Fees and key information

Course type
Undergraduate
UCAS code
W241
Entry requirements
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Why study this course?

Our Illustration and Animation (including foundation year) BA (Hons) degree is a four-year degree with an in-built foundation year that will provide you with the opportunity to explore a range of creative directions before embarking on more focused study in your subsequent three years of studying illustration and animation.

This course is an excellent choice if you don’t have the necessary qualifications to apply for our a traditional three-year degree in illustration and animation.

In your foundation year you’ll undertake a wide range of projects to help you develop the skills, techniques and work ethic you’ll need to study illustration and animation at undergraduate level. During this year you will work alongside students on our other foundation year degrees, giving you a broad range of knowledge across multiple specialisms from drawing and painting to making, performance, textiles and more.

Your tutors will encourage you to be open-minded in your approach to each of your projects in order to help you establish a strong sense of direction for your work. You will then be able to explore what you’ve learnt through longer projects towards the end of the year.

You’ll also attend lectures and seminars that look at artistic practice in historical, contemporary, conceptual and cultural contexts.

You’ll have a number of opportunities to present and exhibit your work throughout the course. In order to gain feedback and receive guidance in your creative approach, you’ll regularly be encouraged to talk about your work in front of your classmates and lecturers. Your work will also be on show at the public exhibition, which showcases work from across the School, at the end of your foundation year.

Following your foundation year you will study the same course content as those who study our Illustration and Animation BA (Hons) degree.

Study illustration and animation in a modern context

This course embraces ongoing developments in the way illustration is practised, no longer confined to the page, but inhabiting a dynamic, three-dimensional digital world

Become a versatile maker in both artistic and commercial work

A typical destination for graduates may be in the field of illustration, animation, advertising, film and television, publishing, immersive theatre, visual effects or art installation

Learn the skills you need to reach your full potential

This four-year degree course includes an intensive foundation year (Year 0) which will provide you with the skills required for your subsequent three years of study

Course details

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

  • at least one A level (or a minimum of 32 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Subsidiary/National/BTEC Extended Diploma)
  • English Language GCSE at grade C/4 or above or will need to take the University English test

You will need to attend an interview with your portfolio of creative work. We encourage applications from international/EU students with equivalent qualifications. We also accept mature students with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

If you live in the UK, you will be invited to a portfolio interview. If you live outside the UK you will be required to submit a small portfolio of work via email.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).

English language requirements

To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa (previously Tier 4) you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.

If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.

You will be assessed via project work, essays and a portfolio.

This course will prepare you for a successful career in the creative industries. As an illustration and animation graduate, you’ll have opened up opportunities not only as an illustrator or animator but also in a wide range of creative roles in areas such as digital marketing, web design and more.

You will also have gained a broad range of transferable skills that you can take with you into any career.

We currently have three locations in Holloway, Aldgate and Shoreditch. As we evolve as a University, we'll be reviewing the use of these spaces to ensure all our students have access to the facilities and study areas they need to succeed. This means the campus where this course is taught may change over time.

The experience of our students will always be our top priority and we'll notify applicants and students of any changes to their teaching location at the earliest opportunity.

If you study your undergraduate degree with us, as a graduate of London Met, you'll be entitled to a 20% discount on a postgraduate course if you continue your studies with us.
* exclusions apply

This is a four-year degree course with a built-in foundation year (Year 0). A foundation year in our School of Art, Architecture and Design is the starting point for many of our art, architecture and design students and acts as an introduction to the wide range of creative practices explored within the University. You may join us with a clear idea of the subject you intend to study or you may use it as an opportunity to explore a number of different directions or experiment with your creativity. A foundation year degree is also a great choice if you don't meet the necessary entry requirements for the standard undergraduate degree. You'll graduate with a full undergraduate degree with the same title and award as those who studied the three-year course.

Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.

Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.

Follow our School of Art, Architecture and Design on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with everything that's happening in our creative community.

For an insight into life in the Visual Communication cluster, you can also follow the latest our @vc_ldnmetarts Instagram account.

Discover Uni – key statistics about this course

Discover Uni is an official source of information about university and college courses across the UK. The widget below draws data from the corresponding course on the Discover Uni website, which is compiled from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges. If a course is taught both full-time and part-time, information for each mode of study will be displayed here.

How to apply

If you're a UK applicant wanting to study full-time starting in September, you must apply via UCAS unless otherwise specified. If you're an international applicant wanting to study full-time, you can choose to apply via UCAS or directly to the University.

If you're applying for part-time study, you should apply directly to the University. If you require a Student visa, please be aware that you will not be able to study as a part-time student at undergraduate level.

When to apply

The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) accepts applications for full-time courses starting in September from one year before the start of the course. Our UCAS institution code is L68.

If you will be applying direct to the University you are advised to apply as early as possible as we will only be able to consider your application if there are places available on the course.

To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.

Are you from outside the UK? Find out how to apply from your home country

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