APPLICATIONS FOR THIS PROGRAMME WILL OPEN SOON

1. Standard Application:

• Click on "Apply" and submit the required details on the application form.
• Follow the instructions sent to your email address to settle the programme fees and complete your registration through the AA Student portal.

2. AA Students and Melbourne University Students.

• AA Student and Melbourne University Student fees are automatically reduced. Please ensure to apply with your student email address.
• Follow the instructions sent to your email address to settle the programme fees and complete your registration through the AA Student portal.

3. Scholarship application:

• A small budget is left to grant 25% scholarships. This budget will be used on a first-come first-serve basis.
• Click on the "Apply" and submit your details. Enter the Concession Code VSUKTHERITE50 in the correspondent space and submit your details.
• Please note you will receive an automatic email requesting to log in to the AA Applicant portal - No CV and portafolio are needed.
• No payment is required before the outcome of your application is received.

Note: The maximum price reduction is 25% for AA students or non-AA students successful applicants for the scholarship. Scholarships are not accumulative for those eligible to multiple schemes.

Scholarships application deadline: 5 February 2025.

ENTERING THE UK

If you are traveling to the UK from abroad, it is your responsibility to ensure that you hold the right documents to enter the UK.

All applicants are required to review the relevant sections on ‘Entering the UK’ via the UK Government website to check which documents are required to enter the UK and check if an application to a Standard Visitor visa or an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is needed. Your type of immigration document and how to apply depends on your nationality, the AA can provide a letter confirming your enrolment to the course to support your application once the course fees are settled.

Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

Commencing 8 January 2025, the UK introduced ETAs for all visitors who do not currently need a visa for short stays of under six months, including Australian, Canadian, and US passport holders.

Starting in April 2025, all visitors to the UK who do not require a visa for short stays and do not already have a UK immigration status will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This includes nationals from many countries, including those in the European Union as well as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

You can Check if you can apply for an ETA on the UK Government website. An ETA costs £10 and allows multiple entries into the UK for stays of up to six months at a time, valid for two years or until the holder’s passport expires—whichever is sooner.

Standard Visitor Visa

Please note that Standard Visitor Visas may take up to 3 months to be issued, all applicants who require a visa to enter the UK are encouraged to apply for a Standard Visitor visa at least 3 months in advance and no later than 1 month before the start of the programme or the date of the flight in which is intended to enter the UK, whichever is first. Student Visas are not required for study periods shorter than six months.

How to apply for a Standard Visitor Visa depends on your country of origin. You can check check if you need to apply for a visa in advance or if you can enter with and ETA and your passport upon arrival in the UK.

Applicants who need a visa to study in the UK are encouraged to carefully review the details and eligibility criteria for the Standard Visitor Visa, which are available on the UK Government website. The Visiting School Office will provide guidance throughout the process to ensure applicants are well-informed and prepared to submit their visa applications. Please also review the costs associated with obtaining a visa.

Once an applicant has been accepted into the programme and has paid the deposit or full fees (see ‘Fees’ section), the Visiting School Office will issue an invitation letter confirming enrolment. This letter can also be used as a supporting document when entering the UK.

Programme Head:

Nichola Barrington-Leach is an architect, educator, and founder of NVBL Architects,, a London-based architecture and design studio. She is the Unit Master of Intermediate 15 at the Architectural Association.

Nichola earned a Joint Honours BA in Fine Art and History of Art before completing her architectural training at the Bartlett School of Architecture and the Architectural Association. She brings a wealth of experience from leading architectural practices both locally and internationally, and she actively contributes to academic discourse as a lecturer and critic at leading institutions.

Founded in 2014, her practice, NVBL, specialises in designing environmentally conscious spaces and objects, blending traditional techniques with innovative, research-driven solutions. The practice’s work encompasses cultural buildings, installations, residential refurbishments, and handcrafted furniture and objects—all committed to low-carbon principles.

In 2023, Nichola was awarded the Royal Academy of Arts Residency and in 2024 recognised as a RIBA Rising star. Her work has been widely exhibited and published, including at the Royal Academy of Arts, the London Festival of Architecture, Clerkenwell Design Week, the Venice Biennale, and the Guangzhou Triennial.

Instagram: @n_v_b_l

Website: www.nv-bl.com