Secure your place

Date

5 November 2025

Read time

2 minutes

Welcome to the World's No.1 Art and Design University.*

Students come from across the world to the Royal College of Art in London to be part of an internationally renowned postgraduate community. Gain unrivalled opportunities to enhance your practice, build networks, solve global challenges and develop your career.

* QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025: Art & Design

Date

5 November 2025

Read time

2 minutes

Discover our programmes

The Royal College of Art offers Graduate Diploma, Master's and MPhil/PhD programmes in the arts, design, communication, architecture and the humanities. Our students also come from a broad range of backgrounds including science, technology, engineering, social sciences, business and healthcare.

Programme finder

January 2026 intake

A number of programmes have an intake in January 2026 including:

Communication MFA
Creative Education MEd
Design Practice MArch
Graduate Diploma Art & Design
MPhil/PhD programmes.

Find out more about the January intake.

September 2026 intake

Applications for our September 2026 intake are open now.

See eligibility and key dates

Upcoming events for prospective students

Register for online and on-campus open days, portfolio Q&A sessions, campus tours and the chance to meet the RCA globally and in the UK.

Online Open Events

Online Portfolio Q&A Week: 1 - 5 December 2025

In-person events

Join us for a campus tour and experience what life at the RCA is really like. Explore our facilities, meet our community, and get a feel for studying here. Visit the link for more information and to see upcoming tour dates.

Upcoming events

Graduate Diploma Art & Design

The Graduate Diploma prepares you for Master’s study at the RCA. Join the January 2026 cohort and graduate in time to commence a Master's programme in September. Application are open until 5 December.

30 weeks | On-campus, online or dual-learning modes of study

Graduate Diploma Art & Design

Why choose the RCA?

Teaching and research expertise

The opportunity to learn from world-leading academic staff. We’re the only specialist art and design university where all of our permanent teaching and research staff are also research active and included in the RCA’s submissions to the UK Research Excellence Framework.

Renowned alumni

Our 30,000+ alumni are leaders in their disciplines, making national and international headlines. Alumni include:

Hoor Al Qasimi
Hurvin Anderson RA
Christopher Bailey CBE
Sir Peter Blake
Sir Frank Bowling
Sir James Dyson OM
Dame Tracey Emin RA
Sir Anthony Finkelstein
Thomas Heatherwick RDI, CBE
Dame Barbara Hepworth
Lubaina Himid RA CBE
David Hockney OM
Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq
Asif Kapadia
Julian MacDonald OBE
Henry Moore OM
Erdem Moralioglu MBE
Morag Myerscough
Dame Magdalene Odundo
Chris Ofili CBE
Dame Zandra Rhodes
Bridget Riley
Peter Schreyer
Sir Ridley Scott
Douglas Stewart
Philip Treacy OBE

A diverse creative community

The RCA is the world’s largest postgraduate-only art and design university, representing an exciting talent base and opportunities to build your network and collaborate. An RCA student might be working in industry or the arts, a career-changer, or come straight from an undergraduate course. We typically welcome students from over 70 countries.

Interdisciplinary connections

Our College and School-wide projects, activities and challenges help our students find like-minded creatives to solve major global problems, grow their networks, or find future business partners. Find out more about AcrossRCA.

Build your career

Find out more about how the RCA can help move your career to the next level with our Graduate Careers Report.

Ready to take the next step?

Apply to study at the RCA

“Living abroad has allowed me to understand my identity from different angles. The combination between what inspires me from my roots, and the exchanges that I have with different creators while living in London has shaped my practice.”
Paola Estrella Contemporary Art Practice MA, 2021
“As a student at the RCA you are provided with a range of opportunities, including the chance to engage with industry and to take part in collaborative projects working across different arts and design disciplines.”
Tashia Tucker MRes RCA, 2017, CEO & Founder at Olombria
“I was impressed with how self-led the programme is; at the RCA you learn what is important to you.”
José García Oliva Visual Communication MA, 2021
“The flexibility and expansive reach of the Architecture programme at the RCA was something that really attracted me. I had such a transformative experience studying in London.”
Dan Hawkins Architecture MA, 2019
“The programme gave me the confidence to engage with wide-ranging forms of research; my first book, Gay Bar, is a testament to the RCA’s expansive pedagogy.”
Jeremy Atherton Lin Writing MA, 2015, Freelance Writer and Author
“The RCA opened my eyes to design on a global scale. I was surrounded by people from all over the world which contributed to my personal growth as a designer.”
Ti Chang Design Products MA, 2007, Co-Founder & VP of Design at Crave
“I was surrounded by academic staff who were more than just teachers. They were esteemed professionals in their field who were willing to share their insight and guide their students by providing feedback and constructive criticism.”
Neely Goniodsky Animation MA, 2013, Freelance Animator and Educator