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Art, design, music and drama (Design, and creative and performing arts) offer rates at 36 UK universities, 2025 UCAS cycle

In the 2025 UCAS main scheme (per application), the median design and creative and performing arts offer rate (often called the acceptance rate) across the 36 universities with data here (at least 20 applications each) was 72.9%; for applicants from outside the UK and EU it was 68.3% (the 33 with at least 20 such applications). G5 (all applicants): UCL 19.7%, Oxford 31.6%, Cambridge 62.1%.

What is the art, design, music and drama acceptance rate (offer rate) at each university?

Sorted by applications, largest first; click a header to re-sort. Brackets mean fewer than 20 applications: the rate is unstable and left out of the sorting and the median. University names link to all of that university's data.

Art, design, music and drama (Design, and creative and performing arts) offer rates at 36 UK universities, 2025 UCAS cycle
UniversityOffersOutside UK and EU: applicationsOutside UK and EU: offersAccepted applicants (people)
University of Edinburgh 6,100 applications6,1001,60526.3%1,38064546.7%445
University of Surrey 4,900 applications4,90053010.8%2606023.1%265
University of Leeds 2,990 applications2,9902,13071.2%74548565.1%550
City St George's, University of London 2,670 applications2,67058021.7%1508053.3%250
Loughborough University 2,105 applications2,1051,03048.9%29514047.5%365
University of Manchester 1,915 applications1,9151,20062.7%56533058.4%260
University of Dundee 1,695 applications1,69592554.6%904044.4%345
University of Essex 1,470 applications1,47064043.5%1107063.6%240
University of Bristol 1,445 applications1,4451,05072.7%20514068.3%235
University College London G5 1,395 applications1,39527519.7%56016028.6%120
University of York 1,325 applications1,32573555.5%15510064.5%210
University of Southampton 1,280 applications1,28098076.6%63550579.5%140
Royal Holloway, University of London 1,135 applications1,1351,02590.3%14511579.3%200
University of Glasgow 975 applications97571573.3%1109081.8%155
University of Reading 965 applications96580583.4%907077.8%185
Newcastle University 935 applications93546049.2%554072.7%130
Queen's University Belfast 730 applications73057078.1%302583.3%130
Heriot-Watt University 680 applications68060589.0%302066.7%105
University of Exeter 670 applications67061591.8%504590.0%135
Lancaster University 665 applications66554081.2%755573.3%125
University of Kent 650 applications65060092.3%756586.7%120
University of Sussex 535 applications53548590.7%857588.2%95
University of Liverpool 475 applications47532568.4%503570.0%110
University of Birmingham 465 applications46534574.2%604066.7%45
University of Oxford G5 380 applications38012031.6%852023.5%95
Durham University 340 applications34031592.6%504590.0%60
University of Aberdeen 340 applications34024070.6%155(33.3%)75
University of East Anglia 340 applications34031091.2%2525100.0%80
King's College London 315 applications31524076.2%553563.6%55
University of Sheffield 315 applications31526082.5%402562.5%35
University of Warwick 275 applications27520072.7%402562.5%70
Queen Mary University of London 270 applications27020575.9%654569.2%30
University of Nottingham 260 applications26019073.1%252080.0%25
University of Strathclyde 210 applications21018085.7%1515(100.0%)45
Cardiff University 190 applications19011560.5%201575.0%30
University of Cambridge G5 145 applications1459062.1%155(33.3%)65
  • UCAS rounds every count to the nearest 5 (a 0 may be 1 or 2). The rates here are worked out from the rounded counts, so they can differ from UCAS's own rates, most for small numbers.
  • Offer rate = offers ÷ applications, main scheme only (by the 30 June deadline). Applications count choices, up to five per person; accepted applicants count people, including those placed through Clearing, so they are shown as a count and not divided by applications.
  • “Outside the UK and EU” goes by domicile (where the applicant normally lives), not nationality or fee status. UCAS does not split this table by country, so it does not mean Chinese applicants.
  • This is a subject group (HECoS CAH level 1), not a single course. It includes art, design, music, drama, dance, film (examples, not a full list), and courses within a group can differ a lot.
  • The all-applicants median covers the 36 universities in this table with at least 20 applications, and the outside-UK-and-EU median the 33 of them with at least 20 such applications (43 on this site in all), not the whole UK. A low offer rate means strong competition, not a better or worse course; read it with the number of applications.

Sources and definitions

Citation and reuse

To cite these figures, copy the line below:

Wisesprout, 'Art, design, music and drama (Design, and creative and performing arts) offer rates at 36 UK universities, 2025 UCAS cycle', compiled from UCAS end-of-cycle 2025 data, accessed 2026-11-03, https://wisesprout.co.uk/en/admissions-data/subject/design-and-creative-arts

You are free to quote or republish this page with attribution to Wisesprout and a link to this page. Commercial reuse or bulk redistribution of the compiled tables needs our permission first. The underlying figures are UCAS end-of-cycle data. Contact us

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FAQ

Questions about art, design, music and drama acceptance rates

What is the acceptance rate (offer rate) for art, design, music and drama at UK universities?

In the 2025 UCAS main scheme (per application), the median design and creative and performing arts offer rate (often called the acceptance rate) across the 36 universities with data here (at least 20 applications each) was 72.9%; for applicants from outside the UK and EU it was 68.3% (the 33 with at least 20 such applications). G5 (all applicants): UCL 19.7%, Oxford 31.6%, Cambridge 62.1%. In UK data "acceptance rate" can also mean the admit rate (students placed ÷ applications); see the glossary.

Which courses does this subject group cover?

UCAS publishes these figures by subject group (HECoS CAH level 1), not by course. This group includes art, design, music, drama, dance, film (examples, not a full list). Courses within a group can differ a lot, so check the university's own page for a particular course.

Are there figures for Chinese applicants?

Not in this table. UCAS splits these figures by domicile (UK, EU, outside the UK and EU), not by country or nationality, so "outside the UK and EU" does not mean Chinese applicants. UK-wide (UCAS, all universities): in the 2025 UCAS cycle, applicants domiciled in mainland China made 155,130 main-scheme applications, offer rate 69.3%; Hong Kong SAR 24,430, 66.1%. Seven universities publish their own course- or department-level figures; see the admissions statistics overview.