Degrees in esports, electronic music and sound production, marketing, and computer science are among the new undergraduate options at Norwich University of the Arts. A fresh crop of facilities have come on stream too, including an immersive visualisation laboratory and a virtual production studio. Redevelopment of Bank Plain, the university’s 12th campus building, is partly complete. The grade II listed, high-ceilinged former Barclays Bank has room for student services and social spaces, and the final phase will realise ambitious plans for a flagship new library and archive, with extra teaching space, a café and gallery.
The institution — known as Norwich Arts — became a university only in 2012, evolving out of the Norwich School of Design, founded in 1845 by artists and followers of the Norwich School of painters, a group known internationally for landscape painting. Home to a busy cultural scene, the medieval city of Norwich packs plenty of student-friendly entertainment into its compact centre and is one of the safest and greenest cities in the UK.
What is Norwich University of the Arts’ reputation?
With fewer than 3,000 students, Norwich Arts was still able to make an impact in the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), in which 71 per cent of its work in art and design was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent. This was a huge improvement compared with REF 2014, sending Norwich Arts 26 places up our research quality table to rank 61st.
The university was awarded triple gold — with the top rating overall, as well as for student experience and outcomes — in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023). Over the years, visiting teachers and alumni to Norwich Arts have included Lucian Freud, Leslie Davenport and Michael Andrews.
But rates of student satisfaction have been erratic, and have taken a steep dive this year. In our analysis of the latest National Student Survey, Norwich Arts falls 35 places to rank 111th for satisfaction with the undergraduate experience. Satisfaction with teaching quality has also evaporated (down 54 places to 108th). The faltering scores have contributed to a 23-place decline in our main academic ranking and the university finishes fourth out of the five specialist arts institutions this year.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
There are no course closures for 2025-26. Six honours degrees have been added — from esports to computer science. There is no degree apprenticeship programme.
What are Norwich University of the Arts’ entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Entry requirements range from 120 to 80 Ucas tariff points and offers also depend on the strength of an applicant’s portfolio and their responses to questions during the admissions process. Norwich Arts does not make contextual offers.
What are the graduate prospects?
Norwich Arts fosters wide-ranging industry collaborations to ensure that its courses are professionally relevant and students are supported in securing internships and placements. Our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey shows that 61.9 per cent of graduates were in highly skilled jobs or postgraduate study 15 months after leaving Norwich Arts — which puts Norwich Arts above all other arts universities for graduate prospects, albeit in 121st place in our table.
What is Norwich University of the Arts' campus like?
Based in the city centre, the Norwich Arts campus includes the Duke Street Riverside building, which opened in 2021 and has 100 rooms for first-year students above a lecture theatre and upgraded teaching facilities. Facilities for film and moving image production; photography; and fashion communication and promotion have benefited from recent investment. The Sir John Hurt Film Studio, named after the actor who was the university’s first chancellor, is in a grade II listed building that also houses the School of Architecture and won an award for the design of its renovation.
When can I visit?
norwichuni.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about Norwich University of the Arts’ student life and wellbeing support
The university’s rich artistic life is enhanced by its East Gallery, in the city centre — a public art space showcasing exhibitions by internationally recognised artists, curators and design practitioners, accompanied by seminars and lectures. Students’ work is showcased on campus for industry experts and potential employers.
In the absence of their own sports facilities, Norwich Arts students can use the University of East Anglia’s Sportspark, which includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Wellbeing topics are integrated into the timetable, with extra wellbeing sessions where needed. Student support advisers are the first port of call for students, who can drop in without an appointment. All students are entitled to six counselling sessions per year.
What do the students say?
“The medieval city of Norwich is packed with history, hidden gems, and independent shops. You get the best of both worlds — it’s never too quiet, never too loud, there’s always something going on. Norwich University of the Arts is nestled right into the city, feeling like an extension of it — something pretty unique. From the SU to student services, people here genuinely want you to thrive, and you will.”
Indiana Williams, students’ union president of education and representation, and illustration graduate
What about student accommodation at Norwich University of the Arts?
The university has 650 rooms available and guarantees accommodation to first-years who want to live in. This is a city-centre university, with a wide range of private accommodation on offer nearby.
How diverse and inclusive is Norwich University of the Arts?
Overall, Norwich Arts ranks 23rd in our social inclusion index for England and Wales. It leads a regional outreach network in partnership with Cambridge, East Anglia, Anglia Ruskin and Suffolk universities, and succeeds in recruiting 19 per cent of undergraduates from low-participation postcodes (23rd). It is in the top 10 for its relatively low awarding gap between black and white students (-9.7 per cent).
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Norwich University of the Arts
About 40 to 50 per cent of entrants qualified for financial support in 2025. For students with a household income below £25,000, there is a contribution towards the cost of materials, equipment and other expenses. The university offers £1,000 a year to undergraduates who are in care or estranged from their parents. Scholarships include the Chancellor’s Scholarship Fund, worth £9,250 per year, open to students of black or mixed black heritage. All students can access museums and art galleries free of charge.
