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Portfolio advice

Last updated 25 April 2025

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Your portfolio is an important part of your application to the Royal College of Art. Find out what we’re looking for and best practice for building a strong digital portfolio.

What is a portfolio?

A portfolio is a curated presentation of your creative work. It should show your creativity, imagination and innovation – as well as your potential to benefit from the programme and to achieve high standards overall. It should also showcase your unique interests and experiences.

How to build a strong portfolio

Know the specific programme you are applying to and understand why you are applying to it. Each programme has its own position and requirements.

  • Read the programme information in the application portal carefully. Listen to what the programme is asking you to include.
  • Your portfolio should be specific to the programme you’re applying for.

  • Be concise. Don’t include everything.
  • Choose a range of projects which demonstrate the key reasons and motivations for applying to a specific programme.

This depends on the programme you are applying for.

School of Arts & Humanities

  • Only include finished projects; don’t show your process or work in progress.
  • You should demonstrate creativity in curating a concise and considered presentation of completed work, that you feel best represents your position and how your practice is beginning to gain identity.

Schools of Architecture, Communication and Design

  • Include both finished projects and work-in-progress.
  • Include sketchbooks, rough prototypes, research documents, process books or however you record your creative journey.

  • Celebrate collaborations or interdisciplinary projects, but be clear about your role in these examples that you share with us.
  • Include industry or commercial work – but explain how it is relevant to your learning.

  • What values or critical perspectives underpin your work and practice?
  • What key theories, values, philosophies or ideas influence your work or are you starting to connect with?
  • We are not only interested in the work you have made, but also in your broader practice: the methods and techniques you use, and the approaches you take to artistic creation or solving design problems.
  • Demonstrating key skills is important, but we are also interested in your voice, story and what it is you hope to learn if you were to join us.

  • Outside of your work, what is it that you are passionate about?
  • How has your community, culture or life-experience changed or informed your work?

Your video

As part of your application, you will also need to upload a two-minute video recorded on your phone or laptop, speaking to us directly.

Your video gives you the opportunity to introduce yourself to us as and present a clear and concise overview of your work, expanding on the statement and images in your portfolio.

How to make a good video

  • Keep to simple – record on your phone or laptop and talk to the camera.
  • Talk to us directly.
  • Keep it informal.
  • Give us a sense of the voice and story behind the work
  • Treat it as an in-person presentation: consider what the most important things you want people to be thinking about when you leave the room.

  • Worry about editing, high production or special effects.
  • Don't tell us about the RCA or the programme you’re applying to – instead, focus on telling your story and why you want to join our community.

  • What is your story?
  • What matters to you?
  • Why an MA, why now?
  • Who & what inspires you?

Not just what has happened, but what you hope might happen next.

Upcoming portfolio Q&A events

Join an upcoming online portfolio Q&A event and hear from our Admissions tutors on what we look out for in your application and portfolio.

These are School-specific, so you can find tailored information depending on what programme you are applying for.

Online Portfolio Q&A events

Portfolio Q&A recordings

Watch previous portfolio advice videos from our four Schools, presented by our Admission Tutors.

Watch portfolio advice recordings

Explore work by our graduates

Browse profiles and projects by former students to get a taste of the creative and cutting-edge work produced at the RCA.

Showcase

Frequently asked questions

Yes.

Each programme has its own specific requirements. Portfolio requirements can be found on the programme pages, under the Requirements tab. You should provide evidence of your creativity, imagination and innovation – as well as your potential to benefit from the programme and to achieve high standards overall.

We also organise online events to hear from our admissions tutors directly and ask any questions you might have. These events will be posted on the Open events page.

Each programme has its own specific requirements. Portfolio requirements can be found on the programme pages, under the Requirements tab.

We also organise online events to hear from our admissions tutors directly and ask any questions you might have. These events will be posted on the Open events page.

Prospective students are encouraged to explore work by current students and recent graduates. You can explore the work of our most recent graduating students at RCA2024. An archive of previous student exhibitions can be found at Showcase. Students often add their social media pages to their showcase page if you want to explore their work further.

We regularly organise online events to hear from our admissions tutors directly. During these sessions you can ask any questions you might have. These events will be posted on the Open events page.

We regularly organise online events to hear from our admissions tutors directly. During these sessions you can ask any questions you might have. These events will be posted on the Open events page.

Each application and portfolio is unique. You should provide evidence of your creativity, imagination and innovation – as well as your potential to benefit from the programme and to achieve high standards overall. Consider how to do this as well as showcase your unique interests and experiences.

We appreciate work is often multi-disciplinary and our programmes welcome applications from many different backgrounds and disciplines. The selection process will consider creativity, imagination and innovation – as well as your potential to benefit from the programme and to achieve high standards overall. It is important for your portfolio to reflect this.

On occasion if the programme you are applying for thinks you're a better fit for another programme they may refer your application to that programme.

We regularly organise online events to hear from our admissions tutors directly. During these sessions you can ask any questions you might have. These events will be posted on the Open events page.

If you encounter a difference in the number of upload spaces, you can upload portfolio records one, two and three normally. In portfolio record four, you can upload a document with additional pages to include portfolio record four and portfolio record five. Between the records four and five, keep a blank page with the wording "Portfolio record 5 next".

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