Let your creativity take flight at Norwich University of the Arts as you learn essential creative design and practical skills demanded by the global fashion industry and shape your future career.
Our BA (Hons) Fashion course will encourage exploration in concept development, pattern cutting and professional garment construction supported by technical skills and couture levels of craftsmanship.
Your technical expertise and understanding of materials and industry markets will grow by working on design competitions and briefs for high profile companies such as Ralph Lauren and Superdry.
Guest lectures, seminars and workshops with acclaimed practitioners, stylists and academics will give you insight into how the industry works.
We will help you to develop a professional portfolio to showcase your design identity and profile the quality of your manufactured garments to employers.
Fashion design skills
We’ll encourage you to innovate as well as to understand historic and contemporary trends in fashion.
You’ll develop essential technical skills to support your design thinking, including:
- Design development
- Planning
- Pattern cutting
- Garment construction
- Tailoring
- 3D digital rendering
And our course benefits from close industry links and is a member of the British Fashion Colleges Council and the Graduate Fashion Foundation.
Take to the stage
You will have access to studio space, specialist fashion design resources and well-equipped workshops run by on-site technical staff.
Our Fashion studios and workshops are the right setting to develop your ideas and perfect essential skills such as drawing, digital design and professional presentation.
Live projects, competitions and industry placements enable you to engage in and build external networks and opportunities, preparing you to be industry-ready for your self-identified career path beyond graduation.
Graduates of the course have secured diverse roles in fashion-related positions and beyond including design roles at H&M, Ted Baker, Victoria Beckham, Marks & Spencer, Outfit Arcadia Group and Blakely and manufacturing roles in companies including Yarmouth Oilskins.
Success in awards:
Past students have achieved industry recognition including success in competitions with British Fashion Council, Graduate Fashion Week, Anne Tyrrell Student Design Award, Golden Shears, and the international Arts of Fashion awards.
Course information
All courses run as a blend of on-campus and digital teaching and learning, and follow current UK government safety advice. Applicants and students will be notified directly if any changes need to be made.
Typical career paths include:
- Freelance Designer
- In-House Designer
- Bespoke Tailor
- Creative Pattern Cutter
- Buyer
- Design Consultant
- Fashion Illustrator
- Garment Technologist
- Visual Merchandiser
- Fashion Stylist
Other graduates have progressed to postgraduate research, in areas such as bio-material research and creative health for art therapy. Some graduates secure education roles in school and post-16 providers while others establish their own businesses.
You’ll also get specialist creative careers advice from our Business and Employability Team to help support you as you plan your career.
Course Information
Institution Code: N39Course 3 Year UCAS code: W233 Course 4 Year UCAS code: W230Course length: 3 or 4 year optionsSandwich courses: Creative Professional Development (1 year, Level 5 diploma), or Creative Computing (1 year, Level 5 diploma), available between years 2 & 3
Katie Bilingsley – Photography by Kev Foster
Typical UK offers
A / AS Levels – GCE
GCE A/AS Levels 3 A-level qualifications at grades BBB. Where candidates are not taking 3 A-levels, Norwich University of the Arts will consider combinations of A-level/AS-level and other Level 3 qualifications.
BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction, Merit, Merit in an art, design or media related subject
BTEC Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction*, Distinction* in an art, design or media related subject
T Levels
A T Level in any subject with overall grade Merit or above
UAL Extended Diploma
Merit
UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Merit
UAL Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass
Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Merit
Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design)
Pass
International Baccalaureate Diploma
A minimum of 27 points
Norwich welcomes applicants of all ages from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio, responses to questions asked and personal statement, so even if you have no formal qualifications or do not meet our typical offers it can still be worth applying.
If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer.
If the qualification that you are studying is not shown, do not worry as we are able to accept other pre-entry qualifications as well as combinations of different qualifications. Please do contact our Student Recruitment Team if you have any queries.
International applications
We accept qualifications from all over the world, to find our entry requirements from a specific country, please check our dedicated international pages.
Most international students are required to hold an English language qualification. Applicants are required to have a minimum UKVI approved IELTS exam score of 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each section. Equivalent English language qualifications are acceptable such as, IB English language syllabus A or B/English Literature (Grade 4).
We also accept some alternative English qualifications. Learn more about our English entry requirements.
You can email us on international@norwichuni.ac.uk if you’d like to discuss your application individually.
BA (Hons) Fashion degree course portfolio guidance
We are calling the traditional portfolio a ‘development portfolio’. This is to emphasise that what we would like to see is where you are now in your creative journey. You don’t need to spend a long time making the perfect work, as we can assess your potential from your work in progress. Your development is the most important part of your learning.
Your development portfolio should be relevant to this course, but you can include a wide range of work that shows your creativity, technical competence, innovation and understanding of anatomy.
You may wish to include some of the following:
- Drawing – Life drawing or still life
- Painting, Illustration, Collage
- 3D work – accessories, garments, sculpture, fabric samples
- Fabric and colour work
- Garment or accessory designs
- Image making using Photography or Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, illustrator)
Further portfolio advice and tips
Get more advice on presentation formats, layouts and when to submit your development portfolio in the application process.
2023/24 University fees for new entrants
Norwich University of the Arts will assess students’ tuition fee status using the guidance provided by the UK Council for International Student Affairs
Students from the UK or Ireland and EU students with ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status will be charged ‘Home’ fees if they meet the relevant residency requirements. They will usually be eligible for a tuition fee loan from the UK government, meaning that they won’t have to pay Norwich’s tuition fees upfront.
Students who do not meet the necessary residency requirements will usually be charged ‘Overseas’ fees and will not be eligible for the UK government tuition fee loan. Since 2021/22, this includes new entrants from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland who do not have ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status, because the UK has now formally left the EU.
Fee status | Course | Annual fee |
---|---|---|
Home | Undergraduate degree (full-time three and four year degree) | £9,250 |
Overseas | Undergraduate degree (full-time three and four year degree) | £18,000 |
For Home undergraduate students starting in 2023, inflation may be applied to your fees in later years, if the UK government were to increase the fee cap beyond the current limit of £9,250 per year. If such an increase were to apply, we would confirm this in advance to you of each academic year, and we would limit the increase to the maximum allowed by the Office for Students.
For Overseas undergraduate students starting in 2023, inflation will be applied to your fees in later years. We will confirm this in advance to you of each academic year, and we will limit the increase to no more than the Office for Students’ recommended inflationary measure, which is RPI-X. RPI-X is calculated by the Office for Budget Responsibility. In setting fees for the following year, we will use the Office for Budget Responsibility’s RPI-X forecast for quarter 3 of the relevant year.
See our Fees and Funding page for further information which is also available in a downloadable format.
Financial support for UK students in 2023
Tuition fee loans and loans for living costs are usually available to UK and some EU students, as well as non-repayable Norwich University of the Arts bursaries based on family income. Find out more about applying for funding.
Four year degree – BA (Hons) Fashion
Four year degrees offer students a chance to build on their experience within their undergraduate course of choice.
Year 0 will help to build confidence and develop subject specific practical, creative and conceptual skills – making full use of University studios and workshops.
Typical UK offers and entry requirements for Year 0 entry
GCE A/AS Levels
2 A-level qualifications at grades CC or higher.
BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Merit, Merit, Pass in an art, design or media related subject
BTEC Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction, Merit in an art, design or media related subject
T Levels
Pass (D or E on the core)
UAL Extended Diploma
An overall Pass
UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
An overall Pass
Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass
Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design)
Pass
International Baccalaureate Diploma
A minimum of 24 points
Norwich welcomes applicants of all ages from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio, responses to questions asked and personal statement, so even if you have no formal qualifications or do not meet our typical offers it can still be worth applying.
If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer.
Find out moreRecent Awards
Top 10 for
Teaching Quality
by the Times and Sunday Times 2022
Top Two UK
Creative Arts
University
by The Complete University Guide 2024
GOLD-rated
University
the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
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