GuideFashion & Creative Industries

How to Get Into Central Saint Martins for Fashion Design

BA Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London): five pathways, the foundation route, a 25-page portfolio, the interview and the fees for an international applicant. Based on UAL’s official pages, last reviewed September 2026.

Author The EDMONT editorial teamLast reviewed
The short answer

Applications to BA Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins go through UCAS, to one of five pathways: Womenswear, Menswear, Knit, Print or Communication. A-levels and the IB are accepted only together with a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design or an equivalent intensive year. Applicants who meet the standard entry requirements are asked for a digital portfolio of up to 25 pages, and some are then invited to an online interview of 15–20 minutes. English: IELTS 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each component. International fees are £30,890 a year (September 2026 entry).

City
London, King’s Cross
Status
A college of University of the Arts London
Programme
BA (Hons) Fashion Design, five pathways
Length
3 years, or 4 with a placement year
Application
UCAS; 2027/28 entry opens in autumn 2026
International fee
£30,890 a year

Request a private admissions assessment A substantive answer: which schools are realistic, what is missing and what to finish in time.

How admission works

  1. 01

    Choose a pathway

    BA Fashion Design has five pathways, each with its own UCAS code (for example W23W for Womenswear and W23C for Communication). The application is to a specific pathway.

  2. 02

    Foundation

    The standard route is a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design or an equivalent intensive art and design year. A-levels and the International Baccalaureate are not accepted without one. For most international school leavers a foundation year is both necessary and useful: it is also where the portfolio gets built.

  3. 03

    UCAS application

    A personal statement of up to 4,000 characters answers three questions: why this course, how your studies have prepared you, and what you have done outside education.

  4. 04

    Digital portfolio

    If the application meets the standard entry requirements, the college asks for a portfolio through PebblePad: a maximum of 25 pages, including three pages of visual research, three pages of sketches developing one theme and two pages of finished colour illustrations.

  5. 05

    Interview

    Some applicants are invited to an online interview lasting 15–20 minutes.

  6. 06

    English

    IELTS 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each component.

Karl Lagerfeld in front of a wall of numbered collection sketches with fabric swatches pinned to them
Research, development, a finished solution: the CSM portfolio sets aside required pages for each.

The CSM portfolio: what they look for

The published selection criteria: working in 2D and 3D, experimentation and informed risk, design development through logical stages to a finished solution, sensitivity to a material, research, and the ability to state intentions clearly.

The portfolio is read for thinking rather than finish. Three pages of research and three of development weigh as much as the finished illustrations, because they show how the applicant reaches a solution.

Even BA Fashion Communication: Image and Promotion, which the college aims at people who love fashion but do not want to design, requires the same foundation year and a 25-page portfolio.

How much Central Saint Martins costs

BA Fashion Design, September 2026 entry: £30,890 a year for international students and £9,790 for Home students. The college notes that fees for September 2027 entry may change.

UAL’s Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: £24,660 for international students. Those who complete it receive at least one offer of a UAL undergraduate place, though not necessarily on the course they applied for.

Accommodation in London, materials and the student visa are extra.

Common mistakes

  • Applying straight from school without a foundation year: for Fashion Design at CSM, A-levels and the IB are not accepted without one.
  • Sending the same portfolio to CSM and London College of Fashion: CSM looks for experiment and development, LCF also for how a garment is made.
  • Showing only finished illustrations: half of the required pages are research and development.
  • Waiting for the 2027 rules before starting: the portfolio and the foundation year are planned one to two years ahead.

Who it suits

  • Applicants with a strong art practice who are ready for a foundation year and for experimental, research-led work.
  • If you are drawn to fashion as an industry rather than as an experiment, look at London College of Fashion: its design courses take applicants straight from A-levels or the IB, and its business courses need no portfolio.

How this school compares: the requirements of 13 schools in Italy, the UK, France and the US in one table.Where to study fashion

Primary sources

The school’s official pages used for this guide. Last reviewed: .

  1. UAL, Central Saint Martins — BA (Hons) Fashion Design: Womenswear
  2. UAL, Central Saint Martins — BA (Hons) Fashion Design: Communication
  3. UAL, Central Saint Martins — BA (Hons) Fashion Communication: Image and Promotion
  4. UAL — Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
  5. UAL, Central Saint Martins — About CSM
EDMONT / FASHION & CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

An assessment for Central Saint Martins

Tell us where the applicant studies now, the intended year of entry and, if you have one, a link to their work. We will say whether a foundation year is needed and where to take it, which pathway fits and what the portfolio still lacks.

EDMONT / admissions discussion

The applicant’s profile

Tell us which curriculum the applicant follows, the intended year of entry and the discipline under consideration: design, business or communication. That is enough for a first substantive reply.