The Royal College of Art (RCA) has been ranked the number 1 university for art & design internationally for the 10th year in a row, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 – the largest world-wide survey of academic and industry opinion, with other UK institutions also being highly ranked.
The latest results demonstrate the College’s reputation with an overall score of 98.5.
As with previous years, University of the Arts London takes up the second place in the Art and Design rankings, with both UK institutions ahead of major international universities including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rhode Island School of Design and Parsons School of Design in the US, and European institutions such as Aalto University in Finland and Politecnico di Milano in Italy. Meanwhile, the Royal College of Music is named number 1 in the Performing Arts rankings.
To reach the milestone of 10 years as the world’s top art and design university is such a significant
Professor Christoph Lindner, President and Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art,
achievement. It is a testament to the incredible talent of the RCA’s community, and to the vibrancy of
creative practice in London and the UK. The combination of leading universities, a diverse cultural
ecosystem, and thriving creative industries attracts talent from around the world and continues to
drive innovation and encourage new approaches to global challenges.
The UK’s strength in creative higher education directly feeds into the country’s reputation as a leader
for its innovative creative industries and as a global destination for culture, and supports the UK’s
creative economy, which contributes £126 billion annually in GVA and employs over 2.4 million
people.
