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6th January 2025
For almost 80 years, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School – one of the most well-regarded and successful drama schools in the UK – has prepared talented students from all walks of life to join the creative industries through inspiring training with world-leading practitioners.
However, recent challenges that are having a widespread impact across the sector have combined to make the School’s undergraduate training model financially unsustainable. These include capping of student fees, restrictions to international student visas, cuts in grants, and increases in costs of living and teaching. Furthermore, the OfS’ recent announcement that it would not be accepting applications for self-registration until August ‘25 at the earliest has necessitated a completely new approach to the School’s business planning.
As a result, the School is today announcing that it will no longer be accepting applications for its undergraduate degree programmes and will not be admitting any new undergraduate students from September 2025.
The School will continue delivering our distinct suite of intensive postgraduate courses – MFA Professional Acting, MFA Professional Voice Studies, MA Screen Acting, MA Drama Directing, MA Drama Writing and MA Performance Design – and exciting, accessible short courses.
The School is working closely with the University of the West of England, its degree validating body, to make sure that the quality of the training current students receive will not be affected, and that they will be able to complete their degree courses as planned.
The Trustees intend to create a sustainable long-term future for the School to keep it at the forefront of dramatic arts training for many years to come, but need time and space to work through the options.
Fiona Francombe, Principal & CEO of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School explains:
“Along with many Arts and Higher Education organisations, we are facing unprecedented funding challenges which we need to address as our current training model, focusing on teaching undergraduate degree courses, is not viable in the future.
“As a result, we will no longer be offering undergraduate training from September ’25 but will continue to provide postgraduate training and other courses. By taking this decision now we are able to plan for the next two academic years calmly, and with our students’ best interests at heart.
“It is our intention to create a long-term sustainable future for the School where we can deliver high calibre training for which the School is renowned but we need time and space to work through the options and our current focus must be on existing students and staff.
We have always been known for producing extraordinary work, training wonderfully talented people, and reaching audiences of all ages. This legacy will continue as we begin this new chapter of our story.”
We would like to clarify that this does not affect Bristol Old Vic Theatre, which has been a separate organisation since 1986.
