Our campus

London offers the artist and designers a creative melting pot, and is the best city in the world for students (QS Best Student Cities ranking 2024). Home to an international community of designers and artists, London is a global centre for culture, from fashion to film. The city has an array of amazing social and cultural opportunities, with a wide variety of bars, cinemas, theatres and other entertainments.

The RCA has had its roots in Battersea for over 25 years, and has contributed to this developing cultural quarter in London. As well as world-leading facilities and technical support to underpin our academic teaching, the Battersea campus boasts a rich cultural offering of scheduled talks by leading artists, curators, writers and critics, including the School of Arts & Humanities Research Lecture Series, exhibitions and events.

The RCA has recently unveiled its new campus in Battersea – the most significant campus development in the College’s history.

In 2016, the RCA was given exceptional funding by the UK Government to create a new building in Battersea, to house art and design programmes as well as Research Centres in Intelligent Mobility, Robotics and Material Futures, the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and InnovationRCA.

This new flagship building is part of the RCA’s most exciting phase in its 185-year history, marking the College's transformation into a dynamic STEAM-focused postgraduate university (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics). As the world’s leading art and design university (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025: Art & Design, 2014–25), the expansion of the Battersea Campus enables the College to continue to compete globally and attract the highest calibre students and future entrepreneurs.

The new building is designed by Herzog & de Meuron and sits alongside the RCA’s existing Dyson, Woo and Painting Buildings.

Programmes based at Battersea in the 2024/25 academic year are:

• Arts & Humanities MPhil/PhD
• Arts & Humanities MRes
• Ceramics & Glass MA
• Computer Science MPhil/PhD
• Contemporary Art Practice MA
• Design Products MA
• Design Futures MDes
• Global Innovation Design MA/MSc (also at Imperial College London)
• Innovation Design Engineering MA/MSc (also at Imperial College London)
• Intelligent Mobility MA
• Intelligent Mobility MPhil/PhD
• Jewellery & Metal MA
• Materials Science MPhil/PhD
• Painting MA
• Photography MA
• Print MA
• Sculpture MA

The Royal College of Art's historic Kensington campus is iconic, located in the 'Albertopolis' district of London, alongside the Victoria and Albert Museum and Imperial College, flanked by Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park – the largest green space in London – and next to the Royal Albert Hall.

Designed by H T Cadbury Brown and opened in 1962, the heart of the Kensington site is the Modernist Darwin Building, named for post-war Rector Robin Darwin (grandson of Charles Darwin). 

Alongside taught programmes, in Kensington you'll find the RCA's extensive Library, including Special Collections and the Colour Reference Library; extensive Technical Services resources; Student Support and the Students' Union.

Programmes based at Kensington in the 2024/25 academic year are:

• Architecture MA
• Architecture MPhil/PhD
• Architecture MRes
• City Design MA
• Curating Contemporary Art MA
• Design MPhil/PhD
• Design Practice MArch
• Environmental Architecture MA
• Fashion MA
• Healthcare & Design MRes
• Interior Design MA
• Service Design MA
• Textiles MA
• Writing MA
• History of Design MA (and at the V&A Museum)
• History of Design MPhil/PhD (and at the V&A Museum)

Kensington transformation

From August 2025, we are embarking upon a series of refurbishment works at our Kensington campus. These involve making essential repairs to some areas of our much loved heritage buildings and improving our facilities for future generations of RCA students and staff, as part of our future plan to become a two campus university based in Kensington and Battersea in 2027. 

During these works, we can expect some noise and alternative access routes at times on our campuses and will strive to minimise disruption to our students as far as we possibly can. Throughout the year we’ll be keeping our community fully up-to-date with any changes and listening to feedback. None of these works will alter the delivery of our programmes, as set out in our programme specifications.

Located in the BBC Media Village, the RCA's White City is the newest addition to the RCA campus, and is equipped with state of the art bespoke studio, workshop and technical spaces that have been designed particularly for RCA students. The site adds a new dimension to the College's cultural offer, with opportunities for collaborations, exhibitions and events.

Programmes based at White City in the 2024/25 academic year are:

• Animation MA
• Communication MFA
• Communication MPhil/PhD
• Communication MRes
• Digital Direction MA
• Graduate Diploma Art & Design
• Information Experience Design MA
• Visual Communication MA

Please note, our buildings are only accessible to the public during exhibitions, events or open days. If you would like to visit the RCA, sign up to one of our on-campus Open Days and campus tours.

The Royal College of Art has worked with AccessAble to create Detailed Access Guides to teaching, meeting spaces and routes across it’s Kensington, Battersea, and White City campuses.

The Guides are 100% facts, figures, and photographs to help students, visitors and staff plan their journey to and around the College, covering everything from parking facilities and assistive listening, to walking distances and accessible toilets.

We know everyone’s accessibility needs are different, which is why having detailed, accurate information is so important. It’s why all of the details you’ll find in the Guide have been checked in person, on site, by trained surveyors.

View Detailed Access Guides for each RCA campuses on the AccessAble website.