Key Information Sets at GSA
Key Information Sets have been introduced by the UK funding bodies to allow prospective students to compare the same information across programmes/courses and institutions. However, the numbers do not represent a true picture of what life is like at a particular institution and there may be certain circumstances as to why these differences occur between the same subject on offer at different institutions. It is with this in mind that we have highlighted some aspects you should consider: -

Contact Hours
Key Information Sets allow prospective students to compare how much formal and informal contact time they will have with their tutors. 'Formal' contact is essentially scheduled teaching and learning in the form of lectures and tutorials and 'informal' contact is independent study. At GSA, a programme of study will typically involve 10% of the study time as 'formal' contact, which you will notice can be much less than at other institutions. This is a result of the studio based learning environment adopted at GSA which involves self-motivated and self-directed study with an emphasis on peer-based learning to encourage collaboration and contextual awareness. This allows students to develop their individual practice whilst under the guidance of tutors in a less restrictive learning environment.

Student Feedback Scores
Individual programmes scores from the National Student Survey are displayed on the Key Information Set. Due to the low number of students on some of our programmes, the percentage displayed is more susceptible to larger annual variations and some may actually be presenting the average score of a number of programmes studying the same subject. This should be considered when comparing programmes/courses across different institutions.

Employment Prospects
Key Information Sets display data from the annual Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA). This is informs us of where our graduates find themselves six months after graduating and it is common for a large majority to have set up their own studio in that time. The Creative Art and Design sector is well known for having lower average graduate salaries and should be considered when comparing programmes/courses especially those from a different sector such as engineering or business.

Tuition Fees
Key Information Sets require the annual fee for completing a degree at an institution. There is some variance across Scottish institutions as some have submitted the annual tuition fee rather than the average over a four year degree as it is in Scotland. Further information on the tuition fees at GSA can be found at http://www.gsa.ac.uk/life/funding-finance/programme-fees/.