BA (Hons) in Acting
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Do you want to unlock your creative potential? Our three-year course offers exceptional, in-depth training to equip you with the knowledge and insight for a career in the performing arts.
Course Overview
The programme aims to provide a thorough training for the professional actor, with an emphasis on preparing for work in classical and contemporary theatre, film, television, radio and digital media.
Through studio-based classes in voice, movement, acting techniques, singing, text analysis and contextual studies students undertake a practical and reflective training that gradually develops embodied understanding and skills in the art and craft of acting.
You can find out more about life as a student at RADA here.
Our BA (Hons) in Acting develops the talent and potential you bring with you to RADA, training you in techniques and approaches that will confidently equip you for a successful and long-term career in the industry, as well as providing transferrable skills.
You will start by building foundation skills through class work, before putting these into practice in sharings and open classes to small groups within RADA, and finally through stage, film and audio public performances in your final year. We are currently undergoing a process of reviewing our curriculum, so there may be some changes to texts or areas of study outlined below.
The course will help you to develop a spirit of curiosity and discovery that will enrich your personal and professional development.
Through studio-based classwork, projects and productions, the course aims to develop reflective and socially engaged practitioners, with the skills, expertise and resilience to establish independent careers as actors and performance-makers, and with the potential to be leaders and change-makers in the industry.
Course aims
Over the three-year course, RADA aims to:
- Develop students’ embodied capacity for the vocal, physical, emotional, creative and imaginative skills required for professional acting
- Develop students’ theoretical and practical understanding of the disciplines of classical and contemporary performance, across all performance contexts
- Develop students’ reflective, critical thinking and research skills in order that they can be applied in all performance contexts, and the wider world
- Develop students’ ability to work collaboratively, empathetically and independently
- Integrate professional practice and industry engagement throughout the training in support of students’ growth and ambition to succeed as actors and in any other field they choose
- Develop students’ communication, ensemble ethos, and resilience so they may be applied to all performance contexts and the wider world
- Encourage curiosity and passion for exploration, discovery and play, for any future career path and as life-long learners
Timetable and workload
Total learning and teaching hours at least 3600. Uncredited additional study hours may be required.
Hours will fluctuate but you will usually work around 40 hours per week, sometimes longer, with some classes, projects and productions including evenings and weekends (RADA is not open on Sundays). Additionally at least 10 hours of self-directed study a week is necessary.
Training takes place predominantly onsite at RADA with some minimal online delivery and occasional offsite.
Third year hours are higher during production periods and routinely include evenings and weekends.
You can find our term dates up to summer 2025 here.
Assessment
You will be assessed regularly throughout your training on progress in each of the subjects you learn. You will also be assessed during projects and productions, working towards a series of public productions in the third year. We are looking for your ability to bring together all aspects of learning, and to embody it within your work as an actor.
You will receive regular feedback through tutorials, notes in class and written feedback on assessments. We do not automatically share marks with students, but you are able to request them.
Students are required to pass all course components to complete the programme. Years one and Two (levels 4 & 5) assessments are Pass/Fail, Year three (level 6)is graded and you will be given an overall grade for your third year (level 6).
You need to achieve BA (Hons) to be profiled as a graduate on the RADA website and to refer to yourself as a RADA Acting graduate.
This programme can lead to one of three awards (you will only be awarded the highest award achieved):
- BA (Hons); on successful completion of levels 4, 5 and 6 and 360 credits
- Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE); on successful completion of levels 4, 5 modules and 240 credits
Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE); on successful completion of all level 4 modules and 120 credits
Year 1
In first year assessment is cumulative and formative
Students are assessed across a number of subjects across the whole year, within the following modules:
- Exploring Acting for Stage and Screen
- Exploring Movement
- Exploring Voice and Singing
- Contextual and Development Studies
Year 2
Students are assessed across a number of subjects across the whole year, within the following modules:
- Integrating Acting for Stage & Screen
- Integrating Movement
- Integrating Voice and Singing
- Contextual and Development Studies
Year 3
In third year assessment made through a number of productions, within the following:
- Production 1 – Showcasing and professional Development
- Production 2 – Contemporary Theatre
- Production 3 – Film
- Production 4 – Advanced Theatre
- Production 5 – Extended Practice
- Production 6 – Professional placement (optional)
Across all three years, there are classes that are compulsory to attend but are not assessed. There is a minimum attendance requirement of all assessment and if you do not meet the requirement you may fail assessments.
Teaching staff
Visit our acting teaching staff list to read about our faculty.
Exploration
The first year of your training is about exploration. The work is rigorous and challenging, but asks that you approach it playfully and imaginatively; and with a willingness to look at and let go of habits, try things in ways you’ve never tried them before, and explore yourself in new situations and exercises.
You will be introduced to the fundamental elements of acting technique (developing from principles of Stanislavski and some of his successors); singing; screen acting; improvisation; theory and practice in voice (including voice practice, speech study, sight reading and text work); and movement (comprising pure and expressive movement).
Other classes focus on screen acting, improvisation, dance, combat, singing, and Alexander technique.
This year is about process rather than presentation or performance. There are some showings and sharing of work towards the end of each term, but in the first year you will only share your work with staff and peers.
To help give a broader context for your work you will also hear from guest speakers, comprising leading figures from a wide range of industries and walks of life including, politics and arts, science and religion, sports and social justice.
Weekly classes across the year will include:
- acting technique
- improvisation
- pure and expressive movement
- practical voice and speech through voice
- dance
- dramaturgy
- text and scene study
- acting for camera
- actor’s history
- Alexander technique
- rehearsal exercises
- singing
- physical skills and stage combat
- reflective practice
- personal and professional development
Integration
This year is about integration. You will draw together and refine the skills, techniques and practices you explored in your first year as you develop more independence, responsibility and resilience.
Professional development continues with a focus on the role of the professional actor in the industry, including panel discussions and workshops with actors, directors, producers and writers.
Second year class work
In acting training, you will deepen the techniques developed in year one, including in screen acting classes. Building on improvisation techniques explored in first year, you will be introduced to a devising strand and self-led creative techniques..
In voice training, you will encounter more varied texts with distinct challenges, explored through class work and informal sharings. You will be guided through speech systems via playful vocal investigation, singing, reflection and analysis.
In singing classes, you will begin to curate a repertoire of songs for presentations and auditions, and focus on integrating singing technique with acting and character demands.
In movement classes, you will continue developing your expressive movement skills and exploration of the physical life of a character. You will also be exploring dance and fight skills in more depth and applying them to text and dramatic situations.
Second year projects
Second year projects provide opportunities to apply your training, working with your regular teachers as well as outside practitioners and directors.
Performance
Your first public performances take place at the end of the second year performing at RADA and in London secondary schools and where possible – at international festivals. Recently Festivals have included:
- META (Meeting of European Theatre Academies) in Florence
- Alpbach Forum in Austria
- Gdansk International Shakespeare Festival
- International Meeting of Theatre Schools in Poland
- Theatre Schools Festival in Suceava, Romania
- Utah Shakespeare Festival
Applying your training
Year 3 focuses on the application of your first two years of training.
Class work continues but with less frequency. You will have voice and movement, acting lab, singing and reflective practice classes, as well as ongoing professional development. Voice and movement support is part of all productions and may include combat, singing and ensemble work, as required.
Evening and weekend work is expected during third year as part of your regular timetable. The hours worked during the year may exceed 50 hours a week during production periods
Performing in your third year
Third year stage, film and audio productions give you the experience of rehearsing and realising a performance in a supported professional environment, working with other students from our Technical Theatre Arts courses.
As you refine your own personal creative process, you will demonstrate your versatility and proficiency as an actor, exploring, developing and sustaining work in different media. Casting is designed to be equitable, providing students with as wide a range of parts – large and small – as possible. You will be stretched in a constructive way, playing parts appropriate to your skills and learning needs. We also aim to ensure that you perform in a variety of different spaces and forms of theatre.
You will also have the opportunity to perform in film and stage showcases for invited industry audiences.
Stage productions
Each student will be cast in three stage productions. Each stage production has approximately 10 performances for invited industry and paying public in one of our three on-site theatres. These are fully realised, designed by professionals or graduating theatre production students, with full technical support by our theatre production students and staff. We work with professional directors, including both RADA staff and guests, employing their own personal creative approaches. You will also receive voice and movement support from the acting faculty, and specific coaching for combat, dance and singing where appropriate.
Plays are drawn from a wide range of international theatre, both classical and contemporary, and may include new writing, translations, devised and interdisciplinary work, and musicals.
Film, television and audio productions
Each year RADA commissions professionally written scripts and produces up to six short films, professionally directed and shot in varying locations. This provides the experience of realising a showcase screen performance within a supported professional production environment. The films require acting and crewing, providing invaluable insights and opportunity to explore and develop craft, both in front of and behind the camera. A screening event is held for both industry and public audiences to showcase this interdisciplinary work.
Audio craft will introduce you, as developing actors, to the technical aspects associated with microphone technique specialisms and the related areas such as audio drama, solo work, audio books, voice acting, narrative work, gaming, animation and podcasting. There is the opportunity to participate in the BBC Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award. You will be creatively involved in various audio delivery projects, directed by visiting professionals, and audio industry creative producers towards the production of industry facing, individually tailored, commercial demo voice-over reels.
Assessment of performances
All performances are assessed. In exceptional circumstances a professional placement may be permitted as an alternative assessment point. Placements may take place in theatre, film or television contexts provided they meet the learning outcomes.
Professional development
Professional development opportunities include seminars with agents, casting directors, directors, actors and other industry professionals, preparation for working as a freelancer and independent creative professional, as well as other RADA teams such as Development, Communications and Marketing, and RADA Business.
In the third year students also benefit from the RADA Buddy mentoring scheme. This programme supports the transition from student to professional actor with graduate ‘buddies’ providing professional advice, feedback and networking opportunities throughout the final year and beyond.
Professional development sessions may include:
- tax and self-employment
- budgeting, both personal and for productions, grants and funding bodies
- self-taping
- mock auditions
- auditions with leading theatre companies, film and TV companies
- workshop leader training and practice
- voice reels
We encourage the opportunity for training regardless of age, gender, disability, ethnicity, marital status, nationality, sexual orientation, parental status, socio economic status, religion or belief. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity, to pursuing non-discriminatory policies and practice and eliminating unfair discrimination.
How to apply
Complete the online application form at the top of this page which includes the opportunity to upload your self tape, please do ensure that you feel prepared to record your video, prior to submitting your application.
There is an application fee for the BA (Hons) in Acting of £39 which covers the cost of processing and progressing each individual application. Application fees are not refundable.
You may be eligible to apply for free through our RADA Connect programme.
There is usually an intake of up to 28 students in September each year. You may only apply once per academic year. We audition everyone who applies.
A guide to our online application form
- Applications are online – you can fill out the form on a desktop, mobile or any other device.
- If you find that the form doesn't work, try using a different browser. We recommend Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.
- We ask questions about you including your address, school address, qualifications and household income.
- We ask for a passport-style photo of you. This can be a selfie or any other photo that clearly shows you from the shoulders up in portrait orientation up to 2MB in size and should be in JPG or PNG format. This is for our records only.
- The information we collect is confidential. Some of it is shared with our audition panel, but we mark this clearly on the form.
- There is an application fee, which you will need to pay at the end of the form before you submit it – so please make sure you have a payment method ready. However you may be eligible for a free application through our RADA Connect programme. All the information is in the application form so you can find out if this applies to you.
- The application will automatically save as you progress, if you want to take a break or come back to the form at a later date, you can simply close the browser and log back in later
- To ensure you don't accidentally delete your own responses, avoid going back and changing answers.
- Once you have pressed 'Submit' on the application form you can no longer edit, so please make sure you have filled out everything correctly.
- You will receive a confirmation email to say your form has been submitted.
Entry requirements
Applicants must:
- be 18 years of age on the first day of the induction week in the year that they start their programme of study
- have complete fluency in spoken and written English
- demonstrate an intellectual, creative and practical ability to undertake degree level training
English is not my first language. How is fluency in English assessed?
Applicants should have excellent conversational English and be able to understand a variety of texts. As with all applicants, during the audition the panel will consider how you deliver your speeches and also how you are able to interact and converse with them
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide proof of your English language ability. For more information see our English Language Requirements guide or contact admissions@rada.ac.uk.
For non-UK applicants, we recommend that you read the guidelines published by UK Visas and Immigration. RADA can choose how to assess a student’s knowledge of English.
They must still be at:
- CEFR level B2 if you’re studying at a degree level or higher
Admissions process
Our audition process is rigorous, spanning several months. Owing to the number of applicants we audition, we do not routinely provide feedback.
The information below explains each stage of the process; you can read more details about the process, what speeches to prepare, and how we support disabled applicants in our Admissions Procedure Guide.
Read our self-tape guide here.
Auditions
The four audition stages
- Preliminary Audition, November to February
- Second Round, November to March
- Short Workshop (three-hour session via Zoom), Feb to April
- Full Workshop Day, April to May
Preliminary Audition
Preliminary auditions open in October. Your video will be seen in the first stage by two members of the audition panel. Your self-tape will consist of three audition speeches and a song. Each speech should last up to two minutes. You are also required to sing the verse and chorus of a song, unaccompanied. The song should last up to one and a half minutes.
- Speech A - Classical
The classical piece should be from Shakespeare or an Elizabethan/Jacobean playwright (Jonson, Marlowe, Webster, etc.). It should be originally written in English - so do not choose a piece from a Greek tragedy or a Molière comedy, for example. You can perform a monologue in your native language (mother tongue) if you prefer, but it must be accompanied by the same piece performed in English. - Speech B - Alternative Classical
You must have an alternative classical piece prepared (same rules as Speech A). - Speech C - Contemporary
The contemporary piece should provide a clear contrast to the classical pieces and be written after 1960. Do not use Chekhov or Shaw for this piece. - Song
The song should be unaccompanied and consist of a verse and chorus ONLY.
Second Round
Video submissions of successful Applicants from the Preliminary Audition will be passed to a secondary panel consisting of three panel members.
Short workshop
A three-hour workshop. You should be prepared to perform both classical speeches (Speech A and Speech B) and the contemporary speech (Speech C) from earlier rounds. The workshop leader will pick one of your classical speeches for you to perform.
Each Applicant will work with a director on their speech, to explore fully the material and opportunities within it. The director will be looking for an imaginative response to the text and character, physical and vocal adaptability, the ability to take direction.
Full workshop day
This is the final stage and you will need to prepare a new audition speech of your choice. It can be from any era, Greek to contemporary. We need to see a speech you have not shown or worked on in earlier stages.
Other sessions include movement, voice and scene study.
Our intention is that the day is relaxed and enjoyable for all applicants so that, regardless of the outcome, you will have had an enriching experience.
Interview
You will then have an individual interview with a senior panel member, lastly approximately 15 minutes.
Information for disabled applicants
We welcome applications from disabled applicants and encourage them to disclose relevant information regarding any disability when completing their application form, to enable us to provide additional support during the admissions process. Find out more about the ways RADA support disabled applicants in our Student Life pages.
If you are a disabled applicant and would like further advice or guidance, please contact the admissions team directly on admissions@rada.ac.uk.
Admissions, appeals and complaints
For information about RADA’s admissions, appeals and complaints procedures for higher education courses, please download and read our Admissions, Appeals and Complaints document.
This process covers all of our Higher Education courses.
Policies, terms and conditions
If you would like to know more about RADA’s admissions policies for higher education courses, please download and read our Admissions Policy.
Please download the RADA Fees Policy for more information about fee levels and increases, deposits and payment.
Please see our Student Protection Plan for information about how we protect your rights.
You can read our terms and conditions for students.
You may be eligible to apply for free through RADA Connect, a new programme connecting applicants from underrepresented groups into Higher Education.
Check if you are eligible and find out more about the programme.
Travel bursaries
If you join RADA Connect and successfully progress through the application process, you will also be considered for a travel bursary for the fourth round of the auditions, which we will hold in person at RADA.
We will require evidence of need and household income. We do not set a specific amount paid for travel bursaries as it will depend on the distance travelled and mode of transport. We will only pay travel bursaries for travel within the UK in standard class.
Tuition fees
Undergraduate fees for the academic year 2024-25:
Home (UK) students
£9,250 per academic year
International
£23,940 per academic year
Tuition fees: in detail
Your course is three years in length so for UK students the total tuition will be not less than £27,750. For international students, the total tuition will be not less than £71,820 . For international students, please note that we are likely to increase your fees year-on-year by a cost of living amount.
Check below for information on whether you will be classed as a Home (UK) or International student. This also affects the financial support available.
Please see the fees policy for more information about how RADA calculates tuition fee increases for each year of a course.
Home (UK) or International student?
There are strict regulations regarding residency which must be met in order to qualify for Home (UK) student status.
Home (UK) student
In order to be classed as a Home (UK) student you normally need to meet all of the following criteria on the first day of the first academic year of the course:
- You are settled in the UK (this means there is no immigration restriction on the length of your stay).
- You are ordinarily resident in the UK, and have been for the full three years before the first day of the academic year (ordinarily resident means that your main home is in the UK, and you are choosing to live in the UK).
- The main reason for you being in the UK was not to receive full-time education.
Irish nationals who have been living in the Republic of Ireland or the UK can qualify for Home fees as long as they meet the residence requirements which can be found on the UK Council for International Students' (UKCISA) website.
International students
If you do not fall under the Home (UK) definition, then you will be classed as an international student.
International students coming to RADA on a full-time course of more than six months will require a Student visa before coming to the UK to start your course. Without the visa you will not be allowed to enter the UK. Please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
The definitions on this page are only a very brief summary and there are a number of exceptions to the conditions listed. For more detailed information, please refer to the UK Council for International Student Affairs guide.
Other costs
Almost all materials and resources you require for your course, including travel for any trips, are included in your tuition fees.
Other material costs (not included in your tuition fee): approximately £300.
The things not covered include practice clothes and footwear, yoga mats, play texts and stationery.
International students will also need to pay for visa costs; please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
Funding your training
Although applications are made directly to RADA, not through UCAS, RADA is a Registered Provider with the Office for Students. This means that Home (UK) students studying on our courses are eligible for financial support from the Student Loans Company.
RADA also offers a number of scholarships, the majority of which are awarded on the basis of income to undergraduate students studying in higher education for the first time.
It is important that you understand when you accept a place at RADA that you know how you will pay for it and whether you will need financial assistance. We do not take account of financial need when offering places, but we do reasonably assume that if you are applying to come to RADA, you will be able to pay the fees and support yourself.
We include some advice on budgeting as a student in our Living in London pages and our Student and Academic services team can help offer more in depth advice once you start your training with us.
Applying for a student loan
You can apply for a student loan for your tuition fees and living costs (maintenance loan) if:
- you are a Home (UK) student
- you have not already completed a course at the same level (for example another BA degree)
Tuition fee loans are not means tested and this means that you do not have to pay any fees upfront for your course.
Depending on your home/residency country, you will also be able to take out a maintenance loan to support you in your studies. These loans are means tested and will depend on whether you are living at home or independently. Information about how much you can borrow and a student finance calculator are available on the student finance website.
Scholarships
RADA offers a number of scholarships. The majority of our scholarships will be awarded on the basis of income to undergraduate students studying in higher education for the first time.
We have a limited number of scholarships for second degree students. We do not usually offer scholarships to international students from outside the UK.
Means-tested scholarships
For UK students, new to higher education, starting an undergraduate course in September 2024, we may be able to offer the following :
Income under £45,000
Minimum award of £3,000 for each year of study
Care experienced
In accordance with our 2020 – 2025 Access and Participation Plan, RADA offers an additional scholarship to care experienced applicants (for living costs) of £3,000 per year for each year of study. This is for UK students on undergraduate courses.
Students are invited to apply for scholarship support once the offer of a place is made.
Support for UK undergraduates taking a second degree
Students who have studied for a previous degree level qualification are not eligible for government-sponsored loans for a degree at the same or lower level.
RADA welcomes applications from UK students who already hold a degree from another institution or in a different subject and we hold a small number of places at the UK fee rate for such students.
You will need to finance yourself for both fees and living expenses. We have a very limited number of scholarships, which include full-fee and/or full-maintenance scholarships for students applying to our undergraduate programmes who are not eligible for student finance. Please read our scholarship section above for more information.
It is in your interest to provide us with information about how you intend to pay for your fees and support yourself through training, if you are not eligible for government-sponsored student finance. We will prioritise students from low-income backgrounds and from under-represented groups in allocating financial support.
Support for international students
International students (not a Home (UK) student) are required to pay the full cost of their fees and living costs and are made an offer on the basis of paying privately. You may also need to show evidence of these funds when applying for a student visa.
There are also financial requirements associated with the allocation of a Student visa. Please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
RADA is not, at present, eligible for US Federal Loans.
Our BA (Hons) Acting prepares you for work in English-speaking classical and contemporary theatre, film, television and radio. Graduates work internationally, especially in the US on Broadway and in Hollywood.
Graduates have also worked in video game and digital performance, continued to postgraduate education, and become directors, writers and producers, creating their own work, founding their own companies and running leading theatre venues across the UK.
The transferable skills in the training have also enabled graduates to further their studies and establish careers in psychology, teaching, law, communications, business and life coaching, elite sports coaching and public speaking.
Recent graduate destinations
Here is just a selection of recent work by our acting graduates.
West End productions
- Cabaret
- Best of Enemies
- The Lehman Trilogy
- Othello
- Blues for An Alabama Sky
- Hamilton
- Hamlet
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- The Inheritance
- The Jungle
- King Lear
- The Lieutenant of Inishmore
- The Play That Goes Wrong
- Plays at the Garrick season, Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company
- Pinter at the Pinter
- Uncle Vanya
UK theatres
- Almeida Theatre, London
- Barbican, London
- Bridge Theatre, London
- Bush Theatre, London
- Chichester Festival Theatre
- Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
- Donmar Warehouse, London
- Edinburgh International Festival
- Gielgud Theatre, London
- HOME, Manchester
- King's Head Theatre, London
- Liverpool Playhouse
- Lyric Hammersmith, London
- Manchester Royal Exchange
- National Theatre, London
- National Theatre of Scotland
- New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
- Nottingham Playhouse
- Old Vic, London
- Orange Tree Theatre, London
- Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London
- Royal & Derngate, Northampton
- Royal Court, London
- Shakespeare's Globe / Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London
- Sheffield Crucible
- Tara Arts, London
- Theatre Royal Bath
- Theatre Royal Stratford East
- Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol
- Unicorn Theatre, London
- Yard Theatre, London
- Young Vic, London
International Theatres
- LaMama Theatre, Melbourne
- Abby Theatre, Dublin
- Park Avenue Armory, New York
- Hayes Theater, New York
Television
- The Crown
- Succession
- His Dark Materials
- Industry
- Wreck
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Fargo
- The Rings of Power
- This England
- The Sandman
- House of the Dragon
- Surface
- Everything I Know About Love
- Bridgerton
- Bodyguard
- Coronation Street
- Fleabag
- Game of Thrones
- Killing Eve
- Line of Duty
- Luther
- Sex Education
- This Country
- The Crown
- A Very English Scandal
- The Walking Dead
- The Young Offenders
Film
- Lovecraft Country,
- Tenet
- Death on the Nile
- Belfast
- No Time To Die
- The King’s Man
- Emily
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Living
- The Lost King
- Pinocchio
- Enola Holmes
- The Favourite
- Harriet
- I’m Thinking of Ending Things
- Little Women
- Loki
- Midsommar
- Murder on the Orient Express
- The Personal History of David Copperfield
- Peterloo
- Rocketman
- The Shape of Water
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
- Vita and Virginia
Applicants must be 18 by the start of the academic year to apply for the BA (Hons) in Acting. We offer other opportunities for young people under 18 including Access and Participation projects and Short Courses.
There is no upper age limit to apply and we welcome applications from people of all ages over 18.
Application is by audition; no academic qualifications are required.
Applicants should have excellent conversational English and be able to understand a variety of texts. If English is not your first language, you may need to provide proof of your English language ability. For more information see English Language Requirements or contact admissions@rada.ac.uk.
We also recommend that you read the guidelines published by UK Visas and Immigration.
We do not currently hold open days for this course.
We no longer produce a physical prospectus. All the information you need about our full-time courses can be found on our website, including course content, costs and funding, graduate destinations, the application process, welfare support and where to live.
We do not use the UCAS service for applications and we have an independent audition process. Apply via the online form at the top of this page.
No. You will be asked to sing for your video submission so we can see how you communicate in a different medium, and how you approach performing in different scenarios – the ways you engage with a text and with the ideas behind it.
The BA (Hons) in Acting course includes singing lessons; you can find out more about these in the course information further up this page.
RADA usually accepts 28 students onto the BA (Hons) in Acting course each year.
Complete the online application form at the top of this page. You will receive an automated confirmation email when the form has been submitted.
Following this our Admissions Team will contact you as soon as possible and give a two-week deadline for submitting your self-tape to RADA so please do ensure that you feel prepared to record your video, prior to submitting your application.
We aim to send you self-tape guidance as soon as possible. If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks, please contact admissions@rada.ac.uk so we can confirm whether we have received your application or update you with your audition details.
Please note the admissions office can get incredibly busy at peak times while we process applications and schedule interviews and auditions.
The application fee is collected in order for us to be able to process and progress your application, and is not refundable under any circumstances
If you are ill on the day, please email admissions@rada.ac.uk in advance of your audition.
Where possible we will try to provide an alternative date, but this may not be possible as it is dependent on where we are in the auditions process.
No. You should apply for a place in the year before the September you wish to begin your training.
There are different fees for UK and international students. You must have lived in the UK for three consecutive years prior to starting the course in order to qualify for UK level tuition fees.
If, for example, you were born in the UK but then moved to Australia for twenty years, you would be liable to pay the international rate.
Please see the information under 'Tuition fees' above to know if you are an UK or international student.
If you are a UK student new to higher education, you can apply for a student loan for your tuition fees and living costs. If you are an international student, you are required to pay the full cost of your fees and living expenses. Your offer is made on the basis that you can meet these expenses from your own funds.
We do not usually offer scholarships to international students from outside the UK.
Read full details in our ‘Costs and funding’ section above.
The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. In June 2020, the UK government announced that EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for home fee status or financial support from Student Finance England for courses starting from the 2021-22 academic year onwards. This does not apply to Irish nationals, or anyone who benefits from Citizens’ Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement.
You can read the full government announcement here. Please see www.gov.uk for more details.
Due to the academic timetable including evening and weekend classes or productions, there would be little opportunity to work during term time. It is important that students have a balance of study and rest throughout their time at RADA to enable them to complete their training satisfactorily.
You can find our term dates up to summer 2025 here.
Generally, we do not accept student transfers into our higher education courses. For our acting and performance courses students are auditioned for places (including through several rounds of audition for the BA (Hons) in Acting). The courses are structured in a way that means it is not easy for someone to join part way through, unless they’ve already completed some of the training, for example when someone starts a RADA course and then interrupts for a short period. Should a student decide to move elsewhere, we would support them in finding appropriate study and work with our validating universities to recognise achievement through an exit award, as appropriate.
We are not able to support students transferring between courses at RADA, particularly between acting and theatre production degrees as these are very different and vocational pathways. A student wishing to change direction would need to be interviewed or auditioned to join one of the other courses.
You can download our policy statement on transferring courses here.
RADA's response to Covid-19 includes making all preliminary and recall auditions take place via a self-tape, submitted online. Third round auditions will take place online, and we aim to carry out final round auditions in person if possible.
Current RADA students are continuing their courses with a combination of in-person and online training. We will continue to adapt our training in light of changing government protocols and advice, but please note courses in September 2023 may encompass some elements of online training.
As a Government regulated institution, sometimes our ability to open to the public and visitors is out of control. We will always communicate clearly with applicants as circumstances change. Please read more about our Covid-19 protocols here.
You should first apply to the course using the online application form on this website page. Once you have submitted it and paid the application fee (unless you are eligible for a free application), we will send you details of how to create the audition self-tape.
We will send specific guidance once you have submitted an application. The audition video should consist of three speeches and an unaccompanied song and should follow the guidelines we send you. You can read more on the Applying section.
Read our regulations and policies relating to admissions and current students here.
