Skip navigation
Search
Search
The Drawing Year at Royal Drawing School - UCAS

Course options

2024 - 2025
Apply

Course summary

The Drawing Year is a full scholarship postgraduate-level course offering up to thirty students the opportunity to focus on drawing from observation for one year. There are no tuition fees for The Drawing Year – all students are awarded a full scholarship and receive a free studio space. Curriculum Courses at the Royal Drawing School are divided into three main areas: Drawing in the Studio, Drawing from Art, and Drawing London. There are also specific courses designed to investigate the role of imagination in drawing from observation. Students are encouraged to explore all of these as they complement each other and contribute towards seeing, drawing and learning in new ways. With 108 different courses to choose from over the year, students gain a broad range of experience and teaching input from our diverse faculty and their varied approaches to the art of perceptual drawing. As part of their individual programme, all students take Drawing at The National Gallery and an out of house course at some point during the year. The Drawing Year is full time and made up of three ten week terms (starting in September) with an opportunity to extend the year into a further three month studio residency as a springboard into professional practice.

  • Minimum of 3.5 days a week attendance at courses
  • Wednesday Core Programme
  • Wednesday evening forum and lecture series
  • Engagement with an ongoing studio practice alongside elective courses
Opportunities and Resources
  • Freshers' week programme
  • Masterclasses
  • Special access to collections and exhibitions
  • Artistic practice and professional development
  • Summer painting trip
Facilities Our Shoreditch campus has two spacious, well-lit drawing studios on the 4th floor, a reference art library, a fully-equipped intaglio print studio and two new multi-purpose gallery studios on the ground floor, that can be used for classes or as a large exhibitions space. SPACE Studios, Hackney Individual studio spaces for Drawing Year students are situated at SPACE Studios in Hackney, a short journey from the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch. They are available to students for a year starting from the second term, accessible 24 hours, 7 days per week. Alumni Opportunities Most of our alumni work as practising fine artists who regularly show and sell work or undertake commissions and have gallery representation. Other students have gone on to professional practice in areas including illustration, animation, architecture, film and theatre design, textile design, book illustration and writing. Past students have won high-profile awards including the John Moores Painting Prize, BP Portrait Award prizes, Jerwood Drawing Prize, ING Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary. Our alumni have been selected for prestigious exhibitions such as Tate’s ‘Painting Now’ and Flowers Gallery Artist of the Day, and have frequently exhibited in the Bloomberg New Contemporaries, the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, Sky Portrait Artist of the Year, Great Women Artists x Palazzo Monti Residency, Whitechapel Open, Royal Academy Summer Show, Threadneedle Prize, Frieze, the Wellcome Collection, the Royal Collection, the National Portrait Gallery, and The British Council. Opportunities also include:
  • Alumni network
  • International Residencies
  • Tutor training
  • Paid commissions
  • Alumni exhibitions
  • Discounted and free courses
Applications Applicants will usually have completed a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art or a related subject, but this is not essential; relevant experience or qualifications will be taken into account. Applicants are expected to show a strong portfolio of work demonstrating a commitment to drawing and a level of artistic professionalism appropriate for study at MA-level. We must receive your application by 12pm (midday) on 3 April 2024.

Assessment method

Postgraduate diplomas are assessed and awarded by an independent board chaired by Eileen Cooper RA.

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

  • Course does not award QTS

How to apply

International applicants

EU/EEA and international students wishing to study on the Drawing Year will require either: A valid UK passport, Settled or Pre-settled Status in the UK, A Graduate visa or Another form of valid visa for the duration of your studies. As an independent school, we do not have a UK Border Agency Tier 4 License for this course and are not currently able to sponsor Student visas. Regrettably, we are therefore not able to consider applications from international and EU students who are not eligible for a UK visa, Graduate visa or don't already have Settled/Pre-Settled Status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

Entry requirements

Applicants for The Drawing Year will usually have completed a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art or a related subject, but this is not essential. Places are awarded based on portfolio and interview. Applicants are expected to show a strong portfolio of work demonstrating a commitment to drawing and a level of artistic professionalism appropriate for study at postgraduate level.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

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

There are no tuition fees for The Drawing Year – all students are awarded a full scholarship and receive a free studio space.

Sponsorship information

FULL SCHOLARSHIPS: The Royal Drawing School is committed to offering an alternative way to fund postgraduate education, helping students avoid significantly adding to any existing student debt. Every applicant offered a place on The Drawing Year receives a full scholarship and has their tuition fees paid for the year; this does not have to be repaid. The scholarship covers all courses, tutorials, forums and lectures as well as some study trips and a studio space. In addition, The Drawing Year offers a significant amount of contact time with tutors as well as providing working opportunities for alumni after graduation. / / NEW LONDON LIVING GRANT: With the aim of making The Drawing Year accessible to all, the School has recently established a London Living Grant - a means tested grant of £3000 (per student) awarded before the start of the course. The grant is open to all new students, with priority given to anyone who can evidence financial need, and those moving to London to attend the course. The London Living Grant is a one off, non-repayable grant, made to students before their first term at the School. Students will be able to apply for the London Living Grant, once they have been offered a place on The Drawing Year. / / GRANTS AND BURSARIES: Students accepted on to the course may also apply to the School for a limited number of modest bursaries each term, which are means-tested. As well as these bursaries, should any students find themselves in financial difficulty during the term through unexpected changes in circumstances, they can apply to a separate emergency Hardship Fund for extra help with living expenses, travel and materials costs. Unlike a loan, students do not have to pay these back. SEE OUR FEES & FUNDING PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

The Drawing Year at Royal Drawing School - UCAS