Our Three Year Acting Course is becoming a BA (Hons) Degree!
We’re excited to share some important news about the future of our Three Year Acting Course. We are working towards introducing the BA (Hons) in Professional Acting, validated through our existing partnership with the University of West London (UWL).
This is an exciting development for Oxford School of Drama, recognising the depth and intensity of our professional actor training while opening up new opportunities for students to access government student finance.
The validation process is still ongoing, and the introduction of the BA (Hons) in Professional Acting is subject to approval. However, we are looking forward to taking this next step and what it could mean for future generations of actors.
Building on our partnership with the University of West London
The BA (Hons) in Professional Acting will be validated through our existing partnership with the University of West London. UWL also validates our One Year MA in Professional Acting, so this development builds on an established relationship between our two organisations.
At OSD, our approach to actor training remains at the heart of everything we do. The Three Year Acting Course is an intensive, practical training programme, combining the development of acting craft with creativity, collaboration and the experience of working with industry professionals.
The move to a degree qualification gives students a university-validated qualification alongside the practical skills and experience already on offer at OSD.
New opportunities for student finance
One of the most significant benefits of this change is that it will make our Three Year Acting Course eligible for the government’s Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).
The LLE is a new government funding system for eligible higher education courses, designed to make it easier for people to access financial support for education and training throughout their lives. It replaces the existing student finance system for eligible courses and brings together funding for different types of post-18 study.
Until now, accessing this funding route has not been possible for OSD because we are not registered directly with the Office for Students (OfS). By delivering the Three Year Acting Course as a degree validated through UWL, we will be able to access the LLE funding system.
For eligible students, this means access to a broader range of government financial support, including:
Tuition Fee Loans, to help cover the cost of course fees.
Maintenance Loans, to help with living costs while studying.
Additional financial support, including relevant grants and allowances for eligible students.
The LLE provides eligible learners with a tuition fee loan entitlement equivalent to four years of full-time study, currently valued at up to £39,160. It is also designed to offer greater flexibility, supporting people who want to return to education, retrain or develop their skills at different stages of their lives.
This is a particularly important for those hoping to train with us. It means that a wider range of financial support will be available to help people access our professional actor training, potentially making the decision to pursue three years of specialist training more achievable.
You can read more about the LLE on the government’s website, here.
What happens to existing funding?
As a result of this change, we will no longer offer funding through the Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) or Advanced Learner Loans for the Three Year Acting Course.
Instead, eligible students will be able to apply for support through the LLE, including tuition fee and maintenance loans. This represents a significant change to the way students can fund their training and brings the course into the higher education student finance framework.
Individual eligibility and the amount of financial support available will depend on government criteria. We will provide further guidance to prospective students as the new arrangements are confirmed.
The same intensive actor training, with new opportunities
While the qualification and funding arrangements are changing, our commitment to providing exceptional, practical actor training remains the same.
Students on the Three Year Acting Course benefit from more than 30 hours of intensive, tutor-led training each week, working closely with experienced actors, directors and other industry professionals. Our small year groups mean students receive individual attention and have the space to develop their craft through practical work, collaboration and performance.
The introduction of the BA (Hons) in Professional Acting represents an exciting next step for Oxford School of Drama. It recognises the depth of our training while creating new opportunities for people from a wider range of backgrounds to access professional actor training.
The qualification remains subject to approval, but this process will be completed before the start of the new academic year in September 2027.
Interested in training at Oxford School of Drama? Find out more about our new BA (hons) in Professional Acting, and to apply, click here.