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Free guides to UCAS, portfolios and auditions for 2027 entry. On your side, not theirs.

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001 · Start here

Three things decide your application.

Your UCAS form opens the door. Your portfolio or audition wins the place. Start with the one you are closest to.

UCAS

The UCAS Guide

Five choices, two deadlines, one application. How the whole system works for creative courses, from first login to results day.

Every deadline, explained

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Portfolios

The Portfolio Checklist

What selectors at leading art schools look for, and the five habits that separate strong portfolios from forgettable ones.

Built from selector feedback

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Auditions

Audition Prep

Recall rounds, panel questions, what to wear and what the panel writes down. Drama school auditions with no mystery left in them.

Know the room first

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002 · The journal

Fresh guides.

All 32 guides →
001 A Level Results Day 2026: What to Do, Hour by Hour 002 Results Day Went Wrong. It Is Not the End of the World 003 Inside Track #2: How to Read a Prospectus (From Someone Who Helps Make Them) 004 Inside Track #1: What Actually Happens After You Hit Submit 005 What to Do the Summer Before Art School (Besides Panic) 006 What to Actually Pack for an Art or Design Degree

003 · The Inside Track

Anonymous dispatches from inside admissions.

The Insider knows creative admissions from the inside and writes what the prospectus won't: what panels actually say after you leave the room, and why "rejected" often means "we had three of you already".

Read dispatch #1 Who is The Insider?

004 · For parents and supporters

Backing a creative kid? Start here.

Fees, loans, deadlines and what a portfolio actually needs to contain. Plain English, no scaremongering, and no assumption that a creative degree is a risk. The creative industries contribute £126 billion a year to the UK economy.

Read the parent guide A parent and teenager working through university paperwork together at a kitchen table

  • Money, minus the mystery

    Tuition fees, maintenance loans and the hidden costs nobody itemises.

  • Deadlines on one page

    Conservatoire dates land three months before the main UCAS deadline.

  • What tutors actually want

    Process over polish. We show you what that means in practice.

005 · The newsletter

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One email a week through the admissions cycle. Deadlines before they bite, portfolio and audition prep, and the things your teachers have not told you. Independent of every university.

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  • Deadline radar

    Every UCAS and conservatoire date, flagged weeks ahead.

  • Portfolio prompts

    One concrete improvement to make each week.

  • Insider context

    What admissions teams are actually looking at, from someone in the room.

Questions, answered.

The five things applicants ask us most.

When should I start my university research?

Twelve to eighteen months before you want to start. For 2027 entry that means spring and summer 2026: open days run March to July, conservatoire applications close on 15 October 2026, and the main UCAS deadline is 14 January 2027. Starting early matters most for creative courses because portfolios and audition pieces take months to build.

Do I need a perfect portfolio to get in?

No. UK selectors consistently say they want potential, not polish. A sketchbook showing how an idea developed, including the failed versions, scores better than ten pristine final pieces. Our portfolio checklist breaks down exactly what to include for each discipline.

What is the most important part of a creative application?

The audition or portfolio review, not the UCAS form. For most creative courses your UCAS application only earns you an invitation. The work you show, or the audition you give, is what wins the offer. Plan both as separate projects running at the same time.

How do I write a personal statement for a creative course?

Lead with your creative practice: what you make, why, and what you did about the things you could not yet do. Admissions tutors read thousands of statements that say "I have always been passionate about art". Specific projects, named influences and evidence of independent work stand out. Our personal statement guide walks through it paragraph by paragraph.

Are there costs involved in the audition or interview process?

Often, yes. Some conservatoires and drama schools charge audition fees, typically £45 to £100 per school, and travel adds up across five choices. Fee waivers exist at many institutions for students on low household incomes. Always check the school's own site before you apply.

One email a week. Every deadline covered.

Offered lands every week of the admissions cycle with deadlines, portfolio jobs and audition prep. Free, and written by someone inside the sector.

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