Fees and Financial Support

With effect from 1 August 2022, the School’s registered Higher Education provider is the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). All BOVTS students are covered by UWE Bristol’s fees policy. For further information, please see the School policies and procedures page.

There is an application fee of £25 for BA (Hons) Professional Acting, MFA Professional Acting and MA Screen Acting. Please note that all application fees are non-refundable.

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is pleased to be able to offer a number of free audition places for the BA Professional Acting course via its fee waiver scheme. To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:

You are a current UK resident
You have no previous degree qualification
You have an annual household income of less than £25,000 before tax

Fee waivers are processed on a first-come basis, so you are advised to apply early. 

Please note: Upon applying for the fee waiver, you will have two weeks to complete and submit your application. Following the submission of your application, you will then have an additional two weeks to provide your self-tape.

The fund closes to applications at 12 Noon (GMT) Friday 24th January 2025, but may close earlier if funds are exhausted before this date.

You should apply for your fee waiver before submitting your application.

Please click this link to apply for the fee waiver: https://fs6.formsite.com/CtgtAs/2vjl7skkt7/index.html

Applications for this course will close completely at 4pm (GMT) on Friday 31st January 2025

Undergraduate – BA (Hons) and FdA Courses

UK Students

• The annual tuition fee for UK undergraduate students commencing their studies in 2025 will be £9,250. This includes students from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

International Students

• The tuition fee for international (non-UK) students on our undergraduate courses will be £22,050 per year.

Postgraduate – MA and MFA Courses

UK Students

• Tuition fees for UK students on a 38-week (one year) course will be £16,000
• Tuition fees for UK students on the 40-week MFA in Professional Acting course will be £27,010.

International Students

• Tuition fees for international students (non-UK) on a 38-week (one year) course will be £26,510
• Tuition fees for international students (non-UK) on the 40-week MFA Professional Acting will be £27,010

Tuition fees are liable to increase in each subsequent year and these increases will be in line with UK Government policy.

ⓘ Please note that from 2021 entry onwards, EU students are considered as international fee payers. Permanent Irish residents will be classed as ‘home’ student status as a result of the Common Travel Area agreement and are not liable for international fees.

Undergraduate – BA (Hons) and FdA Courses

UK Students

• The annual tuition fee for UK undergraduate students commencing their studies in 2024 will be £9,250. This includes students from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

International Students

• The tuition fee for international (non-UK) students on our undergraduate courses will be £22,050 per year.

Postgraduate – MA and MFA Courses

UK Students

• Tuition fees for UK students on a 38-week (one year) course will be £12,000
• Tuition fees for UK students on the 40-week MFA in Professional Acting course will be £26,510.

International Students

• Tuition fees for international students (non-UK) on a 38-week (one year) course will be £26,500
• Tuition fees for international students (non-UK) on the 40-week MFA Professional Acting will be £27,510

Tuition fees are liable to increase in each subsequent year and these increases will be in line with UK Government policy.

ⓘ Please note that from 2021 entry onwards, EU students are considered as international fee payers. Permanent Irish residents will be classed as ‘home’ student status as a result of the Common Travel Area agreement and are not liable for international fees.

Undergraduate – BA (Hons) and FdA Courses

UK Students

• The annual tuition fee for UK undergraduate students commencing their studies in 2023 will be £9,250. This includes students from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

International Students

• The tuition fee for international (non UK) students on our undergraduate courses will be £22,050 per year.

Postgraduate – MA and MFA Courses

UK Students

• Tuition fees for UK students on a 38-week (one year) course will be £11,700

International Students

• Tuition fees for the 40-week MFA Professional Acting for International Students will be £27,000
• Tuition fees for international students (non-UK) on a 38-week (one year) course will be £26,000

Tuition fees are liable to increase in each subsequent year and these increases will be in line with UK Government policy.

ⓘ Please note that from 2021 entry onwards, EU students are considered as international fee payers. Permanent Irish residents will be classed as ‘home’ student status as a result of the Common Travel Area agreement and are not liable for international fees.

Are you eligible for government support?

Most of our students on undergraduate courses are funding their courses through student loans.

If you are a UK student, in addition to tuition fee support, you can also apply for funding towards your living costs, and the amount available to you will vary according to where you are from in the UK. You will be able to access a basic maintenance loan towards your living costs regardless of your household income level and if you are from a lower-income household you will also be eligible to receive additional means-tested maintenance support.

You should apply to your regional funding agency (see below) each year before the end of the Easter holidays to ensure that funding is in place for the following year of your course.

What does it mean to be ‘means-tested’ or ‘financially assessed’?

If you want to be considered for a higher level of maintenance loan (students from England) or a non-repayable maintenance grant (students from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales), you will need to complete a financial assessment as part of your application to your funding agency in order to calculate your household income. Although much of this process is automated, you may need to provide financial information to support your assessment.

What is household income and how is it calculated?

Your household income is made up of your income plus that of the people who live with you, such as your parents / step-parent / partner. Household income is assessed based on gross taxable income for the last full tax year. If your household income is likely to drop by at least 15% you can request a Current Year Income Assessment Form from your regional funding agency.

What if I suspend my studies?

If you decide to suspend your studies for any length of time you will need to inform your regional funding agency. If you repeat any years of study, you should be aware that this might affect your entitlement to financial support.

For further information about funding your studies, please see the UK undergraduate funding pages on the UWE Bristol website.  

Where can I find a list of external scholarships?

For Postgraduate Students you can find the list here.

For Undergraduate Students you can find the list here.

Please see our Student Financial Support FAQ’s here.

The UK Government offers postgraduate Master’s loans through Student Finance England. Funding for postgraduate loans is different if you usually live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Information about the Master’s Loan scheme is available from UK Government website.

The loans, which are valued at up to £12,471 per student for entry after 1 August 2024, are a contribution towards the cost of study. They can be used for fees, maintenance or other costs associated with your study. They are not means tested and paid directly to the student into a UK bank account.

What you’ll get

Further information about funding postgraduate training can be found on the UWE Bristol,  Prospects and Find A Masters websites.

Where can I find a list of external scholarships?

For Postgraduate Students you can find the list here.

Please see our Student Financial Support FAQ’s here.

Each year, the School and UWE Bristol administer a range of bursaries and scholarships. 

Bursaries are available to students from low income backgrounds, those with childcare responsibilities, and those who have spent time in care. For eligibility criteria, please see the UWE Bursary webpage. BOVTS students are also eligible to apply for a range of other UWE bursaries and scholarships – for further information on eligibility criteria, please see the UWE website.  

If you have concerns about financing your training, or require further information about the support available, please contact us for further advice. 

BOVTS – Student Financial Support

The Hardship Fund (HF) provides a non-repayable grant from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School to help students who, due to unforeseen circumstances, may be in financial difficulties that put them at risk of withdrawing from university.

The fund is limited and cannot be used as a main source of income.

BOVTS students are also eligible for additional financial support from UWE. See below for details.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an award, you must:

• Be a fully registered BOVTS student on an undergraduate or postgraduate degree course.
• Be in financial difficulty that puts you at risk of withdrawing from BOVTS.
• Have access to less than £100 across all of your bank accounts.
• For undergraduates, receive the full government maintenance loan available to you (unless exempt* or for religious reasons).
• For postgraduates, receive the full Postgraduate Loan available to you (unless exempt* or for religious reasons)

*Students who have previous HE study at the same level are exempt from receiving Student Finance.  

Term dates

The 2024/25 term dates for the award are: 

• Term 1: 26th September to 5th January 
• Term 2: 6th January to 27th April 
• Term 3: 28th April to 23rd June

No award is provided over the Summer break

Award levels

Level 1 – £250

Level 1 awards are available to applicants who declare that they are in financial difficulty and can prove access to less than £100 across all bank accounts (including savings). This is after income (from part-time work, scholarships, bursaries, or other sources) and reasonable expenses for the term.

Level 2 – £500

Level 2 awards are available to applicants who meet Level 1 criteria and are taking reasonable steps to reduce their financial problems but remain in difficulty. This can include:

• working a part-time job for a reasonable number of hours per week
• using a considerable amount of an overdraft

Alternatively, applicants may have:

• excessive debt
• a health problem preventing their ability to work a part-time job.

Level 3 – £750

Level 3 awards are only available to applicants who meet Level 2 criteria and satisfy at least one of the following:

• have dependent children
• have caring responsibilities
• are 25 and under and a care leaver, are estranged from their parents/guardians,  or have no living parents
• presently or at immediate risk of homelessness
• have a disability

Before you apply

You must:

>provide us with your bank details
>prepare screenshots or statements showing the current balance, and at least the previous months transactions, for all accounts in which you hold funds
>prepare a screenshot or statement which shows the latest maintenance loan payment entering the applicant’s bank account, where applicable.
>provide any additional information required in the application form.

Applications with missing or incomplete evidence could impact our assessment time and may be rejected. We may request additional information when assessing your application.

How to apply

Please complete the application form: Here

Please only submit one application per term, unless your financial circumstances change.

We aim to process all applications within five working days of submission. Any payments will be made directly to your  chosen bank account by BACS transfer.

Unsuccessful applications

If an application is unsuccessful or you are unhappy with the decision, you can contact the Admissions Manager to ask for an explanation of how your award was calculated within seven days of the date of the decision.

Reassessment of applications will only take place on the basis of:

>new information/evidence not submitted before assessment
>there being an error on the original submission
>a major material change in your financial circumstances

For reassessments, the award amount will be the difference between the updated award level and the previous award level. 

If they have no further information to disclose and wish to appeal against the decision, they must submit an appeal to the Head of Finance within seven days of the date of the decision.

UWE Hardship Bursaries

BOVTS undergraduate or postgraduate students are able to apply for the following UWE Hardship Funds:

UWE Student Hardship Grant, provides grants of up to £500 to help students facing unexpected financial problems or additional expenses to remain on their course

More info and how to apply

UWE Student Support Fund is a significant fund provided by UWE to support students who may need extra financial support to remain in higher education.

The 2024/2025 Student Support Fund will open on Monday 16 September 2024.

More info and how to apply

Please note: There is a section on the application that will ask you to confirm that you have completed a Blackboard lesson. As a BOVTS student, you can simply tick yes to this question and proceed with the rest of your application.

UWE Summer Fund supports students who may need extra financial support to remain in higher education during the summer break.

More info and how to apply

Please remember that UWE will only email you via your UWE email address and NOT your BOVTS email address.

Why is my course not eligible for some of the internal scholarships?

Some donors have specific wishes as to what courses they wish their funding to be directed towards (known as restricted funds). As a charity, the School is legally obliged to follow charitable guidelines and the wishes of the donor. The donor’s web pages should give more information about the criteria but if you have any further questions, pleas contact Marchia Abokie (Admissions Manager & Data Officer).

Where can I get help with applying for bursaries and scholarships?

For help with applying to UWE Scholarships or BOVTS financial help please contact Marchia Abokie (Admissions Manager & Data Officer).

EU students commencing training after 2021 will classified as international students for tuition fee purposes. Please note that permanent Irish residents will be classed as ‘home’ student status as a result of the Common Travel Area agreement and are not liable for international fees.