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Illustration [with Placement year] at Anglia Ruskin University - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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Anglia Ruskin University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

18Jan
Anglia Ruskin University - Undergraduate Open Day - Cambridge
Undergraduate
18Jan
Anglia Ruskin University - Undergraduate Open Day - Chelmsford
Undergraduate
18Jan
ARU Peterborough - Undergraduate Open Day
Undergraduate

Course summary

Hone your illustration skills and learn how to succeed as a professional artist while studying in the creative city of Cambridge.

  • Study on a course that scored 100% for the Teaching on my Course, 100% for Academic Support, 98% for Learning Resources and 98% for Student Voice in the National Student Survey 2024.
  • Come to a university that's recognised as one of the best places to study Illustration in the UK.
  • Join a course whose students are regularly recognised in national and international prizes and awards, such as the Association of Illustrators (AOI) World Illustration and Spotlight Awards and UK Graduate To Watch.
  • Prepare for a variety of freelance and commercial roles – we've seen graduate success in high-end homeware and accessories design (Catherine Rowe Designs), children’s books (Bethan Woollvin) and freelance illustration (Max Machen, who was invited by Threads to design a new icon to mark its first birthday).
  • Show your talent to the public and industry reps at our final-year Graduate Showcase, and local and national exhibitions like New Designers in London.
  • Go on gallery visits, local drawing trips, and our annual overseas visit to cities such as Porto, Seville and Lisbon.
  • Take inspiration from alumni such as Harry Potter illustrator Thomas Taylor, whose artwork for the cover of the first ever Harry Potter book recently sold at auction for £1.5 million.
With its vibrant studio culture and small class sizes, combined with excellent printmaking, 3D, photography and life-drawing facilities, our Illustration course has consistently high student satisfaction ratings. We know that our students want to learn from the best, so all of our tutors are professional illustrators. They’ll help you find your visual style and kick-start your career. But they’ll never forget the reason you chose to study illustration in the first place. At Cambridge School of Art, you’ll find there’s always time to experiment, discover, discuss and create. Our studios and workshops are second to none, and you’ll spend lots of time working there. As well as practising and experimenting with your drawing and observation skills, you’ll get the chance to explore related areas such as storytelling, editorials, animation, printmaking, text and image, and moving illustrations. But you won’t be restricted to the studio: you’ll also go on gallery visits, local drawing trips, and our annual overseas visit to cities such as Porto and Seville, and take part in live briefs for partner organisations. Our students have recently worked with Cambridge University Botanic Garden, producing designs for their educational resources; Cambridge Gateway From India, researching and creating an information board to accompany the new Gateway Stones on Mill Road; and Cambridgeshire Constabulary, creating and exhibiting artworks for their KNOW Violence Against Women project. There’s even the chance to study abroad for a semester, in the Netherlands or Poland – with funding on offer to help cover the costs. We know that your future career is important and you want to build your CV. So we’ll encourage you to grab every opportunity for real-world experience – entering national and international competitions, working on live industry briefs, and taking up internships. As an illustrator, a world of possibilities awaits you. You could illustrate books, become a graphic artist, design stage sets or product labels, and even work on animated films. One of the highlights of our students‘ academic year is the annual drawing trip to Lisbon. Each year our our second and third year students have the opportunity to join a course drawing trip to Lisbon. As well as our dedicated illustration studio with your own desk, you’ll have use of a Life drawing studio; a professional digital art gallery; 3D workshops for physical media; specialist printmaking workshop; dedicated Mac and PC suites; photography & media facilities; professional equipment loans.

Modules

Year 1 core modules: Digital and Moving Illustration; Drawing for Illustration; Illustration Practice; Print, Process and Page. Year 2 core modules: Sequence and Narrative; The Illustrated World; Ruskin module. Year 3: Work placement. Year 4 Core modules: Portfolio Development; Launchpad. Year 4 optional modules: Practice in Context; Working in the Creative Industries.Modules are subject to change and availability.

Assessment method

This is a hands-on, practical course and our assessment is based on the coursework you complete for each of your modules. This includes completed project work as well as accompanying material such as sketchbooks. We’re looking to see how you research, analyse and develop your work – in other words, how you think as an illustrator. You’ll also attend lectures and produce written material including essays. We’ll look at these when we’re reviewing your progress.

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
W227
Institution code:
A60
Campus name:
Cambridge Campus
Campus code:
C

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

2025 entry requirements have been published using the current cycle information however, due to a current review these are subject to change. Please check back here for updates.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://aru.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/illustration

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
75%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
80%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

In the 2025/26 academic year, the placement year fee will be £1,500. https://www.aru.ac.uk/student-life/support-and-facilities/careers-and-employability/placements https://www.aru.ac.uk/study/tuition-fees https://www.aru.ac.uk/student-life/preparing-for-study/help-with-finances
Illustration [with Placement year] at Anglia Ruskin University - UCAS