Royal College of Art

About Royal College of Art

Postgraduate art and design university in London, England

The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom, offering master's and doctoral degrees to students from more than 60 countries. It began as a Victorian government school of design in 1837 with a mission to advance knowledge of the fine arts and apply it to industry, gained its royal title in 1896 and university status in 1967, and has been ranked first in the world for art and design in the QS university rankings for successive years since 2015. Its historic South Kensington campus is a 1960s building on Kensington Gore beside the Royal Albert Hall and the museums of Albertopolis, with galleries that host frequent exhibitions of student and graduate work, most famously the annual summer degree show, as well as public lectures. Its alumni include some of the world's leading designers and artists, among them David Hockney, James Dyson and Tracey Emin, as well as international car and fashion designers. Wikivoyage notes that exhibition times and admission charges vary and are often free, although visitors may need to book tickets for certain events, making it a stop for lovers of contemporary art and design on a South Kensington tour.

Where:

London, United Kingdom