University of the Arts London

History: Formerly known as the London Institute, formed in 1986, University of the Arts London was formally inaugurated in May 2004.

Address: Six colleges with 14 various sites around London make up the university, from the London College of Fashion on Oxford Street to the London College of Communication in Elephant and Castle. In autumn 2004, Chelsea College of Art and Design moved to Millbank, next door to Tate Britain. In August 2006, Wimbledon School of Art joined the University as the sixth college. Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design moved to a brand new state-of-the-art site in King’s Cross in 2011.

Ambience: The Chelsea site at Millbank is full of cool, art-student types; London College of Fashion is also very hip, though more worldly; ditto Central Saint Martins. London College of Communication has a flash new media school and enterprise centre. Based on an airy, spacious campus, Wimbledon is a close-knit creative community, while Camberwell is the epitome of an urban, artistic hub.