The Academy of International Visual Arts (AIVA), founded in 2005, is an independent art and design institution located in central Shanghai, China. Over the past 18 years, it has evolved into a thriving creative hub with a strong international network in the field of art and design higher education. 

AIVA is an accredited teaching centre of Birmingham City University, UK, and stands out with its Platinum Status in recognition of outstanding performance as a BCU partner. It is an approved centre for AQA and Oxford AQA qualifications, designated as a UCAS official registration centre, and authorized as a LanguageCert International Test Centre.

Envisaging the fact that more and more Chinese students going to study art and design in the UK and the significant difference between British and Chinese educational systems, AIVA aims to design a bridging course to prepare students towards their future study in the UK high education.

AIVA offers two one-year programmes: Foundation and Pre-Master(Pre-MA) Studies in Art and Design. The concept behind these programs is to reconstruct the foundation courses by understanding art and design education curricula from both sides. These two programmes establish and maintain an accredited and regulated Further and Higher education standard. The subjects of the programmes include Fine Art, Visual Communication, Fashion, Jewellery, Product Design, Interior Design, Moving Images, Architecture, Digital Media, Game Design and Management.

The foremost objective of AIVA is to develop student’s academic ability in art and design practice and to smoothen the transformation from their study in China to the UK. AIVA also takes the responsibility to enhance students’ language skills in order to achieve the required qualification to study in the UK and prepare students’ visa applications towards the end of AIVA’s academic year. The innovation of the AIVA programme will, on the one hand, economically help students to experience the foundation training in their own country; on the other hand, allow the UK institution to ensure the quality of recruited students from China.

AIVA’s local teaching staff all have been trained in UK high education, including the full-time staff based in Shanghai and visiting part-time lecturers from other leading institutions, such as Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing and China Academy of Fine Art in Hangzhou. To foster this ‘international’ course, AIVA will most welcome suggestions and academic contributions from art institutions in a global context.

AIVA's extensive collaboration network with top Chinese universities, facilitated through signed MoUs, has significantly enhanced academic exchange and cooperation. Additionally, AIVA acts as an university representative for the direct application scheme(DAS) between Chinese and British universities, providing students with a more streamlined and convenient application process.