We are UAL – UAL Careers

We are UAL

Models by Jaz Martell | Photographer: Alys Tomlinson

We are made up of all types of people from all kinds of places

Who we are

University of the Arts London (UAL) offers an extensive range of courses in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts. The University is made up of 6 renowned Colleges and 4 institutes. UAL is ranked highly across the board. We are ranked 1st for specialist art and design, 2nd in the world for Art and Design in the 2022 QS World University Rankings (for the 5th year in a row), ranked 5th in sustainability and two of our colleges were rated in the top 3 fashion schools in the world.

The origins of UAL lie in the 19th century with the foundation of the schools that became our 6 constituent Colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts. These schools educated young people to prepare them for a world transformed by technological change. Students learned new skills for growing industries, like architecture, communication, fashion, design and performance. And their work brought beauty into people’s everyday lives.

In 1986, the 6 Colleges joined together as one. In 2003, they became a university: University of the Arts London (UAL). Though much has changed since the 19th century, our social purpose, “to change society through our knowledge and creativity”, remains unchanged. We remain rooted in London’s heritage of vocational education. And we are developing into a global force for change, advancing the case for creativity at the regional, national and international level.

We have become one of the world’s most international Universities, welcoming staff and students and staff from 130 countries. And, as a global university, staff and students learn from different cultures and perspectives, which leads to new conversations and innovative work.

Our strategy

In 2022, we launched our new 10-year strategy ‘The world needs creativity’. Our strategy, developed by and with our staff, has three Guiding Policies:

  1. To give our students the education they need to flourish in a changing world
  2. To bring a high-quality creative education to more students than ever before
  3. To change the world through our creative endeavour

We identified the challenges and opportunities that are most important to UAL and our future, and the guiding policies are our response to each of these issues in turn. Creativity is a skill vital across the economy and society. In today’s knowledge economy, this will become increasingly so. In years to come, the world we hope to see will be more creative and innovative.

To give our students the skills they need, we must change the way we teach and deliver a rich and rewarding student experience. By doing so, in partnership with our staff and students, we will ensure our students are equipped to work in sectors beyond the creative industries. Our students will have the careers they want, the economy will have the creative skills it needs, and we will build a better world where people across disciplines, like the arts and sciences, share ideas far and wide and work together to solve common challenges.

Colleges and Institutes

College entrance | Photographer: Alys Tomlinson
CSM King's Cross Building | Photographer: John Sturrock
Students working in the college garden | Photographer: Alys Tomlinson
Building frontage, Imprint Exhibition | Photographer: Lewis Bush
Close up of a costume with feathers and fur by Stephanie Shaw, show at Oxo Tower | Photographer: David Poultney
Main Reception, Merton Hall Road building | Photographer: Ideal Insight
Launch of UAL Creative Computing Institute
Ana Escobar, Girl with headphones at a private view, London College of Communication, UAL
A co-created and crowd sourced fashion garment in blue by AWAYTOMARS, Photo by Gleeson Paulino
City photos on rolling paper, Hai Hui Xiong, MA Book Arts, Camberwell College of Arts

Departments, Teams and People

VR session hosted for European partners as part of Accelerate, Chelsea College of Arts | Photographer: Alexandra Rodriguez Cifre
Students and staff working in Central St. Martins library | Ana Blumenkron
Working Video Stills - Animation | Credit: Alexandra Kostyuk
Working Video Stills - Animation | Credit: Alexandra Kostyuk

Find out more

Candy floss at Staff Summer Party, Chelsea College of Arts | Copyright: University of the Arts London
UAL Treasure Hunt | Photographer: Jieying Shao
Animation still | Credit: Alexandra Kostyuk