Arts University Bournemouth

What Arts University Bournemouth does

Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) is a specialist UK higher-education institution founded in 1880 (as Bournemouth School of Art) and headquartered in Poole, Dorset, with additional facilities in Bournemouth town centre. It delivers undergraduate degrees, postgraduate taught and research programs (MA, PGCert, PGDip, PhD/MPhil), foundation diplomas, degree apprenticeships, and short courses across art, design, media, performance, and architecture — including the UK's largest film school outside London (Bournemouth Film School, with separate Elliott Road Studios) and the AUB Academy lifelong-learning division offering 50+ adult short courses and youth programs (ages 7–17).

AUB's core technology stack consists of digital learning management systems, online course delivery platforms for postgraduate programs (e.g., MA Film Practice, MA Graphic Design, MA Photography), VFX and animation production studios, film production facilities, 3D design tools, a Virtual Exhibition Space (VR-headset-enabled), and the AUB Showcase online portfolio platform. Physical infrastructure is a strategic asset: the CRAB Drawing Studio (designed by alumnus Sir Peter Cook), Palace Court Theatre (1930s Art Deco), TheGallery, Innovation Studio (creative enterprise space), MoDiP (Museum of Design in Plastics), Theatre and Dance Studios, and an AUB:360 virtual campus tour. The institution is ISO 14001 certified and has pledged Net Zero by 2030 as a signatory of the EAUC Race to Zero campaign.

AUB's revenue model combines subscription-recurring streams (undergraduate and postgraduate tuition, foundation programs), one-time fees (short courses, summer schools, Saturday Art School), and managed-services income (Office for Students capital funding such as the £1.25M grant for Bournemouth Film School). Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the UCAS portal for undergraduate applicants, direct campus enrollment for postgraduate and short-course applicants, online delivery for selected MAs, and channel partnerships with international educational organizations (e.g., Arts Creativity Global). Primary customer segments are Undergraduate Students, Postgraduate Students, Continuing Education / Lifelong Learners, and International Students. AUB is ranked the UK's top specialist art and design university outside London (Guardian University Guide 2026) and runner-up Specialist University of the Year 2026 (The Times), with a 92% graduate outcomes rate (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025).

Name

Arts University Bournemouth

Legal name

Arts University Bournemouth

Website

https://aub.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Arts University Bournemouth is a UK specialist art and design university (founded 1880) in Poole, Dorset, delivering undergraduate, postgraduate, foundation, and short courses across creative disciplines — including the UK's largest film school outside London — to school-leavers, postgraduates, international, and lifelong-learning students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (Art and Design)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Arts Colleges (Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking) (EDAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Humanities & Creative Research Universities (EDAHABAG), Performing Arts Colleges (Theatre, Dance, Musical Theatre) (EDAHAJAD), Photography Colleges & Visual Imaging Schools (EDAHAJAH)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Art and design education
• Creative arts programs
• Postgraduate research degrees
• Continuing professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Poole

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate Tuition: Full-time undergraduate degree programs charging UK/EU tuition fees with financial support options available
2. Postgraduate Tuition: Master's degrees, PGCert, PGDip, and PhD/MPhil programs offered full-time or part-time, with both campus-based and online delivery options
3. Short Courses and Summer Programs: Adult learning short courses (50+ courses), Creative Arts Summer School, Saturday Art School, National Saturday Club, and bespoke corporate courses
4. Foundation Programs: Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media and Integrated Foundation Year programs
5. Government Funding: Office for Students (OfS) capital funding, such as the £1.25M invested in Bournemouth Film School

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Arts University Bournemouth is a specialist UK art and design university delivering undergraduate, postgraduate, foundation, apprenticeship, and continuing education programs across art, design, media, performance, and architecture disciplines. Instruction is delivered through purpose-built industry-standard studios on its Poole campus, supplemented by an online postgraduate portfolio, a short-course division (AUB Academy), and the UK's largest film school outside London (Bournemouth Film School). Auxiliary offerings include gallery exhibitions, printing services, and innovation/enterprise support through dedicated campus facilities.

Product overview

Arts University Bournemouth is a specialist art and design university offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programmes across undergraduate, postgraduate, foundation, and short course levels. The institution provides industry-standard facilities including TheGallery exhibition space, the Drawing Studio, Palace Court Theatre, Elliott Road Studios for film production, the Innovation Studio for creative entrepreneurship, and MoDiP research resource. AUB Academy extends lifelong learning through adult courses, youth programmes (Saturday Art School, Creative Arts Summer School), and bespoke institutional training. The university also hosts AUB Showcase, a digital platform displaying graduate work, and maintains The Library, Theatre and Dance Studios, and Uniprint services. Ranked the UK's top specialist art and design university outside London (Guardian 2026) with 92% graduate employment outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AUB Academy: Division providing adult learning, short courses, summer schools, and bespoke creative education programs for all ages
• Bournemouth Film School
• TheGallery
• Innovation Studio

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programmes Full-time honours degree courses (50+ courses) covering art, design, media, performance and architecture disciplines, including BA (Hons) Acting, Animation Production, Architecture, Ceramics, Commercial Photography, Communication Design and Strategy, Costume, Creative Direction, Creative Writing, Dance, Fashion, Film Production, Fine Art, Games Art and Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture and Design, Makeup, Modelmaking, Photography, Textiles, and Creative Business Management. Designed for UK/EU school-leavers applying through UCAS.
• Postgraduate Degree Programmes Master's, PGCert, PGDip, and PhD/MPhil research degree courses (1-2 years) including MA Animation Production, MA Film, MA Fashion Innovation, MA Fine Art, MA Graphic Design, MA Illustration, MA Photography, MA Visual Effects and Photorealistic Computer Graphics, MA Creative Teaching and Learning Design, MA Creative Writing, MA Film Practice, MA Interior Design, MA Landscape Architecture Studies, MA Transformative Learning, and Master of Architecture. Many programs available full-time, part-time, or online.
• Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media Pre-university foundation programme preparing students for undergraduate study in creative arts disciplines, typically taken by school-leavers building a portfolio for BA application.
• Integrated Foundation Year Foundation year integrated into undergraduate degree programmes for students requiring additional preparation before university-level creative study.
• Degree Apprenticeships Work-based learning programmes combining paid employment with university study, including BA (Hons) Modelmaking for Industry Degree Apprenticeship.
• AUB Academy Short Courses and Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning division offering 50+ adult creative short courses, Saturday Art School (ages 7-17), Creative Arts Summer School (ages 7-15), National Saturday Club (ages 13-16), Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications, and bespoke courses for institutions and corporate clients.
• Bournemouth Film School Programmes The UK's largest film school outside London, offering specialist film production, acting for screen, and visual effects programmes delivered through Elliott Road Studios production facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of graduates in employment or further education (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and flagship.

• Canford SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026AUB BA (Hons) Illustration students created high-resolution digital illustrations for vinyl installation at Canford School's new Sixth Form hub 'The College.' Students researched school archives and created designs featuring historical figures, campus architecture, and student life through the decades.
• OCAD University (Toronto, Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026OCAD's International Programs & Collaborations Office curated the 'Mirror Images: Pop Culture's Global Reflections' exhibition featuring AUB student work. Collaborative showcase exploring how mass media shapes global identity, with student work selected from competitive call for artists.
• Arts Creativity Global (ACG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025ACG is an international educational organization that provides learning experiences to cultivate and enhance creativity. AUB Academy hosts groups of ACG students for bespoke creative arts courses, including a four-week program with 26 mature students from China covering fashion design, embroidery, styling, and English language classes.
• Nanjing University of the ArtsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partnership development announced for potential academic collaboration between the institutions, representing AUB's expansion of international educational partnerships.
• Shudu Gram (Digital Supermodel)flagshipOthersShudu Gram, one of the world's first digital supermodels created by AUB alumnus Cameron-James Wilson, was announced as AUB's first AI Industry Patron and Industry Patron. She featured in hologram form at the 'Design; Disruption; Divergence' exhibition exploring Generative AI in creative practice.
• Cameron-James WilsonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAUB alumnus and MA Digital Fashion Innovation visiting tutor who created Shudu Gram in 2017. He collaborated with AUB on the Generative AI exhibition, working with the university to enable Shudu to communicate with visitors through AI technology.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• University of the Arts London: UAL is the UK's largest specialist arts university, operating six colleges (including Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion) covering art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts; it competes with AUB for the same domestic and international creative-arts student pool but at greater scale and with a stronger London-based global brand.
• Royal College of Art: RCA is a London-based postgraduate-only specialist art and design university offering MA and PhD programs across art, design, humanities and architecture; it is AUB's closest prestige peer at the postgraduate level and competes for international students seeking London-based specialist credentials.
• Goldsmiths, University of London: Goldsmiths is a London-based research university with a particularly strong creative-arts offering (art, design, media, music, drama) and is a respected peer in the UK specialist arts tier; it competes with AUB for creative-arts applicants but operates within a larger generalist university structure.
• Edinburgh College of Art (University of Edinburgh): ECA is a major UK specialist art school within the University of Edinburgh, covering art, design, architecture, music and film; it competes with AUB for high-calibre creative-arts applicants, particularly from Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally.

Direct peers

• Norwich University of the Arts: NUA is a UK specialist creative-arts university of similar size and profile to AUB, offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees across art, design, media, fashion, architecture and performing arts; it is a direct peer competing for the same pool of non-London specialist arts applicants and short-course learners.
• University for the Creative Arts: UCA is a UK specialist creative university with multiple campuses offering undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses in art, design, architecture, media, music and performing arts; it is a direct peer competing with AUB for UK and international specialist creative-arts enrolments.
• Falmouth University: Falmouth is a UK specialist creative university with strong programs in art, design, film, fashion, games and performing arts, and a renowned online MA portfolio; it is a direct peer to AUB, particularly in online postgraduate delivery and in film/creative-tech disciplines.
• Ravensbourne University London: Ravensbourne is a London-based specialist university focused on design, digital media, broadcasting, fashion and technology, with strong industry-partnership and short-course models; it competes with AUB for design/media applicants seeking London-adjacent specialist credentials.
• Leeds Arts University: Leeds Arts University is a small UK specialist creative-arts institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in art, design, fashion, film, music and performing arts; it is a direct peer of similar size and focus to AUB outside the South East.
• Arts University Plymouth: Arts University Plymouth is a small UK specialist creative-arts institution in the South West offering art, design, media and crafts programs; it is a regional direct peer to AUB competing for South West applicants, foundation students and continuing-education learners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-l9p0FA4RMpLn9dq4PQVkw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-arts-university-at-bournemouth
• Instagraminstagram.com/aubcreative
• Xx.com/inspiredaub
• Facebookfacebook.com/inspiredAUB

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arts University Bournemouth