Britain’s creative royalty — and real royalty — have studied at Goldsmiths: the designer Mary Quant; artist Damien Hirst; Oscar-winning director Sir Steve McQueen; three out of four members of the pop band Blur; and Princess Beatrice. The Booker prizewinning author Bernardine Evaristo earned her PhD in creative writing from Goldsmiths in 2013. The university’s progressive outlook is a draw, and its courses have clout: Goldsmiths ranks 21st in the world for art and design in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, and 48th for the performing arts.

However, the university has found itself in the news for less favourable reasons: a £16 million budget deficit was reported in 2023 and strike action was threatened in a row over 97 staff redundancies to save money. The strikes were called off along with a marking and assessment boycott following an agreement in time for the start of the 2024-25 academic year. 

The sense of uncertainty and unrest was reflected in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), when Goldsmiths was rated bronze, one of seven universities in the lowest category. Despite an appeal, the TEF results (student experience: requires improvement; student outcomes: bronze) stand. Goldsmiths is the only university in our guide to be told by the Office for Students that its provision requires improvement. However, the TEF panel tempered the assessment by commenting that “research in relevant disciplines, scholarship and professional practice” contributed “to a very high quality academic experience”. Assessors also found “very high rates of successful progression for the provider’s students and courses”.

What is Goldsmiths, University of London’s reputation?

Founded in 1891 as a Technical and Recreative Institute by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, the original institution focused on classes in the arts and sciences at the same site in New Cross, southeast London, that the university occupies today. It became part of the University of London in 1904 and its reach has grown beyond the creative arts to include social sciences and humanities, management, law, and computing. 

In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 79 per cent of work submitted by Goldsmiths was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Anthropology; art, design and visual cultures; media, communications and cultural studies; social therapeutic and community studies; and sociology produced some of the best results. Goldsmiths is comfortably in the top half of universities in our analysis of research quality (49th) although it slipped 13 places compared with its performance in the previous REF 2014. In 2022 Goldsmiths’ research in data science, artificial intelligence and related fields earned it a Network Development Award from the Alan Turing Institute.

Despite modest improvements in rates of student satisfaction, the university remains rooted to the lower reaches of our new National Student Survey analysis: Goldsmiths is 124th for satisfaction with teaching quality and 127th for satisfaction with the wider undergraduate experience — it was third from bottom for both last year.

What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?

N/A.

What are Goldsmiths, University of London’s entry requirements – and my chances of getting in?

For degree courses, applicants are expected to achieve from CCC to ABB at A-level. Goldsmiths does not make contextual offers but it does take applicants' educational backgrounds into account and will consider those without the standard entry requirements based on their work experience, creative portfolio or audition. Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of students entered through clearing in 2023.

What are the graduate prospects?

Goldsmiths makes sure its students gain experience in industry by teaming up with partners ranging from multinational companies to local art collectives: Tate Modern, Bestival, Universal Music, the Home Office and the Lewisham Refugee Network have all taken part. Initiatives to prepare students for future employability include live briefs set by companies such as Kodak and Microsoft for those on design, computing and management degrees. But the latest data on graduate outcomes 15 months after a Goldsmiths degree ranks the university 111th based on the proportion in high-skilled jobs or postgraduate study — a slight decline on 106th in our previous edition.

What is Goldsmiths, University of London’s campus like?

Unlike most other universities in the capital, all of Goldsmiths’ undergraduate teaching and support is based at a single-site campus in southeast London. Here, Goldsmiths has some of the capital's best facilities for the creative arts, including dedicated studio space for all design students and nine specialist research laboratories — and even its own yarn shop.

Media and communications students have access to digital video and audio-editing hardware and software. Goldsmiths’ music studios provide industry-standard equipment for students enrolled on a range of music degrees.

The Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art gallery on campus exhibits work by artists from around the world, while local community groups and students also make long-term use of the space. The £2.9 million performance studios and 200-seat theatre are used by the public as well as students.

Everything you need to know about Goldsmiths, University of London’s student life and wellbeing support

Goldsmiths’ students’ union runs daily activities for fun — Trashy Tuesday (karaoke) and Wired Wednesday (electronic dance music) — or to promote safety. Active bystander training is led by social care professionals. A world of diverse interests is opened up by 100 societies from athletics to K-pop; pole dancing to anime and games; yoga to debating. Central London is a ten-minute mainline train ride away. The hipper neighbourhoods of Peckham, Hoxton and Dalston are within easy reach via the Overground.

On campus a large college green as well as tennis and netball courts provide opportunities to unwind and/or get active. Loring Sports Ground, half an hour away, is the home ground for men’s and women’s football, rugby and cricket. Every year Goldsmiths students face off against their main sporting rivals, the University of the Arts London, in a one-day sporting competition known as the Arts Cup.

Help for students is available around the clock and includes specialist counsellors, financial advice and overnight wellbeing support officers. A holistic approach means that senior academic and personal tutors are an alternative — or additional — point of contact for students in difficulty.

What do the students say?

“No matter the degree, you are taught from an unconventional perspective with emphasis on creativity and social activism. Courses tend to be hands-on, so you get access to a variety of software, equipment, and studios to leave university with an impactful portfolio and an established industry network. Everyone is involved with the students’ union, with arts exhibitions, film screenings, sports competitions, and academic talks.”
Kseniia Sheveleva, international officer for Goldsmiths students’ union and media and communications student

What about student accommodation at Goldsmiths, University of London?

Most study bedrooms are near campus and none further away than a 30-minute commute. First-years are prioritised and international students who apply by the deadline are guaranteed a space. 

How diverse and inclusive is Goldsmiths, University of London?

Goldsmiths once maintained a strong record in our social inclusion index, ranking 26th only two years ago, and is on the way back up. It is now 55th, rising 22 places since our previous edition. The university runs a busy programme of outreach activities to widen participation among underrepresented groups. Discover Gold campus visits, for instance, target young people eligible for free school meals and mature students returning to education. Another initiative works with ex-offenders and those who have struggled with addiction and mental health. 

Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Goldsmiths, University of London

About 15 per cent of entrants received one of Goldsmiths’ range of scholarships and bursaries in 2024. Awards include full fee waivers for students from the borough of Lewisham; mature student scholarships worth £3,000 per year of study; and access programme scholarships of £1,000 a year.