Entry requirements
A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BBB–BCC (120–104 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DDM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range. We are looking for highly motivated and creative students. We will consider you on an individual basis. Your portfolio is the most important and mandatory part of your application. If your predicted or actual grades fall below the range but you can evidence your thinking, ideas and abilities through a high-quality portfolio we will still consider your application.
Art foundation diploma
Pass. A foundation diploma is not a requirement for entry – it is just one of a range of qualifications that is accepted for admission to this course.
International Baccalaureate
30 points, with three subjects at Higher level.
Access to HE diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Art and design courses preferred. At least 45 credits at level 3, and 30 credits must be at merit or above.
Studied before or got relevant experience?
A qualification, HE credits, or relevant experience may count towards your course at 蜜柚社区, and could mean that you do not have to take some elements of the course or can start in year 2 or 3.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.
Portfolio advice
Our online selection process is vital in letting us see not only your work but also how you engage with and think about it. We will need the following from you in your application to the course:
- 30–35 jpgs of work you have produced, focused as much as possible on the work that you are most actively interested in exploring
- a written statement (max 500 words). This is in addition to your UCAS statement.
Your work, 30–35 images, can include not only finished paintings, but also studies, sketches, collages, whatever you feel is important to your work. Include some details to show us the physicality of the work, but also include an image of the whole work – it’s important that we get a sense of scale.
You should choose works that show evidence of:
- painting and drawing skills (this may or may not be about technique, some of the best artists have made very ‘raw’ work, we just want to see how you use the medium as appropriate to your intentions)
- other works you have made that you feel are relevant to your interests as an artist.
- your engagement with subject matter and content. Show us that you are interested!
- self-motivation / ability to work on your own initiative
- your development, experimentation, risk taking.
Your portfolio should be focused as much as possible on the work that you are most interested in exploring.
How to create your online portfolio
If you already have an online portfolio hosted by another site this is fine, but please edit it where necessary so that your work meets our criteria.
If you do not already have an online portfolio, you can create one on an image-sharing website such as Flickr or BlogSpot.
Please do not send work by email, by uploading as attachments or multiple links. You should send us one link which contains all your works and writings. Make sure your submission does not require a password to view. It must be accessible to us!
Unfortunately, we cannot accept submissions via file sharing websites that require plug-ins or PDFs to be downloaded. We also cannot accept submissions via Facebook. Full guidance and details of formats, where to send your link and deadlines will be sent to you once you have applied.
Your written statement
You must also include a short (max 500 words) written statement telling us more about the ideas and interests that underpin your current work, and your ambitions for its future development. This is in addition to your UCAS statement.
To help with this, think about critical responses to at least some of the following:
- tell us about your work, what sorts of things are you interested in?
- what is it about this kind (or kinds) of work that interests you? • where might your work be going? Talk about what you might want to do next.
- what artists have you looked at and why? Who and what interests you? This can also include other, non-art interests if relevant.
- experimentation: what other things are you also interested in exploring?
- risk-taking: evidence you have you pushed yourself. Did it work? What didn’t work? What have you learned from it?
- why do you want to do fine art, and painting specifically, at 蜜柚社区?
- what sort of things might you like to get out of our course?
- what might you want to do in the future, as a student, as an artist, or in other careers?
Please note: we are not asking you to stick to what you tell us forever, artists change their minds all the time. Also, we are not looking for justifications or reasons why. We want to know how you think about your work, and your passion for the subject and medium.
Find out more about how to create and submit your portfolio.
Contextual admissions
When you apply to 蜜柚社区 we want to hear about who you are. Grades are never the whole picture; we're interested in things like creativity, resourcefulness, persistence and the capacity to think big and find new ways of doing things. And we recognise that not everyone has the same background. That's why we treat everyone who applies as an individual. We recognise many qualifications and we care about all of your achievements and the experiences you've had that set you apart.
Find out more