City & Guilds of London Art School

• Location: London, England,
• Established: 1854,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of training: mixed.

City & Guilds of London Art School is a small specialized art college in London. Originally founded as a public art school, it is now an independent, non-profit charity and one of the oldest art schools in the country. 

It offers specialized courses, bachelor's and master's programs. Students also have access to short-term courses in a particular type of art: fine art, wood carving, art history, and others.

• Division of the Foundation,
• Department of Fine Arts,
• Department of Carving,
• Department of Conservation,
• Department of Art History.

City & Guilds of London Art School participates in the National Saturday Club program , which runs from October to June.

This program gives students between the ages of 13 and 16 the opportunity to study subjects they love for free at a local university, college, or cultural institution. During the Saturday club, they will create a series of handmade works of art with a modern twist. 

The school does not provide accommodation on its territory. There are plenty of student housing spaces and trusted landlords in London to help students find the right place to stay close to campus. A 20-minute walk from the study grounds are Urbanest Vauxhall and Urbanest Westminster, which are most often chosen by students of the City & Guilds of London Art School.

The most anticipated event during the year is the exhibition of the Foundation, which completes the training cycle: students show their art objects from different materials, paintings, sketches and other works.

Also during the school year, students are offered special school visits to the  annual London Crafts Week, which takes place in May each year. Students get acquainted with the ancient practices of wood and stone carving, making paints from natural pigments, gilding. Staff members hold demonstrations, talks, and even carving competitions, and visitors are encouraged to try their hand at many areas of creativity.  

• Rare areas of study in higher education,
• One of the oldest art schools in the UK,
• Qualified staff with many years of experience,
• Lots of course options.

The art school is located in Georgian buildings in London's Kennington borough, and the classroom also occupies a converted warehouse building near the south bank of the River Thames.

The City & Guilds of London Art School is just 10 minutes from the National Gallery and 15-20 minutes from the Old Street and Shoreditch contemporary art scene.

There are many places on campus where students can embody their ideas and show their creativity:

• Printing studio,
• Wood, metal, glass, casting and ceramics workshops,
• Library with reading room,
• Drawing studio,
• Computer labs with scanners, printers and graphics tablets,
• Workshops for everyday construction in various materials with a variety of equipment: soldering stations, processing tables, sewing machines, machines and much more.

The institution has its own art store on site, where students can purchase the necessary materials.

Studying at the City & Guilds of London Art School takes place in semesters. Depending on the chosen program, the dates of the academic year may vary. For example, the diploma program is organized on the following dates:

• Autumn semester: August-December,
• Spring semester: February-April,
• Summer semester: April-May.

The graduation for high school students is held at the end of May.

The list of additional expenses may include books and cellery, off-campus accommodation and meals, public transportation and leisure. You should also pay:

• Non-refundable application fee – £325,
• The deposit for booking a place, which will be included in the payment of the program, is £ 500.

Before applying, staff recommend attending an Open House or contacting the admissions office online. The admission process includes a few simple steps:

• Submission of a completed application with the required documents,
• Passing the interview,
• Receiving an invitation to study.

The institution accepts about 95 new students per year.

After completing their studies, graduates begin a successful career, working as practicing artists, curators in creative industries, gallery owners, tutors. Some of them continue their postgraduate studies at leading national and international art schools.

Recent graduates of the Art School have been selected to participate in the competitions "New Contemporaries of Bloomberg", "Kathleen Prize", "John Moore Prize in Painting", and their works have been acquired for the Saatchi Collection and many other private international collections.

Foreigners for admission to an art school must provide:

• A digital portfolio that will contain 15-20 of the best works,
• Completed application for admission,
• Personal documents: passport, visa or residence permit, health insurance,
• Certificate or diploma of the previous stage of education,
• Certificate of English proficiency of at least SELT (5.5) in reading, speaking, listening and writing.

Applications are accepted in January, March and May.

The art school provides a number of grants and financial assistance from partner organizations. More than 40% of students receive one of the grants per year. The award is usually between 33% and 50% of the tuition fee for a year. 

Financial assistance is designed for students who are faced with difficult life circumstances, it is paid for a short period of time and is not a permanent support.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision