Today, Thursday June 25th, a new report highlights the scale of the socioeconomic impact generated by The Glasgow School of Art (GSA), demonstrating its central role in developing Scotland’s creative industries sector, which contributes around 4% of the nation’s total economic output.
- The Glasgow School of Art is a “magnet” for creative talent and acts as a “placemaker” for Glasgow’s creative and cultural sector, the largest concentration in Scotland
- The GSA contributes:
c. £115m to the UK economy; £80m of which benefits Scotland’s economy with £55m staying in Glasgow
over 1,500 jobs across the UK; for every single job directly created by the School, two additional jobs are supported in the wider economy
- GSA graduates are three times more likely to be self-employed than the Scottish higher education average, fuelling a vibrant ecosystem of start-ups and creative businesses
- The GSA is consistently one of the highest ranked higher education institutions in Scotland for widening access, with more than 22% of Scottish students from the 20% most deprived communities2
Commissioned by the GSA and conducted independently by Hatch, the analysis quantifies the institution’s substantial socioeconomic impact using academic year 2022/23 as the point of study, revealing that the specialist art school contributes in excess of £115 million annually to the UK economy. Of this total, at least £80 million is retained within Scotland with £55 million staying in Glasgow, solidifying the GSA’s role as a critical anchor for Scotland’s creative and cultural economy.
The analysis confirms the institution’s status as a “magnet” for the largest concentration of creative talent in the country, with Glasgow accounting for 21% of Scotland’s creative industry Gross Value Added (GVA). Ranked in the QS World University Subject Rankings top-10 for art and design, the GSA attracts students from across the world alongside its proportion of Scottish students (45%), of which 14% come from Glasgow. Crucially, the GSA serves as a vital pipeline for the local workforce; around 60% of students stay in the Glasgow City Region after graduating, ensuring the growth and development of the region’s creative economy.
The institution directly employs 460 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff generating in excess of £47 million in income, representing a 24% growth since 2015/16. This financial momentum translates into a £30 million direct contribution to Gross Value Added (GVA), while the School’s supply chain spending of £22 million supported an additional 80 FTE jobs in Glasgow and 270 across the UK. The report highlights that for every direct job supported by the GSA, a further two jobs are supported in the wider Scottish and UK economies.
Beyond direct employment, student and visitor activity generates significant benefits for the economy. Student expenditure alone supports an estimated £10 million in GVA and 250 FTE jobs in Glasgow, rising to £40 million and 570 jobs at the UK level, with international students accounting for roughly £15 million of this national impact. Visitor expenditure, driven by the School’s extensive cultural programme, adds a further £1 million in GVA and 20 jobs to the local economy.
The report reinforces Glasgow’s European standing as one of the UK’s leading cultural and creative economies, and the significant relationship between its education, creative and cultural sectors. This includes contemporary fine art, digital technology, filmmaking, performance, music, fashion, and transformative design. It is a major centre of production, making, and innovation, adding a unique dimension to its cultural and economic character.
Innovation and enterprise remain central to the GSA’s contribution, with consultancy income increasing by 77% since 2015/16, far outpacing the sector average. The entrepreneurial spirit of its graduates is evidenced by the fact that 15% are self-employed within fifteen months of graduating, compared to a 5% average across Scottish higher education institutions. GSA graduates have founded successful ventures ranging from healthcare design firms to global tech accelerators like Glasgow-based Filament STAC, which has created 215 jobs and generated £22 million in investment since its founding in 2015.
Commenting on the publication of the new report, Director and Principal of The Glasgow School of Art, Professor Penny Macbeth, said,
“This independent analysis demonstrates the significant contribution and impact The Glasgow School of Art makes in Glasgow and Scotland.”
“As an anchor institution within Glasgow’s creative and cultural eco-system, alongside our role as a specialist higher education institution, the GSA is a magnet attracting a vibrant interconnected community of makers, producers and innovators that boosts Glasgow’s economy and global standing, while delivering tangible social benefits to communities across the city and Scotland. Our shared goal now is to collaborate strategically, ensuring Glasgow continues to thrive as a world-leading centre of culture and production.”
“Our Impact Study sets out our role as an anchor institution within Glasgow, Scotland, and the UK’s higher education, creative and cultural ecosystem, while also seeking to redefine it. Today, The Glasgow School of Art is a magnet institution, attracting, retaining and concentrating cultural, creative talent to support Glasgow’s creative and cultural sectors, as well as the city’s innovation and wider knowledge economy both locally and nationally.”
The creative industries are key drivers of innovation, economic growth and employment. This is recognised at the UK level, including Scotland: a range of initiatives and policy developments have underlined a commitment to the sector. ‘Building a business case for Scotland’ highlights the creative industries as one of the key elements of the nation’s brand and recognises their potential for growth.1 Nowhere is this more true than in the city of Glasgow, whose unique position in the cultural and creative economy has been recognised by the OECD.2 The Glasgow Economic Leadership body and the new Glasgow Culture Strategy have re-affirmed Glasgow’s commitment to remaining a cultural and creative leader.
For further information please contact press@gsa.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
Footnotes
1 Sectoral Skills Assessment: Creative Industries, Skills Development Scotland 2024
2 Scottish domiciled full-time first degree entrants in 2022/3, Report on Widening Access 2022-2023, Scottish funding Council 2024
Full Report available at www.gsaimpactreport.co.uk
About The Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Ranked eighth in the QS 2026 World University Subject rankings, the GSA is the only institution in Scotland in the global top 10 for art and design and one of only three institutions within the UK.
Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world. Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3500 students and staff across architecture, design, fine art, innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1500 students annually.
