Good University Guide 2023

Leeds Arts University

National rank

71
st=
80.1
%
Firsts / 2:1s
93.1
%
Completion rate

Key stats

35
th
Teaching quality
67
th=
Student experience
131
st
Research quality
125
th=
Graduate prospects
Leeds Arts University

Contact details

Address

Blenheim Walk, Leeds, LS2 9AQ ,

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Telephone

A research culture is emerging at Leeds Arts, the north of England’s only specialist arts institution. For the first time, the former Leeds College of Arts showcased its work in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). It enters at the foot of our research rankings in 131st place but is proud to have some work recognised as world-leading. The best results were in history of art, design and architecture. 

Having gained full university status only in 2017, the former Leeds College of Arts was ineligible for the previous national research assessment in 2014 and now hopes to improve its research pedigree as time goes by. Leeds Arts made clear its commitment to developing practice-based research in the arts by including all teaching staff in its REF 2021 submission — rather than just those with a significant responsibility in research. 

The past five years has been a period of expansion all round, with enrolments almost double what they were a decade ago. Demand is increasing: applications rose 14 per cent year-on-year in the 2021 cycle. 

Yet the student community remains relatively small, at about 2,000 undergraduates. University life is based on the Blenheim Walk campus (a ten-minute walk from the centre of Leeds), which has studios for film, music and photography as well as a 230-seat auditorium, enhanced fashion design studios and a large specialist arts library. At Vernon Street, the original base in the city centre, further education courses are taught.

Professional-standard equipment includes large-format digital printers, 3D scanners and industrial-grade machinery for working with wood, metal and plastics. Acoustically insulated sound booths can be used to create radio or television advertisements.

Students appear to like what they see. In our analysis of the latest National Student Survey, published in summer 2022, Leeds Arts has risen an impressive 63 places to rank 35th for satisfaction with teaching quality — returning to the top third of universities in the country for this measure. Only two years ago it was in the top 20, until the pandemic hit student satisfaction rates hard. As the university tells us: “The dominant, social mode of learning is hugely important in creative subjects and this cannot be replicated remotely.” 

Now that in-person teaching has returned, the university — up 44 places to rank 67= for student satisfaction with the wider undergraduate experience — should be on track to continue to regain lost ground.

When it was still Leeds College of Art, the institution was rated silver in the Teaching Excellence Framework. The panel was impressed that a significant number of teaching staff were active artists and designers, enhancing the students’ exposure to the creative industries, and praised the level of support for mature students and those with disabilities.

The sculptors Henry Moore and Dame Barbara Hepworth, who were contemporaries, are among the institution’s long list of famous alumni. More recently, its former students Damien Hirst and Marcus Harvey were leading lights of the YBA (Young British Artists) scene. Guest speakers at the university’s Creative Networks events have included the artist and cartoonist David Shrigley, the designer Jimmy Choo and the late film-maker Jamal Edwards. 

Skin — the lead singer of Skunk Anansie, DJ, fashion icon, actress and activist — first came to Leeds Arts as a guest speaker and became the university’s first chancellor in early 2021. She has a scholarship in her name: Skin’s Chancellor Scholarship, which awards £3,000 per year for three years to two UK students and one international student. 

In our social inclusion survey, 92.9 per cent of students attended non-selective state schools, 9.5 per cent are from an ethnic minority and 41.6 per cent are the first in their immediate family to attend university. The university improves by 13 places to rank 51= in our overall social inclusion index.

Leeds Arts, our 2019 University of the Year for Student Retention, continues to keep its dropout rate low at  3.1 per cent — far better than the expected 8.4 per cent based on the academic and socio-economic backgrounds of its students. Its performance on completion rates earns a top-25 place in this section of our analysis.

Easter and summer schools are among activities aimed at widening participation at Leeds Arts University. There is also a free after-school art club, specialist workshops and taster sessions for learners of all ages. All students receive two £55 payments in their first year to help with the cost of materials, and an extra £75 in the third year. Bursaries add up to £1,100, paid in three instalments over three years to undergraduates whose family income is less than £25,000 a year. There is also a £500 scholarship, for the first year only, for those who progress from one of the university’s further education courses to a degree.

Students build their portfolios through paid external projects, forging industry links through live briefs and opportunities to show their work at trade fairs, studios and in galleries. Hyundai, AON and John Lewis are among the organisations that have awarded prizes and commissions to Leeds Arts students in recent years. Graduates can access university facilities and a support network and can also apply for funded studio and project spaces in Leeds. Graduate prospects are always a challenge for art and design specialisms. According to our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey, tracking those in highly skilled work or postgraduate study after 15 months, Leeds Arts has liftoff from the bottom of our table but remains in the bottom ten.

University accommodation is owned and managed privately: there are places for about 70 per cent of students who want to live in. If accommodation is full, the students’ union provides links to private rental companies around Leeds city centre. Buoyed by students from its four universities, Leeds offers a vibrant social scene.

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Performance

Category Score Rank
Ranking - 71= (103=)
Teaching quality 77.1 35th
Student experience 71.7 67th=
Research quality 6 131st
Ucas entry points 149 30th=
Graduate prospects 62.4 125th=
Firsts and 2:1s 80.1 48th
Completion rate 93.1 23rd=
Student-staff ratio 16.1 62nd=

Vital statistics

Undergraduates

Full-time

2,184

Postgraduates

Full-time

58

Part-time

52

Applications/places 5,480/760
Applications/places ratio 7.2:1
Overall offer rate 49.6%

Accommodation

Places in accommodation 553
Accommodation costs £129 - £164
Accommodation contact https://www.leeds-art.ac.uk/life-in-leeds/accommodation/

Finance

UK/EU fees £9,250
Fees (placement year) N/A
Fees (overseas year) N/A
Fees (international) £16,000 - £17,100
Finance website www.leeds-art.ac.uk/apply/finance/
Graduate salaries £19,500

Social inclusion and student mix

Social Inclusion Ranking 51=
State schools (non-grammar) admissions 92.9%
Grammar school admissions 2.5%
Independent school admissions 4.6%
Ethnic minority students (all) 9.5%
Black achievement gap -10.2%
White working class males 4.2%
First generation students 41.6%
Low participation areas 15.4%
Working class dropout gap 0%
Mature 10.7%
EU students 2.6%
Other overseas students 6.2%

Student satisfaction with teaching quality

Music 89.2%
Drama, dance and cinematics 77.5%
Art and design 76.3%