Student Art Pass: A year’s worth of art for £5

Student Art Pass offers free or discounted entry to almost 250 museums, galleries, exhibitions, historical houses and more, in almost every city in the UK, all for just £5.

Whereas the National Art Pass is £70, students can indulge in the benefits of the Student Art Pass for an entire year for a fraction of the full price.

Art Fund, a national art charity, launched the Student Art Pass in 2017 and has since seen tens of thousands of students sign up to benefit from the scheme.

Examples of some of the incredible exhibitions the pass gives discounted access to include the William Blake exhibition at the Tate Britain, open 11 September to 2 February 2020. This showcase contains over 300 original works, including some frescoes which have been digitally enlarged to the enormous scale Blake had dreamt of.

Another stand out exhibition available at half price on the pass is An English Lady’s Wardrobe, “the largest collection of a single person’s clothing in any UK gallery”. The items belonged to Emily Tinne, a member of a wealthy family from Liverpool, and provide a snapshot of life in England between the First and Second World Wars. The exhibition is open 25 October to 1 march 2020 at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.

If you are looking for attractions in the Manchester area, the historical Lyme Estate with its art, deer park, and picturesque garden is completely free with the Student Art Pass. The Imperial War Museum in Salford, with a view of Greater Manchester 29 metres high, is also offered at a discounted price with the pass.

The Student Art Pass website also advertises opportunities for under 25s to get involved in the art world, such as on the first ever youth panel for the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Art Fund’s director, Stephen Deuchar, said: ‘We have seen at first-hand the appetite students have for experiencing art and culture in their everyday lives. There are 1.4 million full-time university students in the UK right now, and I would encourage each of them to apply for a Student Art Pass to join our creative community, get access to Artful Opportunities, and receive discounted or free access to hundreds of cultural institutions.’

Any full-time UK student is eligible and you can purchase the Student Art Pass for £5 on the Art Fund website.