One of the questions we get asked the most as application season draws nearer is “Do you offer free auditions?” Well, the short answer is, yes! We thought it would be useful to take a more detailed look at what that means and how you can check if you’re eligible for a free drama school audition.
Free Drama School Auditions – What are they?
OSD’s Free Drama School Auditions scheme is designed to help break down the barriers to accessing drama school. We know that the process of applying for and attending drama school auditions can be an expensive one, and for many talented young people, that financial cost can be the thing that prevents them from applying at all.
We aim to alleviate the financial concerns young people may have about drama school auditions by providing free auditions to those who need them most.
Why do you charge to apply to the school?
Applying to any higher education institution comes with an application fee attached. In most cases, this fee covers the administrative costs (ie, time spent reviewing your application) associated with your application. In the UK, most universities use the UCAS application system for undergraduate applications, which charges each applicant £28.95 (fee for 2026 applications) to apply to five schools. Sometimes, this fee is covered by your school or college, but some students will have to cover the cost themselves.
OSD doesn’t use the UCAS system for our applications, so we have a slightly different process. We split our application and audition fees into two separate payments: £15 for your initial application and self-tape audition, and then £30 if you are successful in being invited to the recall stage of auditions.
The first payment (£15) helps us cover administrative costs and also supports our audition panel for their time. Every single application we receive is reviewed by our highly skilled and experienced panel of professional actors, who review your self-tape and assess your compatibility with OSD’s courses. We’re incredibly passionate about ensuring our freelance artists are paid fairly for the work they do for us!
The second payment (£30) goes towards the costs associated with your in-person recall audition here at the school. If you are recalled, you will be invited to experience an audition day with us, comprising a group workshop session and a one-on-one session with the panel, where they will watch your speeches. You’ll also have the opportunity to chat with our admissions team and explore the school. So, again, the fee you pay is a reflection of the experience of the audition panel and what you can get out of the time with them. We also offer feedback to everyone who auditions, giving you the opportunity to learn and grow from the experience.
OSD operates as a charity (registered charity number 1072770), which means we don’t profit from any of these activities; all the fees you pay go directly back into the running of our audition process and the school.
Am I eligible for a free drama school audition?
There are a couple of ways you can qualify for a free audition. If our outreach team visit your school, college, or drama group to either lead a workshop or run a first-round outreach audition, you will automatically have access to a free audition with us. Details of how to claim your free audition will be shared with you by our outreach team during the workshop.
Alternatively, you can claim a free audition by applying on our website. To apply, you must meet all our eligibility criteria. The criteria for those looking to audition for courses with a start date in September 2026 are as follows:
- You are a resident in the UK and,
- Your household income is one of the following:
- You are supported by two guardians with a combined gross annual income of below £40,000
- You live with a single guardian with a gross annual income of below £30,000
- You live independently (with no support from family or guardian) with a gross annual income of below £23,000
How do I apply for a free audition?
Before you can apply for a free drama school audition, you must first register and begin your application through our application portal. Once you reach the payment page of the application form, close the application and return to the main course page on the website for your first choice course – either the Foundation Course in Acting, the Foundation Course in Acting with Musical Theatre, or the Three Year Course in Acting.
On each course page, you will find a section titled “Audition Process”, which contains tabs with different labels. Click the Free Audition label. Here, you will find a form that you can fill out. You will have to provide proof of your household income. Proof can be provided in any of the following formats:
- Tax Credit Award Notice
- P60 or P60U for the previous tax year
- P11D
- SA302 Tax Calculation form
- Benefits Income Details form stamped by the benefits office
If you have any questions about this process, or aren’t sure about how to prove your income, please do reach out to our admissions manager, Katherine, at auditions@oxforddrama.ac.uk
Do you help with travel costs?
We don’t offer travel bursaries, but we do provide you with free transportation from central Oxford out to the school itself. So, if you can get yourself to Oxford, we’ll look after you from there!
We hope this has been a helpful guide to our free drama school auditions process. If you have any questions about the scheme or need some help navigating our applications process, you can always get in touch with us at auditions@oxforddrama.ac.uk
We’re looking forward to receiving your applications and hope to meet you at the school for your recall auditions!