Entry Requirements to Fine Art BA (Hons)
We are looking for enthusiastic students with a deep interest in Visual Art, who wish to develop their critical abilities, their practical skills, and find out how they might become practicing artists working within the contemporary art world.
Fact File
UCAS Code W100 - BA (Hons) Fine Art
Typical entry requirements - individual offers may vary:
Art Foundation – Pass;
A levels: BCD – to include Fine Art at B;
Edexcel National Diploma: Fine Art – MMM;
Advanced / Progression Diploma: Grade D plus at least 80 points from the Additional Specialist Learning in Art or an Art related subject A level or National Award;
UCAS Tariff Points: The above offers typically translate to 240 - 280 UCAS tariff points with additional qualifications;
International Baccalaureate: 28 points;
QAA-approved Access Diploma: Art - Merit;
GCSEs. For general entrance requirements regarding GCSEs please contact the Admissions office.
Applicants with qualifications from other countries: The University of Chichester considers applicants from a wide range of countries with appropriate A level equivalent qualifications. Non native speakers of English are expected to have IELTS 6.0, or equivalent.
Applicants without the above formal qualifications but who have relevant skills and work / life experience will be considered on an individual basis and may be assessed through a written portfolio.
Course Combinations: Please visit Fine Art online prospectus
Art Foundation or A- Level?
Single Honours, Major and Joint (with another Arts subject) students are normally expected to have completed a Foundation, Access, National Diploma or equivalent course in Art and/or Design.
A level students who already know that they want to be Fine Artists (ie not graphic designers, fashion designers, photo-journalists, furniture designers etc) and who have good portfolios are welcome to apply directly to the Degree. We consider Foundation courses to be primarily diagnostic (i.e. helping students to make up their mind which direction to take their art or design careers), and skipping this level doesn't necessarily disadvantage them.
In special circumstances, others who haven't done a Foundation/Access/National Diploma but whose work shows exceptional maturity, will also be considered for Single Honours Fine Art.
Basic Requirement: Art Foundation Course with Pass, National Diploma Art with Merit, OR Pass in approved Access course, OR 2-3 A level passes, including Art A-level grade C/B, OR equivalent mix of A levels and AS levels, OR equivalent.
What Should be in your Entry Portfolio at Interview?
Most are interviewed, and asked to show a portfolio with examples of recent art work. Whether you have done an Art Foundation, Access, National Diploma, AVCE or A Level, we need to see a portfolio which reflects your potential as a visual maker and thinker suitable for an Honours Degree.
Your ability to think visually is best articulated through drawing activities in sketchbooks, studies, visualizations and Marquettes. Don’t underestimate the importance on showing us how you develop your work both in terms of materials, ideas and context. While it is great to see some labour intensive final outcomes, we are much more interested to see how you got there. Drawings, doodles, notes, scraps, plans and samples which are regularly logged in a sketchbook demonstrate your distinctiveness and personality. Avoid putting in too many set class exercises or projects; if we see projects in portfolios from the same institution, it becomes hard to distinguish one student’s project from another’s.
You should organize your portfolio into some logical order by demonstrating progression through a process, material or theme. Present the work neatly, but do not go to any unnecessary expense. 2D work will look good placed on simple clean thin white card and avoid using colour mounts, which distract from the work.
If it is impractical to bring your actual 3D work, take some good quality photographs/slides/digital images that reveal the work to its advantage. They must be easily viewed at interview and indicate the size and materials used.