Congratulations on your A-Level Results and welcome to UAL: we can’t wait to see you this academic year! Whether you’re a London local or coming here for the first time, we’ve got a list of top tips and resources to help you navigate your start at UAL.

Arts SU Advice

Firstly, to introduce ourselves, we are the Arts SU Advice Service. We are a free, impartial, confidential service that exists to support you. We can help you to navigate UAL processes during your time studying. These processes include but are not limited to:

• Extenuating circumstances
• Academic appeals
• Complaints
• Housing issues

If in doubt as to whether we can help you, get in touch, if we aren’t the right team to support you with your issue, we will do our best to signpost you to the most relevant people to help.

You can virtually meet the team and find our contact details at the bottom of our webpage here.

Accommodation

Now you’ve got your results, you might be thinking about where you’ll live whilst studying. There are a lot of options in London and this might seem overwhelming. That’s why we have some reliable resources that might be helpful on your search.

You may have already applied for UAL halls, but if not and you’re considering university accommodation, check out the bottom of this page for a map of all UAL residences with reference to their distance from college campuses and tube stations. A lot of people find the citymapper app helpful to plan the commute.

UAL are also a member of the University of London housing services, so, students can use their housing search tool to find vetted university and accommodation options.

And of course you might be thinking about who you’ll live with – if you’re not living in halls where you’ll likely be allocated housemates, you can find other UAL current and prospective students looking for housing on the official Arts SU Housing Group facebook page. This is a great way to meet other incoming students and potentially find a house share. The University of London also has a flatmate search tool which you can find here.

But we know the housing journey doesn’t end with securing your accommodation, you might be wondering about council tax bills, disrepair issues, contract questions and more. We have a comprehensive housing webpage covering all these topics and more which you can refer to here.

The Arts SU Advice service also provides support and advice with housing queries. We offer a contract checking service and can advise on disrepair concerns, your deposit, and complaints to your landlord. Please use the button above if you’d like to discuss your housing circumstances with an adviser.

Travel

We know that travel costs can be a barrier to you enjoying your time studying in London. That’s why we want to let you know that any student in full-time education is eligible for a 16-25 railcard (including mature students!) which entitles you to 1/3 off national rail services.

Even better – you can connect this discount to an Oyster card and save 1/3 on off-peak travel on the tube too!

The card costs £30 for a year, but with those massive discounts you can make your money back in no time. Some student bank accounts even offer a free railcard when you register with them, or you can use Tesco Clubcard points toward the cost of a railcard too!

You can find out more about the card and register here.

Another cost-cutting tip – maximise the unlimited bus journeys for £1.75, within one hour. Known as the ‘Hopper Fare’, if you tap in on a London bus with the same card/device each time, you can make as many journeys as you like for that cost, if they are commenced within an hour.

Social

Making new friends can be a fantastic part of university life but we know that this can be a daunting experience for some people. Our advice is to get involved where you feel comfortable, be open to new types of people and approach others with kindness.

You could come along to our iconic Welcome Fair to meet other new and returning students, get some freebies and learn more about UAL and Arts SU!

The Fair will have stalls from many of our Sports Clubs and Societies which are another great way to make friends. You can sign-up on the day or online, once the societies are live again, in the meantime, you can check out what communities options there are here.

We also recognise that some people may want to make friends in a different way. Arts SU Advice service runs an initiative called Buddy Up. The premise is simple - send us a few details and we match you up with a new friend at UAL!

We match UAL students in pairs, based on a few preferences that you provide us with when you sign up. We'll send you both an introduction email and after that, it’s up to you! You can email, video call, swap phone numbers or meet in person… whatever works best for you both.

We also know that making friends who belong to the same communities as you can be invaluable. That’s why we also run Buddy Channels, these are networks on Microsoft Teams for UAL students to meet other students who self-identity as members of certain communities/backgrounds. These chat spaces can be used to make new friends, update each other on university or local events, network, or just to talk! 

Keep an eye on our webpage here for when the sign-up form is active for the upcoming academic year!

UAL

If you’re joining us in September, then you might already know how massive UAL is. Across many campuses all over the city, it can feel hard to know where to start with maximising your time or where to find things.

So, let’s start with the basics:

Campus locations: As a UAL student, you will be able to access all campuses with your Student ID card. Opening times and contact details for each campus can be found here. You might need these if you want to visit a different campus, plan a journey or if you have a question for the front desk.

Library: UAL has some magnificent libraries with great workspaces, catalogues and archives and plenty of books. You can find out about your campus library and how to access the resources available here.

Printing: As an Arts student, you may find that you need to print off bits of work or research. Libraries have printing and photocopying facilities. The costs of these as well as how to top up your account to pay for printing, can be found here.

Academic support: Beyond your lectures and seminars taking place on your course, Academic Support is available to all students and teaching staff. They can offer face-to-face or online support with a range of topics like conducting research and best practice for academic writing. Access the support through Academic Support Online. Check out their short welcome video:

Student Services: UAL Student Services offer a wealth of advice and support to students from funding, immigration and visas, to health and mental health advice, disability and dyslexia support. Refer to their webpage to find out how to get in touch with any of these services.

Officers: Get familiar with who your college’s Sabbatical Officer is, meet them all virtually here. These are elected individuals who work with the university and union to effect change for students. If you have an idea for a campaign or a concern at your college, you can click on the relevant officer and the mailbox icon to get in touch with them.

Course Reps: Course Reps are student volunteers who work with staff and students to improve the academic experience of everyone studying on their course.

They represent the views of their fellow students on everything from teaching quality and curriculum content to facility access and a sense of community.

In your course induction, your tutors will share how to become a Course Rep. If your course leader or tutor hasn’t shared information on becoming a Course Rep within the first two weeks of your course, reach out to them or contact the Representation & Democracy Team at coursereps@su.arts.ac.uk.  

Canteens/cafes at campuses: It’s no secret that studying is hungry work! You might be wondering where you can get a good lunch or library snack. Fret not, you can find a list of all canteens and cafes across UAL here.

Health and Wellbeing

It’s important to be registered with a General Practitioner (GP) Surgery so that if you are unwell, you can seek advice and medical treatment. If you are moving to London, you may want to consider registering for a GP close to your accommodation.

To find a local GP, you can visit the NHS website here and type your postcode in to find your nearest surgeries who are accepting new patients.

International Students may want to consider registering with the National Health Service (NHS) and creating an online account. If you are on a visa for more than 6 months, you’ll need to pay for an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) to use NHS healthcare (this is usually included as a cost in your visa application). If you're in the UK for less than 6 months, you could consider buying private health insurance which may be cheaper than paying for treatment with the NHS.

If you are an EU/EEA citizen and have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), this will give you access to NHS healthcare.

As a UAL student you also have access to the Counselling & Health advice services. There is support available for students who are facing challenges with their mental and/or physical health, whether these are short or long-term. You can complete a UAL Counselling & Health Advice Form, and the most appropriate advisor will reach out to you. You can also get in touch via email at studenthealth@arts.ac.uk or telephone at +44 (0)20 7514 6426 or sign up to a 15-minute drop-in.

International students

If you’re joining us from abroad, then firstly a big warm welcome to the UK! We recognise that the experience of international students may differ from home students, particularly if this is the first time you’ve lived in another country. We want to ensure that you thoroughly enjoy your studies and get the most out of your time in London.

You may find it helpful to hear from other students who have also moved abroad and studied at UAL. The webpage linked in the button below, has videos from six students from six different places about their experiences as international students. There is also a function to ask a question to a student ambassador, so if you have any queries, ask away!

The page also has details on how to keep in touch with the visa and immigration team during your studies.

International students | UAL (arts.ac.uk)

Finally, if English is an additional language for you, you may want to check out English Language Development. They can support you in improving your English language skills so that you can thrive on your course. You can join a community of students in attending language workshops, online tutorials and more!

Disabled students

UAL has a range of support available to disabled and neurodivergent students. The Disability Service champions the Social Model of Disability and work with you to remove barriers to your studies.

If you have a formal diagnosis, are seeking one or don’t know where to start, get in touch with the Disability Service who will guide you on your next steps.

You can email them on: disability@arts.ac.uk or call them on +44 (0)207 514 6156 (phonelines open 1-4pm).

Carer students

UAL uses a definition of caring responsibilities from The Carers Trust UK, which defines a carer as “anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem, or an addiction cannot cope without their support.”

If you are a carer, you can work with a Health Adviser and your course team to create a Student Parenthood and Caring Support Agreement (PCSA). This is designed coordinate support for you if you experience parenthood and/or caring whilst at UAL. The PCSA summarises the support and adjustments a student needs for staff who need to know. You can read more about support available as well as absences due to caring responsibilities on UAL’s webpage and in this PDF.

Get in touch with the Health Advice service and your course team to initiate this support agreement.

Care leaver students

Care leaver/experienced students may be entitled to further support during their studies. You will likely have been asked if you have been in local authority care for 3 months or more when completing your UCAS application. UAL will then get in touch to let you know what support is available.

If you did not do this but are a student who has been in care, you can contact Lisa Daniels on l.daniels@arts.ac.uk or +44 (0)20 7514 6900 to discuss your circumstances.

Good to Know

Looking for art supplies? Look no further than your own campus! With 7 arts shops across campuses, the arts shops are a go-to for specialist equipment. Better yet, the shops are staffed by artists who can advise you on the best products for your needs.

CASS Art is another go-to for many UAL students as they offer a cheeky 10% student discount in-store and online.

Student Discounts: Speaking of discounts, you might know that many retailers and restaurants offer student discounts. Some of them will accept a physical student ID card as evidence of this, but others require a particular card or app.

NUS & TOTUM: The National Union of Students recommends TOTUM student discount card and we can see why. It bags you a tonne of different discounts across clothes, food, tech and more. And if you register for a TOTUM+ card you even get a free government approved-ID card. No need to take your passport on a night out anymore! There are options for free and paid membership levels which you can find here.

UNiDAYS & Student Beans: Unidays and Student Beans are free online platforms and mobile apps that offer students access to loads of discounts across a broad range of brands. The two may offer different discounts at different times so make sure to double check before buying and save those coins! You can register for either or both once you have your UAL email address, you’re good to go!

Local council/MP

It’s worth noting that if you are affected by decisions made by the UK Parliament or by the Government, you can write to your local MP about these. This may be if something has directly impacted you or about a wider political issue or concern. More guidance on when this may be relevant can be found here.

Your local MP will depend on where you live. You can use this tool to enter your location and find out who your local representative is.

See you soon!

That’s all from us for now, we hope you found this blog helpful, and we can’t wait to meet you soon. Enjoy the rest of your summer and we will catch you in September!