Online College of Art and Design

What OCAD is

The Online College of Art & Design (OCAD) is an online college for art, design, photography, music and other media, teaching both recreational courses and formal, exam-board qualifications entirely online. Its home page calls it "the UK's most established online art college" and says it supported its first student back in 2002; since then, it says, it has helped over 30,000 students. The FAQ describes it as a regular art college in every way except location: students take the same Ofqual-regulated qualifications, GCSEs, A Levels and vocational Level 2, 3 and 4 courses, as they would at a local college. OCAD is part of the Cambridge Online Education Group and lists itself as a registered UK learning provider.

It is a learner product. The students it names include home-educated children, working adults, mature students, international students, disabled students and those with learning difficulties, and it also works with employers, schools and local education authorities. The FAQ page shows a rating of 4.6 of 5 on 209 reviews.

The courses

Courses run in levels. A Level 1 course starts formal study in art, music, photography or design; Level 2 leads to a nationally recognized certificate the site describes as equivalent to GCSE, Level 2 Certificate or BTEC; and Level 3 means A Level or a Foundation Diploma, a portfolio and a university application. Level 1 and 2 courses are open to students of any age, and Level 3 courses to those who are 16 or older at registration. No formal qualifications are needed to apply.

• Art: Key Stage 3 Art for ages 10 and over; a Level 2 Certificate in Art and Design (GCSE equivalent) from age 14; an International GCSE in Art and Design graded 5 to 9 that includes the full course and exam; A Level Art worth up to 56 UCAS points; and a Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media worth up to 112 UCAS points.
• Design: a GCSE-equivalent course, an online GCSE Design course, A Level Design, and Foundation Diplomas in Art and Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Textile Design, Interior Design, Architectural Design and Film and Animation.
• Photography: courses from beginners to more seasoned photographers, an NCFE Level 2 Photography Certificate, and a Level 3 Diploma in Photography that the site puts on a par with A Level Photography.
• Music: a GCSE Music course on the OCR syllabus, A Level Music worth up to 56 UCAS points, a Level 3 Music Technology Diploma for ages 18 and over, and RSL Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications for music practitioners, aimed at performers, composers and music entrepreneurs.
• Functional Skills courses, listed on the application page.

The FAQ says a Foundation Diploma can be finished in one year rather than two and offers twice the UCAS points of a single A Level, and that a student can skip A Level Art and go straight to the Foundation Diploma. With up to 112 UCAS points, the site says, the Foundation Diploma "can get you to university without other A levels". Portfolio assessment applies to many of the Level 2 and Level 3 courses, which the course list marks "no exam" or "no written essay": students upload a portfolio of evidence to the examination board online.

How study works

Each student gets an online studio listing their course units and assignments, with supporting resources, video tutorials for skills development, step-by-step guides and recordings of the live lessons. Live interactive classes run weekly with a qualified teacher over Microsoft Teams; the site says OCAD is a Microsoft Teams for Education approved tenant. Courses can be taken as one-to-one tutorials or group lessons, and the student chooses.

Students photograph their finished work and upload it with their assignment documents to an e-portfolio, where tutors give written feedback on how to progress. A personal tutor also discusses progress one-to-one and gives spoken feedback, and tutors can be reached by online chat and video call. Students can view each other's profiles and comment on each other's work if they want to, though meeting other students is never required.

Everything is flexible. The FAQ says there are no deadlines, no time limits and no compulsory classes, the college is "open 24/7/365", and live lessons are recorded so they can be watched at any time, which helps students in other time zones and those fitting study around a full-time job or family. It estimates that A Level Art takes most students around 20 hours a week.

SEND support and schools

OCAD runs SEND Support Packages for students with special educational needs and disabilities, at Level 2 (GCSE or BTEC equivalent) and Level 3 (A Level or Foundation Diploma equivalent), in art and design, fine art, illustration, photography, design, textile design, fashion design, architecture, film and animation, interior design and graphic design. The course fee includes oversight from a special educational needs and disability coordinator (SENDCO) and regular online progress meetings, and some courses replace timetabled lessons with one-to-one tutorials. The site says many local authorities fund these courses for students on EHCPs. In the FAQ's words, "The flexibility and stress-free learning environment is especially appreciated by our students."

For schools, OCAD offers a Virtual Arts Department that adds online GCSE, A Level and BTEC-equivalent art, design, photography, animation, film and music to a school's curriculum, with OCAD doing the teaching. The FAQ also says students whose school will not let them take art can study it with OCAD during free periods or after school, and that home-educated students can use the courses as part of their curriculum.

Fees, results and progression

The site publishes no fees. The FAQ is direct that government funding is not available for OCAD courses, outside the local-authority funding for SEND packages. On results, the FAQ states a 100% pass rate for students who fully take part and follow their tutor's instructions, and says this excludes some students with special educational needs and disabilities whose full participation is not possible. OCAD supports students with their UCAS applications, and its partner page describes universities as progression partners that gain "a talented and well-prepared pool of students". The application page says applying is quick enough to start the next day.

Who it suits

OCAD suits a teenager whose school cannot offer art, design, photography or music at GCSE or A Level, a home-educated student who needs formal qualifications for university, and an adult returning to creative study around a job or family. The Foundation Diplomas are a strong route for anyone aiming at an art or design degree, and the SEND packages give local authorities a funded, home-based option with real support around it. Learners who want a fixed timetable and a full-time campus cohort will find OCAD's model deliberately looser, and anyone budgeting should ask for fees directly, since none are listed.