What is Goldsmiths, University of London (gold.ac.uk)?

Updated

Goldsmiths, University of London is a university based in south-east London that specialises in creative, cultural and social subjects. Its website, gold.ac.uk, is the official hub for its degree programmes, student life, departmental research, and practical admissions information such as open days, accommodation, and funding options. It serves prospective students, current students, staff, alumni, and the local community.

What Goldsmiths is

Goldsmiths describes itself as offering "a space for self-discovery, delivering world-leading research and progressive teaching from our single-site campus in the heart of South East London." Its academic focus is on creative, cultural and social subjects rather than a broad science-and-engineering portfolio.

The university states it is a top 10 university in London, and reports that 80% of its undergraduate students move on to highly-skilled work after their studies (source: Graduate Outcomes Survey, as cited on the site).

What you can do on gold.ac.uk

The site is organised around a few main purposes:

  • Explore study options — search courses and degree programmes, and find out about applying.
  • Visit or get a feel for the place — book open days and visits, take a virtual tour via 360-degree images and "Day in the Life" experiences, and read local area guides to South East London.
  • Sort out practical arrangements — accommodation options (the site notes places for 2026/27 are still available) and funding, including scholarships and bursaries.
  • Talk to people — chat with current students if you have questions before applying.
  • Access services by role — dedicated sections for staff and students, including the library, timetable, Learn.gold (the VLE), Outlook email, IT support, staff directory, and the staff intranet (Goldmine).

Admissions and funding

The homepage highlights Clearing as an active route into the university, with a specific funding note: applying through Clearing may make you eligible for a £1,000 scholarship and an accommodation discount. The site directs you to its scholarships and bursaries pages to check what you may be eligible for.

If you are considering applying, the useful sequence is: search courses, check open days, review accommodation, then look at scholarships and bursaries before or alongside your application.

Who the site is for

Audience What they'll find
Prospective students Courses, open days, accommodation, funding, Clearing, chat with students
Current students Timetable, Learn.gold VLE, email, library, IT support
Staff Staff directory, intranet (Goldmine), teaching and learning resources
Alumni Alumni section and university news
Local community Community pages and the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art

Beyond admissions

The site also covers research, business and partnerships, events, and news from across the university — for example, recent items about a new Vice-Chancellor appointment, the university's top-10 London ranking, and the New Futures of Creativity Institute (FOCI). A Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art is listed among its public-facing offerings.

In short, gold.ac.uk is both an admissions and information portal: use it to decide whether and what to study at Goldsmiths, to handle the practical steps of applying and funding, and — once you're part of the university — to reach the day-to-day tools and services you need.