Auditioning for 2016

[christina32]

I know it's sad she is very academic as well as scoring highly in BTEC diploma so I am just praying they will offer her a degree, I don't know how they decide if they offer a diploma or degree though. I am dreading it already!!

[bop2thetop]

Hi christina32, Unfortunately you cannot get a DADA and student funding. Unless perhaps the private school has any other kind of funding they can offer. You may be able to get a Career Development Loan from the bank to top it up if absolutely necessary but I'm not sure as I haven't looked in to that in much detail because I know they have to start paying it back as soon as they finish the course which I thought could be very difficult. We were in your situation too a couple of years ago being a 'middle income family' and we knew we could not afford for our DD to go to a school even with a DADA because the money she would need for accommodation and living we simply do not have, despite the government assuming we have. So we restricted her auditions to only Degree courses that you can have normal student funding for. So my DD only auditioned for Bird, GSA and Urdang (Urdang require you to pay a top up to the tuition fees but that was just doable). Definately couldn't afford Arts Ed or Mountview or any 'Diploma' courses. Isn't it a shame when your choices are restricted because of finances? Anyway, we were extremely lucky because she got in to GSA to study MT which for us was about the best place she could go to financially and the training is as good as anywhere IMO. It's very difficult to get in there though so I'm not sure what we will do when it's our DS turn to audition next year but I am looking at Musical Theatre Degree courses for him because that's the only way we can afford it. If I can help at all please feel free to PM me.

[carriecrafts]

Thanks for your reply, yes there are some help with the DADA for maintenance costs for the very low earners, however we sit middle of the road, I would have to pay a small amount to fees which id fine but then as it seems to me find 6,500 a year to cover accommodation, which we just don't have. I think it looks like the best route is to go for the degrees at universities that way she can get student finance etc. She would love to try for Arts Ed, Urdang etc but if there is no way we can afford it seems pointless.

DaDAs really don't work for low income families either dd was offered DaDA and full maintenance grant at Urdang but it wouldn't have even covered her rent in London and with 2 other children we couldn't find the rest of her rent plus living costs (inc almost £900 annual tube pass). Thankfully she was offered degree places too so she gets student finance which (just about) covers everything.

You do have to choose between the two forms of funding as you can't have a DaDA and Student Finance. If a DaDA won't work for you then look at GSA, and Bird as they both offer degrees with the full £9000 fees available from Student Finance. Urdang charge about £12,000 with £9000 available from SF but also offer bursaries for the extra £3000. ArtsEd, London Studio Centre and Mountview offer degrees but only £6000 of the tuition fee can be borrowed as Student Loan, so you have to top up the remaining £6000-ish but you do get the maintenance loan (and means-tested grant). I believe Millennium now offer a degree too but I don't know the fee/loan arrangements.
x

[reachforthestars]

So for MV, Arts Ed etc do you get to choose which course (degree or diploma) or do they consider you for both at the time of audition? Also, for 2017 entry, will the maintenance loan still be available? Does anyone have any info on this? Thanks!

[Caroline A-C]

DS's got his offer from Arts Ed offering him the diploma but for a one off fee he could convert it to a BA. Although he left two years ago I think this is still the way it is done. Think everybody is offered the diploma with chance to convert of BA.

[reachforthestars]

Thanks Caroline A-C. How does that work with funding then? If you choose to convert to degree can you then claim a proportion of the fees through Student Finance? I believe £6k is the max. But if offered Diploma, only DAda is available? Can anyone confirm how the process all works? We haven't even got started yet and I'm confused!

[Caroline A-C]

Really don't know about diploma as ds was only aiming for BA. When he was at Arts Ed fees were around £12,000 pa but the student loan was only £3,000 then so we had to find a huge chunk. He did get the maintenance loan which was about £5,000/£5,500 pa. The BA course was validated by City University. I have no idea why you can only claim £6,000 pa and not £9,000 - seems unfair to me.

[carriecrafts]

So for MV, Arts Ed etc do you get to choose which course (degree or diploma) or do they consider you for both at the time of audition? Also, for 2017 entry, will the maintenance loan still be available? Does anyone have any info on this? Thanks!

I don't know about ArtsEd and Mountview but with Urdang and Bird if you want to be considered for both the Diploma and the BA you make a dual application, one direct to the school (you can specify Diploma, BA or both) and one via UCAS. If you only want the Diploma then you just make the direct application. Both courses are auditioned together.

At Urdang you first get an offer for the Diploma, followed by a recall audition to decide whether you get an offer for the BA or any funding for the Diploma (DaDA or in-house) or just your original unfunded Diploma place. DD got a phone call offering her either a DaDA or a BA place, she had to decide which she preferred. At Bird my dd just got an offer for the BA as that is what she had applied for.

The Maintenance Loan from Student Finance is available for all BA students. The Maintenance Grant (which is non-repayable and based on family income) is being scrapped and will be replaced by extra loan, so students will still have access to the same (or more I think) maintenance for living costs but it will all be repayable under the terms of Student Finance (once earning are above £21,000).

[reachforthestars]

Thanks Carriecrafts. For Arts and MV I believe you apply direct rather than via UCAS, therefore I suspect you may be considered for both but I'd like to know if you get to choose degree or diploma yourself or if they decide for you. With the £6k Max available through student finance, we would then have to fund the difference ourselves however, if diploma was offered then I presume you'd then be looking at a Dada. I was concerned that Maintenance Loans might not continue to be offered for 2017 entry but you suggest that they are set to continue? Fingers crossed! We're looking at MT degree courses at MV, Arts, GSA, CSSD, Urdang and Bird. Thanks to everyone who has commented so far, my head is in a whirl already. And we haven't even started! Apologies for hijacking the 2016 thread, I suspect a 2017 Auditions thread will appear shortly...

[oscar]

Yes,you do get to decide. If you get offered a place you get asked if you wish to apply for a dada or not. Once dadas have been offered you decide if you wish to do the diploma or degree. If you opt for the degree you pay a one off fee of just under £500. Student loan is £6000.

[Xxxlisaxxx]

Me again! Had an email from Urdang informing us that they have a small number of students that are still being considered for funding and that DD is in this "waiting list"...we will hear by the end of April of final decision and they can't give any indication to the likelihood of reveiving a DADA. Does anyone have experience of this? TIA

[bop2thetop]

My DD was on the waiting list at Urdang (2 years ago) She had got on the Diploma course but was waiting re the Degree. She was offered a place on the degree in the August. She had already accepted a place at GSA by then but it just proves how late you can be offered the degree

[bop2thetop]

With regard to the Degree and funding topics have a look at PPA and The Hammond. They have both just started a Musical Theatre Degree and might be worth looking in to.. Hopefully they come with student funding so could come in to the affordable places. I'm going to be looking at them as possible places for my DS to audition for. Does anybody know anything about how good they are ?

[lindy7]

Hi an anyone provide me with any further info on Central as my DD went fro audition today which she enjoyed and was told that just because she was not kept until the afternoon it doesn't mean you won't get recalled it may well be that they have seen enough and sometimes they want to look at some others more in the afternoon? So can anyone tell me if this has happened to them and then were lucky enough to be recalled even though they did not stay on for the afternoon. I want to give my DD some hope.

[Janey5]

With regard to the Degree and funding topics have a look at PPA and The Hammond. They have both just started a Musical Theatre Degree and might be worth looking in to.. Hopefully they come with student funding so could come in to the affordable places. I'm going to be looking at them as possible places for my DS to audition for. Does anybody know anything about how good they are ?

Fees for BA MT at The Hammond are £9,000 fully funded by tuition fee loan and students can apply for maintenance loans. Student accommodation at University of Chester is also available