ART AND DESIGN courses fall into two application routes, imaginatively named route A and route B. The distinction, unfortunately, is a historical legacy rather than a logical division of courses or colleges.

Students applying via route A must have their applications in by December 15th, the standard UCAS closing date. The forms are forwarded to the colleges, and they may be called for interview or portfolio assessment at any time.

Students opting for route B must have applications in by March 24th, so there is more time to build-up a portfolio. Remember your British counterparts will have studied A-Levels and then completed a year's art-foundation course; thus they will be older and have more developed portfolios. If you are applying via both route A and route B, remember you can only select six courses in total.