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Illustration FT

  • Bachelor of Arts (with Honours)
  • 3 Years
  • Full-Time
  • September 2027
  • Undergraduate
City Campus
More about Nottingham Trent University

Course options

2026-20272027-2028
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Course summary

Enter the world of illustrative practice, embarking on a transformative journey to unearth your unique artistic voice as an illustrator. Graduating from this course means emerging as a highly refined visual communicator, adept at seamlessly blending craftsmanship and aesthetic prowess across various digital and analogue platforms, mediums, and projects. Your work will balance creativity with commercial acumen, incorporate sustainability, and be informed by a rich understanding of illustration's historical and cultural context.

In an ever-evolving industry, our mission is to equip you with the skills for a lifelong learning journey, ensuring you remain adaptable and prepared for the dynamic landscape of professional illustrative practice.

NTU is in the UK’s Top 15 for Art & Design in the Complete University Guide 2026.

Employability

From the very start of the course, you will be encouraged to identify with the world of work and your future beyond graduation. The course has a dedicated employability tutor and the School Employability team support Illustration students with drop-in session and advice.

This course will equip you with skills and experience needed to work as a professional illustrator, as well as a range of transferable skills that can be applied to a number of roles within the creative industries.

Our BA (Hons) Illustration course was created in consultation with leading industry bodies such as the Association of Illustrators (AOI), whose knowledge and expertise informs our approach and ensures that the course is aligned with the most current industry needs and expectations.

Some of our other industry connections, clients or partners include:

  • Hachette

  • Harper Collins

  • Penguin Random House

  • Usbourne

  • Scholastic

  • Folio Society

  • Carmelite

  • Nobrow Press

Throughout the course you will work with industry on live briefs and hear from visiting speakers. You will also be supported and encouraged to enter national and international illustration competitions such as The World Illustration Awards (AOI), The Batsford Prize, The Macmillan Prize, V&A Illustration Awards, and the YCN, Creative Conscience.

Facilities

You’ll be based in our new Design & Digital Arts Building a hub for film, television, animation, UX design, games design, graphic design and more.

You'll have access to industry-standard facilities which include a virtual production studio, an in-camera VFX studio and a black box studio, as well as collaborative studio spaces, future technology suites and exhibition spaces.

Modules

Course Modules

[Year One]

  • Exploring Illustration (100 credit points)

  • Illustration in Context (20 credit points)

[Year Two]

  • Professional Context and Personal Direction (60 credit points, full year)

  • Contemporary Issues in Illustration (20 credit points, full year)

  • Co Lab: Research, Exploration and Risk-taking (20 credit points, second half of the year)

Optional module. You will also choose one optional 20-credit module from:

  • Storyboarding

  • Experimental Animation

  • Publishing: Experimental Formats

  • Telling Stories

  • Exploring Creative Coding

  • Drawing & Exploring with Natural Materials

  • Ecological Futures: A Creative Response

  • Prop Making

[Final year]

  • Developing a Distinct Professional Portfolio (100 credit points)

  • Independent Journal (20 credit points)

https://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/art-and-design/ug/ba-hons-illustration?year=2027#module-information

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • City Campus

Study options

  • Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) • Full-Time • 3 Years

Start dates

  • September 2027

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.

Application codes

Course code:
W220
Institution code:
N91
Campus name:
City Campus
Points of Entry:
Year 1

Nottingham Trent University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?

How to apply

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
W220
Institution code:
N91
Campus name:
City Campus

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Typical qualification requirements

A level

104 - 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications (two of which must be A-level equivalent)

T Level

We will consider T Levels for entry to this course, either as stand-alone qualifications or in conjunction with other Level 3 qualifications, in accordance with the specified course tariff points.

UCAS Tariff
104-112

104 - 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications (two of which must be A-level equivalent)

Access to HE Diploma

Pass your Access course with 60 credits overall with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

104 - 112 UCAS Tariff points from your BTEC Level 3 National Diploma and up to two other qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DMM

DMM from a BTEC Extended Diploma

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

104 - 112 UCAS Tariff points from your BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate and up to three other qualifications (one of which must be A-Level equivalent).

A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other, and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here, but may have faced barriers that can make it more difficult to access university.

We also consider equivalent qualifications and combinations. Please contact Nottingham Trent University Admissions team for further information.

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

NTU makes contextual offers for this course to give everyone a fair chance to access their chosen degree.

Contextual offers are lower than our standard entry criteria or may be an unconditional offer for courses that require a portfolio. We also take individual circumstances into account when we receive results and may accept grades lower than our published criteria.

We use a range of data from UCAS to make our offers and more information on our approach is available at the link below.

Learn more on the Nottingham Trent University website

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).

It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.

Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Tuition fees for 2027 entry are yet to be confirmed. As a guide and to enable you to plan your finances, the fees for Home undergraduate students for 2026 are £9790 .The current expectation is that the University may increase this for future and subsequent years of study in line with inflation and as specified by the Government.

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