Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world’s largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university-level institution in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world‘s number one art and design university for a remarkable ten consecutive years, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 – the worldwide survey of academic and industry opinion. The RCA is research-led, and recognised in the UK-wide REF (Research Excellence Framework) as the UK’s most research-intensive institution – with an increased proportion of the College’s outputs classed as ‘internationally excellent’ and ‘world-leading’ in the most recent REF assessment of 2021. The RCA espouses a hybrid approach, supporting ‘traditional’ making and technical skills in fine and applied art and design alongside the foundational sciences, engineering and technology which underpin designers' ability to solve today’s global challenges.