Student Loans

Students taking our 3 Year BA (Hons) in Professional Acting course may be eligible to apply for a student loan through Student Finance England.

SLC Course Code: 844318

All applicants should register as a student of University of West London on their application.

EU nationals can apply for a student loan as a UK national if you've been living in the UK for more than 5 years before the first of September of the first academic year of your course. 

Students taking our MFA in Professional Acting with Independent Production may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Masters Loan through Student Finance England. More details can be found on our Postgraduate Loans page.

Unfortunately, students taking our 1 Year Diploma course are unable to apply for a student loan and should look at the other options available. 

Your Council & Other Local Options

If you contact your local council, local Citizens Advice Bureau, town hall or local clergy. they may be able to inform you of any performing arts scholarships available. Generally, these only cover part of your fees and you will be required to fund the rest yourself.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with disabilities you may be eligible to receive financial support. The Disability Rights UK website offers more information. 

Funding Awards Whilst Training

Each year Drama Studio London is eligible to nominate a student for the following awards, generally based on talent and need. Nominees will be competing against nominees from other drama schools.

School nominated prizes (students cannot apply themselves):

• The Lionel Bart Foundation
• The John Gielgud Charitable Trust
• The Olivier Award
• New Earth (for East Asian Actors)
• Lilian Baylis Award
• Open Door Elevate (non-monetary)
• APHP Bursary (non-monetary)
• The Maggie Ollerenshaw Prize for Comedic Acting: A prize of £500 awarded annually to one graduating student who, in the eyes of the faculty, has displayed a natural talent for comedy and has developed their skills in this area during their time at Drama Studio London. It is not based on a single performance but on their work over the whole course. The winner is decided and announced each May. Students are unable to apply for this, it will be awarded by the school. Maggie is perhaps best known for playing the role of Mavis in the BBC sitcom series Open All Hours and its spin-off series Still Open All Hours. The winner in 2020 was Henry Settle - BA (Hons) in Professional Acting.
• Terry Hands Classical Acting Award: A cash prize is awarded annually to one graduating student who, in the eyes of the faculty, has impressed with their Classical Acting Performances during their time at Drama Studio London. It is not based on a single performance but on their talent and progress over the whole course. 

Student applied awards

• Luke Westlake Scholarship 2021 (Level 4 degree students)
• Professor Peter John Scholarship (50% off tuition fees)
• Dawn Sturgess Bursary: a £30,000 opportunity for applicants from Wiltshire beginning their courses in September 2022. 

Other Charities & Trusts

Some charities/trusts offer funding to people covering a wide range of eligibility criteria. Some online research is bound to provide some results.

There is also a Grant Search function on the Turn2Us website which you might find helpful.

Successful applications often result from local or regional connections. You may have to do a lot of research but we advise you as a first step to 'think local'.

› Make sure you check that you satisfy the eligibility requirements for your chosen grant before applying.