Frequently Asked questions

Before getting in touch with us directly, please have a look over some of our most frequently asked questions to see if we can provide you with an answer to your query.

Question:

What is the tuition and curriculum like in GAFA’s Core Programme?

Answer:

The tuition in our Core Programme is a combination of group lectures and individual, one-on-one critiques with each student. Our student body is split into two, small groups which allow for maximum student-teacher interaction throughout the programme. At the beginning of each trimester the whole student body is taught as a group; this is when we have lectures and special projects targeting subjects such as anatomy, art history, perspective, memory drawing, materials, and composition. The remaining 9 weeks of each term is dedicated to our core projects, split into two categories: studio projects and figure work. The studio projects begin with the Charles Bargue lithograph copying course, and progress to cast drawing/painting and then finally to still life painting. The figure projects continue throughout the entire three-year course, and generally follow the medium that the student is working on in their studio projects (graphite, charcoal, paint etc.), though at the beginning of every term all students spend two weeks working on pencil drawings with the life model that focus on the core elements of figure work: gesture, structure, proportion, light and shade. One half of every day is dedicated to the studio projects, and the other is dedicated to the figure.

Question:

Do GAFA students work at their own pace or need to conform to deadlines?

Answer:

The curriculum at GAFA is designed to cater to each individual student’s needs, and students are able to work through the programme at their own pace. While we aim to graduate students after 9 trimesters, it may take some students less time to work through all the projects and other students more time. The real goal for us as tutors is to teach the underlying principles of drawing and painting to our students, not simply ticking off a series of exercises, so some stages of the programme may go more quickly than others depending on your own understanding and development.

Question:

Does GAFA offer part time tuition?

Answer:

The Core Programme at GAFA is a full-time course, designed to be attended 5 days a week and completed in 9 trimesters (spread over the course of 3 years). While we do not accept part-time students for the Core Programme, we have an annual Workshop & Short Course season every summer. The full 2022 summer workshop list will be posted to the website shortly.

Question:

I am currently based outside of the U.K. Can I still enrol in the Core Programme?

Answer:

Unfortunately, all Core Programme students must have either U.K. citizenship or legal residency in the U.K. independently in order to enrol. This is U.K. law, and we are sadly unable to issue international student visas at this time. International students may attend our short courses and workshops, though!

Question:

Is the Glasgow Academy of Fine Art a university programme and does it offer a BA degree?

Answer:

The Glasgow Academy of Fine Art is not a university; we are an independently run Atelier school—a school focused on the practical side of learning traditional methods of drawing and painting only. All graduates of the Academy receive a certificate of completion upon finishing the programme, but this is not the equivalent of a BA.

Question:

Can I get a scholarship or fund my education through SAAS or UCAS?

Answer:

While we intend to create a merit-based scholarship programme for the academy one day, we do not currently have the resources to give financial aid out ourselves. The standard avenues of funding for higher education such as SAAS and UCAS are also not an option, as we are not affiliated with a university.

If you are interested in attending the Core Programme but need financial help, we would recommend that you try getting a grant through either The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) or The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant. Alternatively, you can look into getting a professional development loan.

Question:

Does GAFA offer student accommodation?

Answer:

No. Due to the small size of our student body and the range in ages of our students, we do not provide student accommodation. We are happy to assist any new students with finding their accommodation upon acceptance into the programme, though.