You’ve made the decision that you want to study at a Conservatoire rather than a university, but how do you apply and when?
You can study specialist performing arts degrees at a Conservatoire which focus on the practical; with small class sizes, public performances in recording studios and live theatres, and masterclasses from leading industry experts.
It sounds like a sales pitch, but just look at the extremely long list of famous and successful alumni from all these Conservatoires and you can see why they are so very popular.
There are 10 Conservatoires in the UK focusing on practical courses in dance, acting, musical instruments or singing and these 10 Conservatoires can be broken down into 3 separate groups when you’re considerimg how to apply to them.
Group One: Applying online at UCAS
You can apply through UCAS Conservatoire (part of UCAS) for 8 of these Conservatoires using the one UCAS application. These 8 conservatories are
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Royal Northern College of Music
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Trinity Laban Conservatoires of Music and Dance
If you want to apply for a 2015 course it is theoretically possibly until end August 2015, but you’ll need to phone and chat with the individual Conservatoire to see if they have any places left and can organise a last minute audition. There may be potential places but there is no guarantee.
If you’re thinking of applying for 2016 entry you can start now (applications opened mid July 2015) as the deadline dates for music courses are 1 October 2015 and for dance and drama are 15 January 2016.
As well as attending an interview once you’ve applied, you will also need to attend an audition whether that is for dance, singing, acting or playing a musical instrument. Please note you will be charged an audition fee.
Please apply as early as possible as auditions start from 15 October 2015.
Group Two: Conservatoires UK, applying direct
CUK (Conservatoires UK) represents 9 of the 10 UK Conservatoires; the 8 in group one above and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama being the ninth one, for which you need to apply directly to the school and not through UCAS. .
Their deadline dates for music courses are 12 October 2015, and for dance and drama are 25 January 2016. There will again be both an application and an audition, with fees, which you pay in advance but they are piloting a fee waiver for 2016, so it’s worth checking out the full details on their website.
Group Three: Conservatoire for Dance and Drama
This is a free standing Conservatoire that has 8 different specialist member schools across the UK.
Although the Conservatoire is one entity you have to apply to each of the 8 schools directly via the individual school website and not through UCAS. However if accepted you can still apply for government funded student finances.
They all charge fees for the application and audition process but each individual school has slightly different deadline dates for applications so please visit their websites:
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
London Contemporary Dance School
National Centre for Circus Arts
Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance
Confused? We hope not. There really is a lot of choice and before you apply please research, research, research and visit the open days for these Conservatoires. They are amazing places to study and you need the right one which will showcase you and shine a light on your awesome talent.
Have fun and good luck applying!
