Royal College of Art named leading university for art and design globally for 9th consecutive year

The latest results demonstrate the College’s reputation by scoring 100% for academic reputation, and 93.5% for employer reputation.

Dr Paul Thompson, Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art, said:

"The fact that the RCA has been ranked as the top art and design university in the world for the past nine consecutive years is testament to the talent, flair and skill of our staff and students.

"In the last twelve months, we have opened a new Design & Innovation campus in Battersea designed by Herzog & de Meuron; we’ve joined forces with HM The King and our Chancellor Sir Jony Ive to develop new start-up businesses tackling the climate crisis, landfill waste and the loss of biodiversity in the Terra Carta Design Lab; and we’ve delivered important global partnerships across industry and civil society that will inform elements of the way we live and thrive well into the future, such as our AiDLab research project in Hong Kong, or our role as a UN Ocean Decade Implementing Partner.

"In the coming year, we’re more focused than ever before on championing the interdisciplinarity and impact of our research, knowledge exchange, innovation and world-leading teaching in addressing global challenges."

The RCA leads the table of around 100 of the world’s top universities for the study of art and design, ahead of much larger institutions around the globe, including Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and large art and design providers, such as Parsons and the New School University in New York.

The RCA started life in 1837 as the Government School of Design. Granted a Royal Charter and university status in 1967, today the RCA remains the most influential postgraduate institution of art and design. It has also invested in research and knowledge exchange that informs and inspires a new generation of visionary practice in the creative industries.