Entry in 2015

In this section you will find information about tuition fees and financial support for higher education courses at the Conservatoire schools starting in 2015.

The Conservatoire offers financial support for undergraduates whether you are starting a course for the first time, or have a degree already and are pursuing professional training for a career in your chosen discipline. Your financial status will not affect how we view your application.

For a summary of the information on these pages, you can also download our booklet:

Fees and Financial Assistance_2015-16

Tuition fees (all students)

The table below shows the fees the Conservatoire will charge for courses starting in September 2015.

New UK undergraduate students £9,000

New EU undergraduate students £9,000

UK/EU second degree undergraduate students £9,000

Island students £9,000

Note: fees may rise in subsequent years in line with inflation.

If you are new to higher education, remember you will not have to pay anything upfront and you may be eligible for financial support from the Conservatoire. You may also be entitled to financial support from the Schools.

EEA and Swiss Fees

For students from the EEA and Switzerland, please visit the UKCISA website to check whether you are eligible for Home/EU fee status:

https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information–Advice/Fees-and-Money/England-fee-status#layer-6082

Students who are not eligible for Home/EU fee status will be charged an Overseas Fee.

Postgraduate and Overseas Fees

For information about tuition fees for postgraduate courses and overseas students, please contact the relevant school for the course you are interested in:

Student Finance (UK/EU undergraduate students new to HE)

If you are an English domiciled student (i.e. you are usually resident in the UK) and this is your first degree, you can apply for financial support from Student Finance England. You can apply for:

A tuition fee loan
A maintenance loan (to help with living costs)
An income-assessed maintenance grant (non-repayable)

Remember you will need to reapply for each year of your training.

Tuition fee loan

If you are new to higher education you can apply for a loan from Student Finance England (or equivalent) to cover the full cost of your fees. You do not have to pay anything upfront.

Maintenance loan

All English students who are new to HE can apply for a basic student loan to help with living costs, no matter what their household income. The table below shows what you may be entitled to:

Living at home Up to £4,565

Living away from home – outside London Up to £5,740

Living away from home – in London Up to £8,009

Maintenance grant

Students with a household income of up to £42,620 can receive a non-repayable maintenance grant in addition to a maintenance loan.

Students with a household income of £25,000 or less can receive the full grant of £3,387 per year of study.

Students with a household income of between £25,001 and £42,620 can receive a partial grant of between £3,387 and £50.

Maintenance grants and loans are paid in three instalments at the start of each term, after you have registered with your school and with the Conservatoire.

Apply for Student Finance

For more information, to estimate your loan entitlement, and to apply for financial support, visit the student finance pages of the Gov UK website:

www.gov.uk/studentfinance

If you are a student from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales you can apply for financial support from the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government or the Northern Ireland Executive.

For students from Northern Ireland, go to:
www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

For students from Scotland, go to:
www.saas.gov.uk

For students from Wales, go to:
www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

If you are a new student from the EU you will need to download an application pack to apply for Student Finance:
www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance

If you’re a continuing student you’ll be sent the application forms.

How do loan repayments work?

If you take out a tuition fee loan and/or a maintenance loan from Student Finance England (or its equivalent), you will not have to repay anything until after you have graduated and are earning a minimum salary.

Key facts about repayments:

You won’t repay anything until you are earning £21,000
You will only repay 9% of what you earn above £21,000, i.e. if you earn £25,000, you will repay 9% of £4,000, which works out as £30 per month
After 30 years, the debt is written off
If you never earn over £21,000 you will never pay anything back
Student loans are not recorded on your credit rating file, i.e. this should not impact on your ability to get a mortgage

The table below gives examples of what your repayments might look like:

Earnings	Annual repayment	Monthly repayment
£15,000	Nothing	Nothing
£21,000	Nothing	Nothing
£22,000	£90	£7.50
£25,000	£360	£30
£30,000	£810	£67.50
£40,000	£1,710	£142.50
£50,000	£2,610	£217.50

The MoneySavingExpert website has a very useful summary of how student loans work.

Conservatoire Scholarships (UK/EU undergraduate students)

The Conservatoire offers a range of scholarships in the form of bursaries and fee discounts. See the table below for details of what the scholarships are worth and who is eligible. You can also view the table as a PDF:

View a list of Conservatoire scholarships for entry in 2015-16

If you wish to be considered for a Conservatoire Scholarship, you need to indicate as appropriate on your application form to the school/s. You then need to complete an application to Student Finance England (or its equivalent) as early as possible in order to be income assessed. Remember to allow consent to share information. This will allow the Conservatoire to assess what level of support you may be entitled to.

You can apply to Student Finance for income assessment even if you are not eligible for a loan, or do not wish to apply for a loan. Scholarships awarded on the basis of talent will be allocated by the schools and all eligible students will be considered.

If you are eligible for an income assessed scholarship, you may also be considered for additional support through the ‘talent and need based scholarships’ criteria. The maximum amount you can receive is usually £4,000 per year for each year of training.

The Care Leaver and Estranged Students Bursary is allocated in addition to any other financial support.

How do I apply for a scholarship?

Scholarship	Who is eligible?	How it is allocated	How to apply	What it’s worth	Bursary or fee discount	How many available
Income Assessed Scholarships Bracket 1	UK and EU undergraduate students who are new to HE	Household income £25,000 or less	Income assessment through Student Finance or through the Conservatoire	£1,500 per year for the first two years of training	Choice of fee discount or cash bursary	All eligible students
Income Assessed Scholarships Bracket 2	UK and EU undergraduate students who are new to HE	Household income £25,001 – £42,620	Income assessment through Student Finance or through the Conservatoire	Up to £1,500 per year for the first two years of training	Choice of fee discount or cash bursary	All eligible students
Talent and need based Scholarships	All UK/EU students on all undergraduate programmes	Awarded on basis of talent and need	Income assessment through Student Finance or Conservatoire means testing and/or audition/interview	A maximum of £4,000 per year for each year of training	Choice of fee discount or cash bursary	Discretionary
Care Leaver and Estranged Students Bursary	Meets definition of a care leaver or estranged student	Awarded to all eligible students	Self-identify as a care leaver or estranged student. You can do this at a number of stages: – On the application form – On the registration form OR – Speak to a member of staff after you have started your course	Bursary of £1,000 per year for each year of training	Cash bursary	All eligible students

The schools may offer their own bursary schemes and support in addition to that offered by the Conservatoire. The links below will take you to the relevant section of each school’s website:

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
www.oldvic.ac.uk/courses/fees

Central School of Ballet
www.centralschoolofballet.co.uk/sscosts

London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art
www.lamda.org.uk/drama-school/funding-your-training

London Contemporary Dance School
www.lcds.ac.uk/fees-and-financial-assistance

National Centre for Circus Arts
www.nationalcircus.org.uk/education-and-learning/further-higher-education/further-information/fees-and-funding

Northern School of Contemporary Dance
www.nscd.ac.uk/study/apply/fees-finance/

Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance
www.rambertschool.org.uk/courses/fees-finance/

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
www.rada.ac.uk/courses/

If you are applying for a second degree, you will not be eligible to apply for a student loan from Student Finance and you may wish to consider alternative sources of funding to support your studies.

National Union of Students
You can find information about funding for second degree students here and here on the NUS website.

If you are an overseas student, you may wish to consider alternative sources of funding to support your studies.

For details of any government scholarships or funding available for overseas study, contact the Department of Education in your home country.

Another helpful resource is the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). Visit www.ukcisa.org.uk to access their Funding Advice for International Students.

US Federal loans (US students)
US students may be eligible for US Federal Loans from the US Department of Education (FAFSA).

LGAC Scholarship Programme (Canadian Students)
www.lgac.ca
The London Goodenough Association of Canada has a programme which offers residential Scholarships at Goodenough College to Canadian graduate students studying in London.

For further information about applying to university, you may find it useful to visit some of the sites listed below:

Tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and maintenance grants

Student Finance England
www.gov.uk/studentfinance

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) – how to apply
www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas

Guidance on student finance

Moneysavingexpert.com – 20 key facts on student fees and loans
www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/student-loans-tuition-fees-changes

Student Calculator – this website helps you work out a budget for during your studies
www.studentcalculator.org.uk

If you have further queries about fees and finance or about applying to a Conservatoire school, you may like to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Tuition fees (all students)

Student Finance (UK/EU undergraduate students new to HE)

Tuition fee loan

Maintenance loan

Maintenance grant

Conservatoire Scholarships (UK/EU undergraduate students)

Students

Fees and Financial Assistance 2015-16

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

Schools

Courses

Graduate Employment

Student Support