You have successfully registered
Our collection of real, honest student reviews of unis and courses is the largest in the UK, and helps you make well-informed decisions about your future. Student reviews also form the basis of our annual Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs), which highlight great work carried out by institutions for their students.
Good
Best thing is we get to do a lot of projects and worst thing is that it's 9 to 5.
Engage us more in sports
This year has been bad, I have missed a lot of opportunities to grow and develop - but the teaching staff on my course have endeavoured to give us the best experience possible and I’m proud of the work I managed to create - I stand by the thought however that art school doesn’t work online
The facilities are amazing, but often difficult to access casually - you always have to get inducted into facilities which is more difficult to get into than you’d imagine. There seems to walls up around certain facilities that make them difficult to access quickly - you really need to plan ahead. Accessing facilities often requires you to write a proposal in order to be allowed to use them. The technicians and staff that work in these facilities are absolutely amazing - filled with knowledge and so happy to help.
Could be much better - these things seem very hard to find within the institution.
This course has very minimal contact time with tutors, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing - pre-covid, the people that will help you the most are the technicians and staff that work in the specialist facilities on campus. They are the ones who will teach you the tangible processes, whereas your course tutors will give you more ideas on how to thematically progress your own practice. You will have to do a lot of thinking on your own, and whilst it often feels like being thrown in the deep end - the lessons you learn here are invaluable. You spend a lot of time reflecting with your classmates and learning from each other.
20
There are great lectures and Q&A’s by previous alumni who now work in a variety of industries - encouraging at times, but also there never seems to be a clear cookie cutter path in how to get into stable employment immediately
No
What a waste of 3 years. Complete waste of money and would not recommend to anyone looking to study fine art. The school invests nothing in its students education and teach you zero practical skills. People I know graduated in sculpture without ever actually using the workshops as they are so inaccessible!! They don't even have a kiln, there's virtually no contact with tutors, and you will have no workshops at all after second year. Tutors try their best but given no support for senior management in the school. They even closed the Vic and there is no students Union. Absolute shambles of a place and your degree isn't worth the paper it's written on. After graduating you will either be working a minimum wage job like myself or on universal credit unable to find work like many of my classmates. Graduating during covid we were promised the money from our degree show but they have stopped all communication regarding this and have no intention of ever giving us the money. Our degree was also so poorly assessed and based on our assignments from previous years. Almost a year on I'm still so upset and angry at how we've been treated. I will never forgive GSA for this and wouldn't wish my worst enemy to attend this place. Avoid at all costs.
I would have been better off in any other UK art school. The tutors are brilliant, but the student union is closed, staffs jobs are being thretaned to the point that they are not happy to support students in their upset at the student union closing, studio hours are reducing, technical support send outs being postponed during covid to the point where some students still don't have computer access to zoom, or wifi, and its October! (one month after the university started this year). Just don't bother. Glasgow is a great city, but all the other art schools I was considering going to are better than the reality GSA sold me three years ago. Its such a shame to see such a good arts school ride purely on its reputation, instead of helping its students to achieve.
access is limited, and they have cut opening hours every year since I began studying here
the counselling support is overbooked and it takes half a year to get onto a session with them. Student support otherwise is brilliant, offering workshops and getting to know you and your issues on an individual basis
the students union has been indefinitely closed, the student president does not reply to our courses emails with faculty.
I wouldn't know as I haven't been in to university, it campus is closed
There is one active society at the university, of 30 people.
tutors are brilliant, hands on supportive of your creative education. Student voice is non existent, the student union too, teachers have no ability to take your issues with the course further
1
they have some lectures
Private flats in Glasgow are cheap and beautiful, a great place to live
My time at the Glasgow School of Art was definitely a very character defining period of my life if the fire and everything definitely got in the way of me reaching my full potential and I definitely don't feel like I got my money's worth I was in a building that was isolated from the rest of the university so I had to walk about half an hour from the main building to get to my Building and I was meant to be collaborative and I'm actually quite a reserve person sometimes III like to have people around me I'm not the type to jump out and both of them you know
Very poor while I was studying painting, no fumigation space. Maybe it's better now but- I left when they built stow so I'm not too sure. I know they have a building I guess but I've heard it's overcrowded
I believe that the Glasgow School of Art is an extremely elitist institution I went there with a dream of becoming an artist and then slowly my dreams died off when I realised that I couldn't afford to buy art supplies and other children of rich parents would give them thousands of pounds for their degree show pieces and then they would get firsts and win all of the prizes and I tried so hard.. But I got a 2:2. They didn't support me at all. I have nothing now.
Student unions were great, we just weren't listened to.
It's in a good location, sure
Everyone was gay so queer soc was a bit of a joke
I quite like how we would have one-on-one discussions with our tutors but didn't feel frequent enough but I think that was because there were too many students. We would have about 2 tutorials a semester as well as group ones that could have been grouped better
24
No help at all I graduated last year, been doing bar work, volunteer work to try and get my foot in the door, it's all been me. I'm unemployed and gsa didn't prepare me for this
In an alternate universe I'd sue them for false advertising and wasting my time and money. I don't suggest looking at their website description at all, because it reads like propaganda when compared to my actual experience. 1: There is no allocated time to present or discuss interests/projects/struggles/opportunities with your classmates in the curriculum at all. There is no opportunity to present your works to the class so everyone gets to know each other as artists anytime during the year. 2: There are no actual "courses", they've separated the year into different projects and a new tutor comes in for every or every two projects or so. They often don't introduce themselves at all and in my experience are not willing to get to know students and help them with anything outside of the project. There're also no electives to engage students diversely. 3: Lack of talks/events/gallery spaces/professional connections. According to the curriculum plan, it seems that there is only one exhibition opportunity all the way at the end of 4th year. There is no move to develop students' personal art/work/practice and help them get publications/publicity/recognition in any form. As a result projects and time are often unorganized and left completely to students. Attendance issues are statistic and so is failure to finish projects. Worst of all, the dep head was very dishonest with me during the application process, he is either very unaware of how the program is actually doing or thinks it's fine to say whatever he needs to get me to pay the tuition. It's likely a mix of both but this place has a horrible sense of community and is living off of its former reputation. As it is now, it's not a place worth your time or money.
Again, they don't have much in terms of facilities, studio spaces can be really cramped, not spacious like their website claims. The technicians in the workshops are really nice but the system sucks. You can't use other majors' workshops without a specific project proposal, meaning you don't get time/space to play with different mediums/materials at all and they are not introduced to you in the curriculum. Visiting workshops you do have access to is also inefficient. They introduce you to the facilities in the beginning of the year but since you may not use them regularly for projects, you forget how to use a lot of the machines and will require technician's assistance to get whatever you need done properly.
Read my answer to question 12. Also it's not like guidance counselors can change the bad structure of the program.
right next to sauchiehall street and school
None
In an alternate universe I'd sue them for false advertising and wasting my time and money. I don't suggest looking at their website description at all, because it reads like propaganda when compared to my actual experience. 1: There is no allocated time to present or discuss interests/projects/struggles/opportunities with your classmates in the curriculum at all. There is no opportunity to present your works to the class so everyone gets to know each other as artists anytime during the year. 2: There are no actual "courses", they've separated the year into different projects and a new tutor comes in for every or every two projects or so. They often don't introduce themselves at all and in my experience are not willing to get to know students and help them with anything outside of the project. There're also no electives to engage students diversely. 3: Lack of talks/events/gallery spaces/professional connections. According to the curriculum plan, it seems that there is only one exhibition opportunity all the way at the end of 4th year. There is no move to develop students' personal art/work/practice and help them get publications/publicity/recognition in any form. As a result projects and time are often unorganized and left completely to students. Attendance issues are statistic and so is failure to finish projects. Worst of all, the dep head was very dishonest with me during the application process, he is either very unaware of how the program is actually doing or thinks it's fine to say whatever he needs to get me to pay the tuition. It's likely a mix of both but this place has a horrible sense of community and is living off of its former reputation. As it is now, it's not a place worth your time or money.
1
The program is very bad.
Expensive and cold, laundry is really expensive but overall alright.
I am really loving my time here at the Glasgow school of Art & can not wait to graduate & set up my own painting business from my garage at home.
This is a really smart Art school. It is really clean inside & fantastic atmosphere here. The Art work in the main hall is out of this world. I am rather proud to be here.
This is a really cracking place. I have settled really well into Glasgow school of Art nicely & I am extremley pleased with my drawings & paintings which have improved a lot since high school.
The largest university awards in the UK voted for exclusively by students - find out which unis our student reviewers love!
Other students also liked these unis - you might too!
Because tutors are very supportive
The uni is good with all the facilities and support systems for international students are so welcoming.
All staff in university is eager to help you with any kind of questions or problems. At lectures teachers are really engaging and supportive. You never notice how quick time flies...