Fine Art Foundation

Our Foundation programme is completely different from others: we offer a highly individual, bespoke course, where you can devise your own tailor-made programme to learn the artistic skills relevant to your creative goals. You’ll also get a lot of one to one and group tuition on our programme.  Ours is an internally awarded programme, so we are not bound by the syllabus of an exam board.  However, like other Foundation courses, ours is subject to external moderation to ensure that our standards are comparable to national benchmarks.

You’ll study for a year full time or two years part time.

For more information about tours of the Academy or to book a one to one chat please visit our Book a Tour page here or call a member of our Academic team on +44 (0)20 7407 6969.

Programme Overview

This course develops your skills, creativity and conceptual and critical understanding. You will focus on developing a strong portfolio to use when applying for undergraduate study or professional opportunities. We believe the basics of a contemporary art practice come from learning technical, analytical and creative skills from a diverse range of professional artists.

The programme comprises 3 main components:

• Studio Practice modules
• Critical and Contextual Studies module
• Skills modules and Elective Skills Workshop courses

Studio Practice Modules 

The Studio Practice modules form the core of the Foundation. You will develop work and critical skills in response to a series of practical briefs that encourage increasingly independent learning as you develop your emerging fine art practice. There are three modules, one per term and you’ll spend one day a week with the Fine Art Foundation tutors and visiting tutors, together with your peers. 

For each Studio Practice module you will be expected to collate a portfolio of evidence and present your work to tutors and peers for assessment at the end of each term. You will also be assigned ‘holiday briefs’ over the Christmas and Easter breaks, to bridge the modules and enable you to continue to develop your portfolio for undergraduate application and interview. 

Critical and Contextual Studies Module

This module comprises six sessions in Terms 1 and 2 considering a series of fundamental questions about what art is and how we can study it. What is ‘an artist’? What does it mean to view an artwork ‘in context’? How can we compare the work of artists from different cultures? Does art communicate? 

The module is assessed through an essay at the conclusion of the module. 

As a full time student you will spend three tutored days a week studying at the Academy; two days per week on Skills modules or Elective Skills Workshops and one day a week working with tutors on your Studio Practice modules, developing your portfolio and studying Critical and Contextual Studies. 

At least one further day per week should be spent developing your Studio Practice work independently.

Skills Modules and Electives Skills Workshop Courses 

In the first term you will undertake Foundation Skills modules as an introduction to different media and ways of working.

In the second two terms, you’ll choose Elective Skills Workshop courses relevant to your interests.  These offer you comprehensive training in the technical skills essential to complement your Studio Practice modules. Courses take place one day per week over a term, providing the flexibility to engage in multiple disciplines or pursue a dedicated path in one discipline, including painting, drawing, 3D, digital media and printmaking. These courses are common components to all our long courses at the Academy, so you will be learning alongside a diverse group of students. The Elective Skills Workshop courses aren’t assessed, giving you the freedom and space in these classes to try something different and learn new skills.

Part Time study

In the part time mode, you’ll study two days a week.  Your Studio Practice modules will run across a term and a half and part time students are not required to supplement this with independent study outside of these taught sessions. Part time students usually takethe Critical and Contextual Studies module in the first year of the programme.  You’ll split your compulsory Foundation skills sessions between Term 1 of Year 1 and Term 1 of Year 2.

Fees

Our Fine Art Foundation is internally accredited and awarded and is not subject to funding from the ESFA, and therefore, we do not offer free places to under 19s. If you are accepted onto the Foundation, you will need to fund both the tuition fees and your (art) materials and living expenses. Tuition fees can be spread across the year with a payment plan and the Academy offers means-tested bursaries to assist with tuition fee payments. More details can be found here.

Fees for the full-time Foundation Programme in the academic year 2025/26 are £8,000 per annum full time and £5,000 per annum part-time, which can be paid termly or annually.

Part-time fees are higher across the overall programme due to the increased number of tuition (contact) hours and greater access to studio space over two years, compared to full-time students.

Please note, these are the fees for the 2025-26 academic year. Fees are subject to annual review and may increase due to inflation in subsequent academic years.

For termly payments, a 5% surcharge will be applied. Alternatively, fees can be spread across the academic year through an individually agreed payment plan, which incurs a 10% surcharge.

A deposit of £250 is payable on acceptance of the offer.  (This is deducted from your first year’s tuition fee. Please see 3.2 of the Terms & Conditions for details). The Academy reserves the right to retain this deposit if you fail to enrol. If you cancel within the stated 14 calendar days of receiving your offer, this deposit will be refunded along with any other monies paid.

Entry Requirements

We consider each application on an individual basis and welcome candidates from a variety of backgrounds. Ideally, you will have an A-Level or other Level 3 qualification in Fine Art (or equivalent) and have developed a portfolio that you can bring to your interview. However, no formal qualifications are required (other than English at Level 2 – GCSE equivalent), but you’ll need to demonstrate work at least of Level 3 (A level) equivalent. On receiving an application, we will offer suitable applicants an interview. In some cases, we may ask to see additional supplementary work.  Intake is only in September.

Personal Statement

As part of your application form you’ll need to submit a personal statement. This is your opportunity to stand out from the other candidates, to set the scene for your interview. Your personal statement should be approximately 300-500 words.  We’ll ask you to:

• Give us some context; What have you done previously (educationally, artistically and professionally)? Why are you interested in FIne Art ?
• Explain the ideas, concepts, and research behind your work, and tell us how you intend to expand and develop your ideas and research in the future.
• Tell us about the materials, methods, and processes you use to make work and what you’re interested in exploring in the future.
• Tell us how and why artists have influenced your work.
• Why do you want to study at Art Academy London? What do you hope to gain from the programme? What are your ambitions?

Portfolio

As part of the application form you’ll be asked to submit a digital portfolio, so that we can assess your suitability for the programme ahead of a physical interview.

The digital portfolio should contain approximately 10 – 20 ‘slides’ including extracts from your sketchbooks. Digital portfolios must contain information about media and dimensions as a minimum, you may add titles and other explanatory text if you wish. This should be submitted as a PDF, Powerpoint or Word document.

For interview you’ll need to bring a physical portfolio with you. This doesn’t need to be completely different content to the digital one.This should be approximately 15 ‘sheets’ or pieces of work (no less than 10, no more than 20) plus your sketchbooks. Your physical portfolio does not need to be mounted or ‘presented’, but rather a collection of work. You should, however, consider the order in which you wish it to be viewed.

For both digital and physical portfolios you should include evidence of:

• Drawing
• Finished work/ projects (from research to realisation; we want to see your working process)
• Work that demonstrates your range (include pieces that demonstrate your ability with different media and techniques)

Please note the following:

• Include developmental, unfinished and experimental work is important too; we’re not looking for perfection.
• Be decisive. The ability to select and edit is important. You should have something to say about every piece and demonstrate that you can critically evaluate your work.

Apply

We welcome applications from all enthusiastic candidates.

If you are interested in studying with us, please register for a tour of the Academy or email academiccourses@artacademy.ac.uk or call +44 (0) 20 7407 6969 to discuss our courses further.

We accept applications for our Foundation programme throughout the year, so  you can apply now to join the programme in September 2026.   Please note, though, that places are subject to availability and will not be offered if the programme has reached capacity.

More information can be found in the Admissions Policy.

To apply, please fill out the online application form here.

If you wish to apply by post, please email admissions@artacademy.ac.uk to request an application form.

Remember, the application form is your first opportunity to tell us about yourself, as well as being a vital source of the information we need to make a decision. Please take your time to complete the form accurately and remember to check you have provided all the information required, including the link to your digital portfolio. We only accept applications on the form provided and reserve the right to reject incomplete or alternative applications.

Should you have any questions about the application process or completing the form, please speak to a member of the Admissions team.

Next steps

You will be notified of the outcome by email. If successful, you’ll also receive: an offer letter, the Terms and Conditions (contract) which you will need to sign and return along with your deposit, and copies of the Student Handbook, Programme Handbook and Academic Regulations. By accepting an offer you agree to abide by the Academy’s Regulations.

If you are unsuccessful, you can request feedback on our decision.  We ensure that interviews and portfolio reviews are carried out fairly and equally. All those conducting interviews are trained and fully conversant with our Admissions Policy. Decisions to admit or reject applicants are academic judgments and cannot be appealed, but if an applicant feels that the interview and selection process was not conducted fairly and equitably or as described in our Admissions Policy, our complaints process can be found within the policy document.