I applied for the Painting MA at the Royal College of Art and the whole admissions process has left me feeling confused. I had applied in a previous year and been rejected so I was very anxious but a friend of mine ran into a senior tutor who handles the admissions at a private view and he said quote “miss yellow cardigan has nothing to worry about” I had worn a yellow cardigan at the open day and in my application video. This made me feel slightly better but you know never fully trust an art professor.

Originally, applicants were supposed to hear back by April 24th. As that date got closer, I started to feel like something was wrong because I hadn’t heard anything. Then, the day before the deadline, I received an email saying that due to the high volume of applications they were pushing back decisions for the June 8th intake.

Then on May 1st, I received another email saying that I had been placed on the waitlist for September 2025. Naturally, I contacted admissions to ask what was going on, and they replied saying the waitlist date email had been sent in error and that my application was still being considered for the June 8th intake.

I have a tutor from my undergraduate degree who started working at RCA. I reached out to them to see if they knew what was happening. They admitted they were also confused by the situation, but said that historically there tends to be quite a lot of movement on the Painting waitlist and that they felt optimistic I could still receive a positive outcome.

At this point, though, I genuinely don’t know what to think. Like most people in this situation, I ended up doing some digging online to see whether anyone else had posted about receiving offers in the second round. From what I found, it seems like some offers have gone out, but honestly I wasn’t particularly impressed by some of the work being showcased online. A lot of it seemed geared towards Instagram and TikTok audiences rather than being especially strong painting practices.

I know social media isn’t a reliable way to judge applicants, and obviously admissions decisions are based on much more than what someone posts online. Still, after months of uncertainty and mixed messages from admissions, it’s hard not to overanalyse everything. At this rate if I got a offer I feel like I should say no something isn’t right, I wonder because I’m a British student might have something to do with it and they need as many international students to fill the factory but I could be completely wrong. My mental health has also been massively effected in this period and honestly I feel like they’re safe keeping is terrible.

Has anyone else experienced something similar with RCA or other competitive art school admissions? And for those who were waitlisted, how much movement did you actually see or should I give up?

The Business Management intake has now been extended until 17 June! 🎓

This means anyone you know who is planning to start university this month may still have time to apply and secure their place.

At Omega Partners, we are here to support students every step of the way, including: Choosing the right course, completing the application, preparing all required documents, Interview preparation, and student finance guidance

If you or someone you know is interested, DM

Hi if anyone does this course please message me!

I am a student from Nepal who was refused entry to the United Kingdom and subsequently removed by UK immigration authorities.

The reason for my removal was an error in my visa application. One of the questions asked whether I had ever been refused a visa by another country. I answered “No.” However, during my immigration interview, I remembered that I had been refused a U.S. visa in 2019. I immediately informed the immigration officer of this previous refusal.

The immigration authorities considered the discrepancy between my visa application and my statement at the border to be a misrepresentation and therefore cancelled my entry permission and returned me to Nepal.

After returning to Nepal, I contacted my university regarding a refund of my tuition fees, which amount to approximately £8,800. The university informed me that because I was deported, I am not eligible for a refund.

 it is a Cancellation of leave to enter and its under Suitability Section SUI 10.2

Is this true? I haven’t enroll in the university.
I dont know what to do so i am asking for help here

Hi, not sure if this is the place for this post but i need some last minute advice!!

Im firming either UCL or Imperial tomorrow and I was just looking for some last minute genuine advice from current or past students of Imperial and UCL as i have offers for both (same grade requirements) for biology Msci. Also this is just what ive got from research i could be wrong so pls correct me if i am.

Heres my current pros and cons:

Imperial:

pros:

Pretty area - im very sporty and outdoorsy and need green space otherwise ill be depressed :)

Very well ranked + good graduate prospects

Better quality + more personalised teaching?

better value for money accom

cons:

Not as central as UCL

expensive area

potentially bad social life as everyone is working a lot - im quite a social person and hate being holed up in my room

hard workload?

UCL:

pros:

very central - id love to explore london and just walk everywhere so i dont have to pay for transport as much

more social + friendly vibe (less depressed? not a jab at imperial just what ive heard)

i have friends going there (this is by no means a deciding factor but it is nice to know i wouldnt be totally alone)

cons:

worse accomodation potentially - more expensive + less value for money

less personalised teaching - more just lectures + self taught stuff

less highly ranked

questions:

generally does anyone know what the contact hours/workload looks like for either as i cant really find a straight answer?

is the social life actually as bad as people say at imperial or is it what you make it?

how is the accommodation at ucl?

hows the teaching style + quality at ucl?

how is the sports at either uni? - im very into rowing and swimming and want to try some new stuff like climbing etc

thanks for any advice sorry this post is so long im just going to talk to my friends and pick one otherwise but yeah.

The conditions for my ucl bsc Econ offer was A* in maths and AA. I achieved AAA with 89% in maths. I also missed similar conditions for all my other offers (kcl and Warwick). (4.9 TMUA)
I have to decide which ones to pick as firm and insurance by tomorrow 😬.
I was originally thinking Warwick and kcl cause that’s probably the highest chance of me getting in. But I really wanted to get into ucl.
Realistically speaking are there any chances of me getting into a uni if I pick ucl and Warwick instead?

If anyone has any clue?

as international student, Honestly, I’m feeling so frustrated and down right now. I applied to a bunch of UK universities and got accepted into 4 of them, including Keele, Sheffield, and Essex. But unfortunately, I just don't have the money to fund my studies.

Can anyone give me some real, practical solutions or ways I can actually start my Master’s? Please, don’t just comment telling me "it’s too difficult" or "it's impossible." I'm looking for actual advice and stories from people who were in my shoes and found a way to make it work.

If a Master's is completely out of the question financially, is it possible to apply directly from a Bachelor's to a PhD? I know that funding and scholarships are generally way better for PhD programs.

I’d really appreciate any genuine leads or ideas. Please keep the comments supportive and kind, I’m already incredibly stressed and overwhelmed, and I just really need some help finding trsoulations.

Hi everyone,

I’m a neurodivergent international student who got an offer to study undergrad psychology at KCL and the University of Bath. I struggle a lot with math and while science does truly fascinate me I find studying it very overwhelming. From what I’ve heard, Bath would overall be the better choice for me but I’d still appreciate any sort of input from current psychology students from either uni about the course itself and the pros and cons. Also, I plan on getting a masters in psychotherapy at Edinburgh, KCL, or Manchester. Is anyone able to tell me whether I’d still have a good chance (if I do good at uni) at getting into those universities if I attended bath instead?

I was wondering which university is better in terms of future prospects. As in where would I be able to find better networking, job opportunities, internships and just overall academic and career advantages?
And also, would living in Coventry and the Warwick campus be a bit depressing compared to king’s college London? I prefer having a college life outside of just studies, so I am a bit worried about choosing a uni which may not be in the city.
From what I researched Warwick seemed to be a better option academically for economics, however I worry that I might miss out on the opportunities that come with living in London (internships, networking and the location of kcl which seems to be gorgeous).

So just wanted to gather more opinions to figure out which uni to pick.

(Edit: interested to get into investment banking or something similar in the future)

Hi guys!

My brother (an international student) has a conditional from University of Glasgow on UCAS for Sep’2026 and made it his firm choice.

About 2 weeks ago,he submitted his conditional docs but didn’t hear from them. They did ask us to email them if we didn’t get anything back within 10 working days,but didn’t hear anything back for those ones too.

Anyone had a similar situation and are waiting too? :)

Hey everyone

I'm a Nepali student planning to study Digital Marketing BA in the UK and I'd love to hear real experiences from international students not just what the university websites say.

I'm currently looking at these universities:
- University of Westminster
- Sheffield Hallam University
- Nottingham Trent University
- University of Northampton

I have a personal reason for asking. Back in 2020 I studied at the University of Huddersfield. It was during COVID and many international students including myself were failed and had to return home. It was one of the hardest experiences of my life and I don’t want to go through that again.

So my main questions are:

1. How genuinely supportive is the university when you're struggling academically?
2. Are lecturers/tutors accessible and helpful for international students?
3. Do they give fair resit opportunities if you fail a module?
4. How is the visa/immigration support team?
5. Anything you wish you knew before enrolling?

Any honest feedback good or bad ,would be massively appreciated. DMs welcome too. Thanks 🙏

Hi!

I’m part of a research team at Imperial College London running a study called LUCID, which explores how lifestyle patterns (like sleep, stress, and exercise) relate to brain performance and healthy ageing. We’re looking for people who regularly track wearable data - to be eligible you need to track both exercise and sleep.

You can receive up to £60 for taking part, which involves 3–4 short brain scans (using fNIRS). We are currently based at an office in Soho (WC2H 0DT).

If you’re interested, here’s the link with full details and sign-up info:

Sign up to the LUCID study here!

Thanks,
Anita
Imperial College London/Connectome Health

Hi all, I’m currently doing alvls and is on the hunt for a university. I’m quite interested in studying Law at Cambridge. Can anyone give me any advice on my uni search?

My questions are:

1) How is the campus life in Cambridge

2) Is it rlly a must to get all A stars for the subjects im taking to get in?

3) Is Cambridge a good choice for me to persuade my law degree

I know a lot of students say they will pay for some expenses while at uni but how is that is the current climate?