School Counsellors

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions we get asked about creative portfolios.

How many pieces of work should I include in my portfolio?

About 10-15 slides as a general rule.

Check our website for more guidance on particular courses though – you may be asked to group together your work in a particular way, for example on the photography course.

To be clear, we’re not talking about 10-15 individual pieces of work – we mean 10-15 portfolio slides on a PowerPoint presentation.

When we interview face-to-face, we can obviously see more.  And we advise students if offered the chance to be interviewed online or face to face to take up this opportunity to showcase more of their work.

Should a student attach a letter to the portfolio from the Art teacher at their school or university confirming that the work is the student’s own work?

No, we assume that the course is the student’s own work.   We don’t ask for this.

Should a student only include their most recent work?

Not necessarily, no. It’s important to demonstrate a range of work as it can show growth and development.

Give yourself the best chance to demonstrate the breadth of technical and creative abilities from a range of your work.  This could be recent work, or work that is older.

An important tip is don’t show the same skills and approaches in each project you present. A good cross section is really important to demonstrate that you have a variety of approach and can critically evaluate your creative journey in line with the outcome of the project.

What are the most important aspects of a portfolio?

For Bachelors degrees we’re really looking for potential.

We’re looking for the student to demonstrate core skills in Art & Design such as drawing, or 2D and 3D design.  Again, these could vary by course so please check our website for course specific core skills in the different subjects.

One top tip is to make sure you include at least one project that focuses on the individual subject area you’re interested in.  For example, if you’re applying for a Fashion course, drawing and developing ideas is going to be very important.

A foundation course for Art & Design can be really helpful to the student in developing these core skills before an undergraduate degree.

NTU offers a Foundation Certificate in Art & Design if you have students who need the extra year in order to meet our entry requirements.

If the portfolio is rejected, does NTU allow resubmission?

Yes – we do allow this and can revisit a portfolio if we are asked.  And if you or the student want feedback on the portfolio, we can do this no problem.

The best way to request this is to contact your NTU Country Advisor. They will then liaise with the team to decide the best way to advise the student.

Should I only include finished pieces of work or can I include development work?

Absolutely include development work along with a finished piece of work.

The thing to realise is that the creative journey is very important to demonstrate to us. This gives us an insight into how the student solves problems and for us to understand the level of enquiry the student has gone through.  For example, they may come up with a simple solution but the journey they went through was complicated and needed analysis and evaluation.   The journey and the thought process is what we are interested in – not just the outcome.

This is particularly important when going from Bachelors to Masters – we want to see that level of critical enquiry with the subject, with analysis and evaluation.

It’s up you how you demonstrate that journey – a portfolio of 15 slides can take us through the creative journey very well.   Development work is important – start with the idea, move to development, then move to the outcome.

We can decide a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the portfolio on this basis.   Even if the work in the portfolio isn’t perfect, if it’s got strong critical thinking and a clear creative journey, we can see that the student has potential and that we can help them to develop further.  That’s when we would say ‘yes’ to a portfolio.

Can I include text to explain individual pieces of work?

Yes, absolutely – we encourage this. If you’ve used particular materials or experimented with an interesting process it can be really helpful.   Don’t use half a page of text but write a brief description so the Admissions tutors can understand clearly what is being presented and the process you’ve gone through.

If I have work experience, can I include this work in my portfolio submission?

Absolutely yes!   It has to be relevant, obviously.  We recognise that with work experience portfolio work the process can be a little different – it will show a different set of skills.

Don’t just include the work experience project though – it may not show the same critical and creative journey because of the nature of what’s required in the workplace.

But it can add a new dimension and show how the student can resolve a brief in a specific way that would be different to what they would have done as part of a degree course.

How important is the Statement Of Purpose and what should I include?

It’s important because often we’re not interviewing.  It gives us an insight into what has motivated the student to apply for the course and because our courses can be quite different to those at other universities, it’s useful to understand if a student has selected NTU for that reason.

We like to get to know the student and it’s helpful for us when assessing the application to know their future aspirations, particularly for a Masters.

It doesn’t need to be complicated – some student worry about their language ability.  Don’t worry, just be honest and tell us your aspirations and motivations.  Don't be tempted to use AI for your answers, it is very clear when students have done this and is not helpful. We want to hear what you think, in your own words.

And if you’re offered the chance to be interviewed online or in person – take the opportunity.   Interviews can build confidence and we often use an interpreter to help with this.

If you would like to further advance your knowledge of the UK educational system and how to counsel students effectively, the British Council has a completely free online training programme for counsellors.

In the UK, if a student intends to apply to more than one University, they will need to submit their application via the Universities and Colleges Admissions System (UCAS).

The first UCAS deadline is 31 January 2025. International students have until the 30 June 2025 to make their application and can apply for up to 5 courses.

Depending on when your student applied and received all their offers from the various institutions, they will be given a decision deadline. This is the date they are required to select their ‘firm’ and ‘insurance’ choice.

If your student is not holding an offer or didn’t apply by the deadline, they could look for a suitable vacancy in Clearing from the start of July.

Further advice on making an application can be found on NTU's international application webpages.

If your international student is applying to Nottingham Trent University only, and does not apply to any other UK university in the same year, they can apply online using our NTU applicant portal.

However, if your student is studying for their A levels and their results are pending, their application should be submitted via the UCAS system. Students with their A level results can apply directly; however they need to meet the above criteria of only applying to NTU in that application year.

From July 2025 international students can make an undergraduate application to NTU through UCAS Clearing.

Clearing may be suitable for your student if, for example, they have received their grades, and:

• they have not met the results or grades required for their firm or insurance choice; or
• they decide that they want to make a late application for September 2025.

NTU offers a range of competitive scholarships for new international and European students. Scholarships up to 50% of a student’s tuition fee are available.

To apply for a scholarship, a student must be holding an offer to study a full time undergraduate or postgraduate course in September 2025.

Applying for a visa can take time and can even seem a bit scary for students. We have a team of visa advisors that can support you and your students. You’ll find step by step information and guidance on our visa application page.

If you are a national of the EU, EEA or Switzerland and are coming to study at NTU please visit our dedicated visa information pages for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

A students fee status determines whether they pay home or international fees.

If your students have been granted Settled or Pre-settled status in the UK, they may qualify for home fees.

To see whether your students are eligible for home fee status, please refer to the set criteria on our fees and funding pages.

Following an application, students should upload evidence of their Settled or Pre-settled status, along with a Share Code, to their applicant portal or email feestatus@ntu.ac.uk. They may also need to complete a Fee Assessment Form.

Further guidance on fee status can be found on the UKCISA website.

We welcome applications from students who are studying a wide range of academic qualifications. On each course page you will find our entry requirements. We recommend you look closely at the specific requirements in case the course asks for a particular subject area. Typically, our entry requirements are based on the UCAS tariff. You can find out how this equates to the qualification your students are studying on our international qualifications webpage.

If your student is studying the International Baccalaureate or European Baccalaureate, please check our specific entry requirements.

We are delighted that your student has applied to us. They will receive lots of useful information over the next few months to help plan for their arrival.

On our offer holder webpages you can find detailed guidance on what to do after being made an offer, accommodation options and visa guidance.

The team are always available to support you and your students, so just get in touch via the school counsellors inbox if you need any help.