FAQs The Drawing Year

All Drawing Year students are on a full scholarship and have their fees paid for the year. This includes classes, studio space, forums and lectures, and study trips.  

Although there are no fees for the course, we recognise that the cost of living in London remains a significant barrier to many potential applicants. The School offers a variety of means-tested bursaries and grants for students who require extra financial support during their studies.

Unlike a loan, students do not have to pay these funding awards back.

London Living Grant

A means-tested grant of £3,000 (per student) awarded before the start of the course to students who are relocating to London and those in financial need. Open to all new students to apply.

Drawing Year Bursary

Termly means-tested bursaries to help with general living costs, up to £1,000.

Financial Support Fund

Rolling application for the whole 15-months of the course for those who experience urgent or emergency financial difficulties.

Yes, the School is offering two Application Support webinars which happen 1-2 months before the application deadline. Webinars are delivered over Zoom and will last approx. 45 minutes and are designed to offer an in-depth review of the Drawing Year application process for those thinking of applying. Our aim is to offer increased clarity around the steps involved in the application process, providing detailed descriptions of the experience, and answer any questions.

Yes, applicants who don’t hold a BA in Fine Art can still apply to the Drawing Year.

In addition to Fine Art, The Drawing Year recruits and accepts applicants from a wide range of creative fields - including Illustration, Design, Fashion, Architecture and Animation.

We also welcome applicants with degrees in other subject areas as well as those with equivalent professional experience or an otherwise strong portfolio of work. 

Ultimately, all applicants should show a commitment to drawing in their portfolio and a dedication to the development of their artistic practice appropriate for study at postgraduate-level. 

EU/EEA and international students wishing to study on the Drawing Year will require either:

• A valid UK passport
• Settled or Pre-settled Status in the UK
• A Graduate visa
• Another form of valid visa for the duration of your studies 

As an independent school, we are not currently able to sponsor Student visas. Regrettably, we are therefore not able to consider applications from international and EU students who are not eligible for a UK visa, Graduate visa or don't already have Settled/Pre-Settled Status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

Please see our International Students section for further information.

We require you to complete the online application form and submit a digital portfolio by the deadline of Wednesday 31 March 2027, 23:59GMT.  

Two sketchbooks must be delivered or dropped off at the School by Thursday 15 April, 6pm. 

If you are submitting sketchbooks digitally, these must be uploaded in your application form by Wednesday 31 March 2027, 23:59GMT. 

More information and instructions for sketchbook submission will be emailed to all applicants upon applications closing.

Your digital portfolio must consist of:

• 10 drawings

• 10 'Additional Works' consisting of 10 pieces of any other work you wish to include. 

Images should be saved and uploaded as jpegs, no larger than 5MB per image. Please ensure images are of good quality. 

Video files should be limited to 2 minutes and 250MB each. 

In the application portal, you will be asked to label your media files. Some labels are required fields (Title, medium, year, dimensions/duration), and we ask that you state in the text box which category each work falls into – ‘Drawing’ or ‘Additional Work’. Descriptions of work are not necessary and will not be read by the selection panel. 

Please be prepared to bring the works in your digital portfolio along with further sketchbooks to the interview if you are shortlisted. 

Your sketchbook submission must consist of:

• A maximum of 2 sketchbooks only per candidate

• No books larger than A3 in size

• Single sheets may be submitted if they are bound together in a secure fashion to constitute a book of work

• No loose or rolled sheets of work

• Sketchbooks must be clearly labelled on the front with your full name, email and phone number 
  
  

Sketchbook drop off to the School is in April. Dates will be announced on Applications page.

Drop off at:
Royal Drawing School, Shoreditch
19-22 Charlotte Road,
London, EC2A 3SG 

You may also post your sketchbooks, to arrive no later than the stated drop off dates. Please allow ample time for postage, you can contact us on drawingyear@royaldrawingschool.org if you foresee any issues with meeting this deadline.

(Please note, all sketchbooks are submitted at the applicants risk and the Royal Drawing School accept no liability for the loss and or damage of works submitted as part of the application process)

If you are asked for interview, sketchbooks will need to remain with us until then. If you are unsuccessful in your application, please be prepared to collect your sketchbooks from the School in May, we will contact applicants with further details.

After the application deadline, you can expect to hear from us by email in May, letting you know whether or not you have been shortlisted for interview. Interviews will be held in early May 2027.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer deferrals to successful candidates.

After the application deadline, every portfolio is reviewed by a panel of practising artists and critics. The panel make a shortlist of approximately 50 applicants who are subsequently invited to interview. During the interview, the panel will have your submitted portfolio images and application form and will also look at any additional images or sketchbooks that you bring on the day. 

Further information about our Admissions Policy can be found here.

We are unable to offer feedback on individual applications. This is common practice across most of the UK’s major art schools.

There is no written component to the course. However, students do sustain lively critical debate and are asked to make a short contextual studies presentation to their fellow students at some point during the year.

Following an independent review in 2019, the Royal Drawing School currently chooses to remain unaccredited. We have taken this decision to ensure that people from all backgrounds and experience can apply and access the course based on talent and aptitude. As such, students completing the course do not receive a formal Postgraduate qualification.

Currently we are not running a second year and graduates of The Drawing Year are not able to apply for the year again. However, alumni receive a discount of 50% on all courses at the Royal Drawing School, and are also offered a selection of free course places each term, to enable them to continue their observational drawing practice. 

Many of our alumni are now practising artists who regularly show and sell work or undertake commissions and have gallery representation. Some students have gone on to professional practice in areas including illustration, animation, architecture, film and theatre design whilst others pursue further education. Alumni can apply to our free Tutor Training Programme with the Young Artists programme which offers serious, sustained tutoring for children aged 10–18 with a passion or aptitude for drawing. Many have used this experience as a springboard into teaching both adults and children.