We look at all applicants holistically – reviewing your personal statement, academic record, your portfolio, and a sample of your writing. We welcome applications from across the UK and internationally.

Our unique courses mean we’re looking for uniquely talented applicants – people who want to continue to develop their academic skills from school or college whilst also building their ability in professional design practice. We accept applicants with any combination of A levels or equivalent qualifications – as long as you can demonstrate a commitment to your current studies, and a passion for graphic design and visual culture.

You can apply to our course directly through the UCAS website. 

This page will help guide you through our application process.

The application process

1. Discover our course

There are several sources of information about our courses. Each will give you a different perspective on what makes at the Typography and Graphic Communication department at Reading so special.

We run open days in June and October if you want to come and visit before applying. We also advertise taster sessions and other activities on our Instagram.

2. Make an application

You can apply to our course directly through the UCAS website.

3. You’ll hear back from us promptly

We aim to process applications within 10 days.

  • After submitting your UCAS application, you will receive an email from our Admissions Team with guidance on how to submit your portfolio.

  • Applicants who are slightly below our requirements will be invited to submit a sample of written work to help enhance their applications

  • Applicants who are substantially short of our requirements are rejected. However, if you think we might have missed something important, by al means get in touch with the Admission Tutor (Irmi Wachendorff, irmi.wachendorff@reading.ac.uk) for a conversation about it.

4. Showing us your portfolio

We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates and understand that students come to us with different levels of experience in graphic design. Your academic record and personal statement help us learn a lot about your interests, potential and motivation.

As part of your application, you will need to submit a portfolio so we can see examples of your creative work and better understand your strengths. Your portfolio does not need to be perfect. We want to see your ideas, process and potential in a way that feels authentic to you.

To help you prepare your portfolio and understand what we are looking for, please visit our portfolio guidance page.

If you are applying for the BA Art and Graphic Design course, please follow the guidance here.

5. Come to a visit day

The single most useful thing in helping you decide on the right course for you is to come and visit. We run visit days online and in person in the Spring. If we make you an offer, we’ll invite you to attend one. It’s a chance to meet staff and current students, see our facilities and get a sense of how we teach (which is in very small groups, in a supportive and intensive fashion). These days are a real pleasure for us!

6. Accept our offer

You can do this via the UCAS website. If you have any questions before making your decision, contact our Admission Tutor (Irmi Wachendorff, irmi.wachendorff@reading.ac.uk).


Your written work

Our course is academically focused, so we offer you the chance to provide a single piece of written work so that we can assess your skills in this area.

This could be an essay or report from school or college (from any subject), or a piece of personal writing.

If you don't have an academic essay, you are welcome to show us a piece of written work that demonstrates your commitment to principles that you think we might value: work ethic, creativity, typography, research, or professional design skills.

We value argument and discussion over a more "narrative" approach. We like to see footnotes, citations, or a bibliography, demonstrating an academic approach.

As with the portfolio, this work is optional, and you only need to provide it if you feel it will help your application.

Visit day schedule

The programme for the Visit Days is as follows:

  • 09.00–09.45: Registration
  • 09.45: Welcome from our current students, meet and greet
  • 10.00–11.00: Get to know our course: roundtable discussion
  • 11.00–12.00: Typography workshop: a sample class from our course

At the end of the Visit day, staff and students will still be on hand to continue discussions for as long as it’s useful. We want you to get what YOU need from the day.

Location for Visit Days

The Visit Day on campus will take place at the Department of Typography and Graphic Communication, which is located near the Earley Gate entrance to the Whiteknights campus at the University of Reading. For further information about travelling to the University of Reading and a map of the Whiteknights campus, please visit www.reading.ac.uk/about/visit-us.aspx. The Department of Typography and Graphic Communication is Building 21 (TOB2) on the Whiteknights campus map. 

Connecting to virtual Visit Days

If you book to attend a virtual event we will send you a meeting invitation via email, which will contain a link to join the virtual event. The meeting invitation will be sent to you closer to the date of your virtual visit day. No special software is needed, though the experience will be far better on a laptop or desktop computer than on a phone or tablet.

We suggest:

  • A quiet, comfortable space in your home
  • A strong network connection (ideally a wired connection)
  • A good computer that you trust
  • Headphone with a built-in microphone

    Please also remember that we’d love to actually see you, so if you plan to put your camera on do think carefully about your location, lighting, and privacy.

Information for parents

The Visit day is aimed at applicants, but parents and guardians are free to join in, observe and ask questions. 

Any questions?

If you have any further questions about how to prepare your portfolio and written work, please contact Irmi Wachendorff, Admissions Tutor by emailing irmi.wachendorff@reading.ac.uk.