You might ask why this is not called a "College". This is because well into the 1960s, it was not possible to gain a degree in the arts (Art, Architecture and Music) as they were not considered academic, you could not study these subjects at a university but only at a dedicated "School" or "Conservatoire".

The Ruskin grew out the Oxford School of Art, which was founded in 1865 and later became Oxford Brookes University. It was headed by Alexander Macdonald and housed in the University Galleries (subsequently the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology).

In 1869 John Ruskin was appointed Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford. Critical of the teaching methods at the Oxford School of Art, he set out to found the Ruskin School of Drawing in 1871 in the same, but restructured, premises. Macdonald was also retained as its head and became, therefore, the first Ruskin Master until his death in 1921.

It was renamed to Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in 1945, and to Ruskin School of Art in 2014. The Ruskin remained at the Ashmolean until 1975 when it moved to 74 High Street. An annexe at 128 Bullingdon Road was redeveloped in 2015, and the Ruskin now operates across both sites. The Slade School of Fine Art relocated to the Ruskin for the duration of the Second World War.

The school was originally founded to encourage artisanship and technical skills. It now provides undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in the production and study of visual art. The subject is taught as a living element of contemporary culture with a broad range of historical and theoretical references.

Ruskin School of Art - Wikipedia