Gloucestershire College
Art and Design: Graphic Design HND
Gloucestershire College

Key Course Facts

Salary

Salary of all UK Graduates of

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £20000 £17726 £20000
25-75 percentile range £17667 - £24333 £12239 - £22245 £14233 - £25952

Course Description

Graphic Design is a dynamic, industry related course that provides learners with a strong grounding in design theory and technique. Students will engage in building a range of skills in disciplines such as animation, web design, branding, advertising, motion graphics, page layouts and packaging as well as have the opportunity to develop a professional design related portfolio.

"The college offers excellent Art and Design studios and workshop space to work in. The studios are large and spacious. The standard of the equipment for Graphic Design is well planned and there is an Apple Mac available for every student. There are effective links with industry. Workshops and visiting speakers are regularly invited into College to work with the students.” (Edexcel External Examiner Report 2015)

This programme is designed to be a two year HND level 5 course which is the equivalent of the first two years of a degree programme. On completion of the first year (at HNC level 4) accreditation can be claimed.

The course aims to be fast paced and professional with strong industry links and a curriculum that reflects this. The staff are experienced and passionate about design and deliver 16 units over two years in a state of the art studio environment. The qualifications are accredited by Pearson Education.

All students should have the opportunity to undertake a range of live projects across a range of creative disciplines. Encouraging students to pitch for jobs and gain that all important industry experience with companies, design agencies and local community requirements.

Within the industry itself you would usually work from around 9 am to 5 pm, but you would need to work longer hours when there are deadlines to meet. As a freelance graphic designer, your hours would vary depending on the work you get. You would usually be based in a studio or office, but may spend some time visiting clients and printers.

Starting salaries can be around £15,000 a year for a graduate. Experienced graphic designers can earn between £20,000 and £35,000 a year, and senior graphic designers can earn up to, and over, £50,000 (figures intended as a guideline only).

Jobs in the industry include: Advertising, branding, graphic designer, motion designer, packaging designer

Entry Requirements / Admissions

English language requirements

test Grade
Cambridge English Advanced
IELTS (Academic) 5.5
TOEFL (iBT) 53
IELTS (Academic) 5.5
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Art and Design: Graphic Design, HND, if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Art and Design: Graphic Design HND

England UK £7400 year 1
Northern Ireland £7400 year 1
Scotland £7400 year 1
Wales £7400 year 1

Additional fee information

**

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

August 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

UCAS application code:

013W

About Gloucestershire College

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Where is this programme taught

Gloucester
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FAQ about Art and Design: Graphic Design HND Gloucestershire College

  • Tuition fees for this programme are 7400 per year for UK students. In addition to the tuition fees you should also take into consideration the average monthly cost of living for students in the UK.

  • Art and Design: Graphic Design HND is taught on campus and cannot be taken online at Gloucestershire College.

  • It is very difficult to get accepted into this course. Accepted students had an average UCAS tariff score of which makes it one of the 0% most difficult courses to enter among all Graphic Design students in the UK.