← Admissions statistics by university
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.
| University | Offers | Outside UK and EU: applications | Outside UK and EU: offers | Accepted applicants (people) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Edinburgh 6,100 applications | 6,100 | 1,605 | 26.3% | 1,380 | 645 | 46.7% | 445 |
| University of Surrey 4,900 applications | 4,900 | 530 | 10.8% | 260 | 60 | 23.1% | 265 |
| University of Leeds 2,990 applications | 2,990 | 2,130 | 71.2% | 745 | 485 | 65.1% | 550 |
| City St George's, University of London 2,670 applications | 2,670 | 580 | 21.7% | 150 | 80 | 53.3% | 250 |
| Loughborough University 2,105 applications | 2,105 | 1,030 | 48.9% | 295 | 140 | 47.5% | 365 |
| University of Manchester 1,915 applications | 1,915 | 1,200 | 62.7% | 565 | 330 | 58.4% | 260 |
| University of Dundee 1,695 applications | 1,695 | 925 | 54.6% | 90 | 40 | 44.4% | 345 |
| University of Essex 1,470 applications | 1,470 | 640 | 43.5% | 110 | 70 | 63.6% | 240 |
| University of Bristol 1,445 applications | 1,445 | 1,050 | 72.7% | 205 | 140 | 68.3% | 235 |
| University College London G5 1,395 applications | 1,395 | 275 | 19.7% | 560 | 160 | 28.6% | 120 |
| University of York 1,325 applications | 1,325 | 735 | 55.5% | 155 | 100 | 64.5% | 210 |
| University of Southampton 1,280 applications | 1,280 | 980 | 76.6% | 635 | 505 | 79.5% | 140 |
| Royal Holloway, University of London 1,135 applications | 1,135 | 1,025 | 90.3% | 145 | 115 | 79.3% | 200 |
| University of Glasgow 975 applications | 975 | 715 | 73.3% | 110 | 90 | 81.8% | 155 |
| University of Reading 965 applications | 965 | 805 | 83.4% | 90 | 70 | 77.8% | 185 |
| Newcastle University 935 applications | 935 | 460 | 49.2% | 55 | 40 | 72.7% | 130 |
| Queen's University Belfast 730 applications | 730 | 570 | 78.1% | 30 | 25 | 83.3% | 130 |
| Heriot-Watt University 680 applications | 680 | 605 | 89.0% | 30 | 20 | 66.7% | 105 |
| University of Exeter 670 applications | 670 | 615 | 91.8% | 50 | 45 | 90.0% | 135 |
| Lancaster University 665 applications | 665 | 540 | 81.2% | 75 | 55 | 73.3% | 125 |
| University of Kent 650 applications | 650 | 600 | 92.3% | 75 | 65 | 86.7% | 120 |
| University of Sussex 535 applications | 535 | 485 | 90.7% | 85 | 75 | 88.2% | 95 |
| University of Liverpool 475 applications | 475 | 325 | 68.4% | 50 | 35 | 70.0% | 110 |
| University of Birmingham 465 applications | 465 | 345 | 74.2% | 60 | 40 | 66.7% | 45 |
| University of Oxford G5 380 applications | 380 | 120 | 31.6% | 85 | 20 | 23.5% | 95 |
| Durham University 340 applications | 340 | 315 | 92.6% | 50 | 45 | 90.0% | 60 |
| University of Aberdeen 340 applications | 340 | 240 | 70.6% | 15 | 5 | (33.3%) | 75 |
| University of East Anglia 340 applications | 340 | 310 | 91.2% | 25 | 25 | 100.0% | 80 |
| King's College London 315 applications | 315 | 240 | 76.2% | 55 | 35 | 63.6% | 55 |
| University of Sheffield 315 applications | 315 | 260 | 82.5% | 40 | 25 | 62.5% | 35 |
| University of Warwick 275 applications | 275 | 200 | 72.7% | 40 | 25 | 62.5% | 70 |
| Queen Mary University of London 270 applications | 270 | 205 | 75.9% | 65 | 45 | 69.2% | 30 |
| University of Nottingham 260 applications | 260 | 190 | 73.1% | 25 | 20 | 80.0% | 25 |
| University of Strathclyde 210 applications | 210 | 180 | 85.7% | 15 | 15 | (100.0%) | 45 |
| Cardiff University 190 applications | 190 | 115 | 60.5% | 20 | 15 | 75.0% | 30 |
| University of Cambridge G5 145 applications | 145 | 90 | 62.1% | 15 | 5 | (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
- UCAS — Undergraduate end of cycle data resources 2025, provider-level (main scheme applicants, applications, offers and acceptances by provider, domicile and HECoS subject group) · accessed 2026-11-03
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
Other subject groups: Business and management · Economics, politics and sociology · Engineering · Nursing, pharmacy and allied health · Law · Computer science · Medicine and dentistry · Biology and sport science · History and philosophy · Psychology · Physics and chemistry · Maths and statistics · English and modern languages · Geography and environmental science · Architecture and planning · Media and journalism · Education and teaching · Combined and general degrees · Veterinary medicine · Agriculture and food
For each university's course-level and group-level figures, see the admissions statistics overview; for which A-levels each degree asks for, see A-levels by degree.
Check your grades in the Course Finder →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.