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Royal College of Art celebrates 10th consecutive year as the world’s leading university for art and design

Key details

Date

  • 10 April 2024

Author

  • RCA

School, Centre or Area

Read time

  • 1 minute

London’s institutions make it the best place to study creative subjects in the world

Key details

Date

  • 10 April 2024

Author

  • RCA

School, Centre or Area

Read time

  • 1 minute
Works on display at the RCA2023 graduate exhibitions and events, credit Royal College of Art copy

The Royal College of Art (RCA) in London has been ranked the number 1 university for Art & Design internationally for the 10th year in a row, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 – the largest world-wide survey of academic and industry opinion, with other UK institutions also being highly ranked.

The latest results demonstrate the College’s reputation with an overall score of 98.5, including 100% for academic reputation, and 85% for employer reputation.

For the second consecutive year the RCA has been ranked in first place in the History of Art category, which incorporates programmes teaching the history of design. The RCA’s History of Design MA and PhD programmes are delivered in partnership with the V&A Museum.

As with previous years, University of the Arts London takes up the second place in the Art and Design rankings, with both UK institutions ahead of major international universities including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rhode Island School of Design and Parsons School of Design in the US, and European institutions such as Aalto University in Finland and Politecnico di Milano in Italy. Meanwhile, the Royal College of Music is named number 1 in the Performing Arts rankings.

The UK's strength in creative higher education directly feeds into the country’s reputation as a leader for its innovative creative industries and as a global destination for culture, and supports the UK's creative economy, which contributes £126 billion annually in GVA and employs over 2.4 million people.

  • “To reach the milestone of 10 years as the world's top art and design university is such a significant achievement. It is a testament to the incredible talent of the RCA's community, and to the vibrancy of creative practice in London and the UK. The combination of leading universities, a diverse cultural ecosystem, and thriving creative industries attracts talent from around the world and continues to drive innovation and encourage new approaches to global challenges.”

    Professor Christoph Lindner President and Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art

  • “We are proud that the Royal College of Art has been recognised as the world’s best art and design university for the tenth year running. The RCA excels based upon a determined effort to constantly evolve. I believe that as we face substantial global challenges, art and design has a particular relevance and value. The world needs curious, creative and collaborative individuals.”

    Sir Jony Ive Chancellor of the Royal College of Art

  • “The RCA’s influence reaches deep into the creative industries and far beyond. Its status as the world’s number one art and design university over the last ten years builds on nearly 200 years of excellence across art, design, architecture and communication. This achievement stands as a testament to the UK’s valuable creative industries. Not only are they the bedrock of the country’s soft power, they also attract incredible interest, investment and talent from around the globe to power a significant part of our economy.”

    Sir Peter Bazalgette RCA Pro-Chancellor and Chair