College does not receive any additional
support from the British monarchy.
- We encourage anyone who cares about the RCA to participate. We are increasingly dependent on the generosity of our
alumni, friends and supporters to keep the College providing a world-class education to future generations of artists and designers.
Why are tuition fees so high?
- We firmly believe that a true MA experience allows students the
space and time to develop as reflective practitioners, and prepares them to succeed in their chosen discipline. Our particular
situation and educational ethos means the actual cost of the educational
experience we provide is very high, as it reflects the value of the educational experience.
- The College operates with high staffing
levels, and technical and academic staff to ratios that are higher than most comparable programmes. We do everything we can to ensure that
individual students have access to the academic guidance and pastoral support,
equipment, materials and facilities they need to achieve their aims.
How can I give?
- The RCA can accept gifts via many different methods. Online giving and
gifts by post are the most common. You can give single gifts, regular gifts,
tax effective gifts, named gifts, stock, legacies and many more. For more
information, please visit our How to Give page.
If I can only make a small contribution, does that really help?
- Absolutely. There are 20,000 RCA alumni. It is not how much you give that makes the difference,
but that you give at all. Alumni participation, especially loyal participation from
year to year, not only aids the RCA Fund financially, but also improves the
RCA's reputation and spreads a positive message throughout the wider Art and
Design networks.
What impact will my donation have?
- Every pound you give towards the RCA Fund goes towards enhancing the RCA
student experience.
- The RCA Fund focus is on providing Scholarships and Bursaries
to ensure the most creative and talented artists and designers can study at the
RCA without being distracted by financial worries.
Join us today and change the life of an RCA student!
"A gift of any size can help to propel major change at the College."