Scholarships and Bursaries
At Drama Studio London, we believe the opportunity to train at a professional acting school should be available to everyone with talent, irrespective of financial background.
If you need support to pay for your studies, have a look at the information on this page and contact admin@dramastudiolondon.co.uk if you want to discuss your options.
DSL BA (Hons) in Professional Acting students may also be eligible for UWL Undergraduate Scholarships and Bursaries. More information about these can be found here.
Student Loans
Undergraduate 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.
| Course | BA Professional Acting (3Yrs) at Drama Studio London |
| SLC Course Code | 844318 |
| UCAS code | W412 |
| University name | University of West London |
Step by step guide to Student Finance
EU nationals can apply for a student loan as a UK national if you’ve been living in the UK for more than 3 years before the first day of the first academic year of your course and you have settled status.
Postgraduate Loans
Students who normally live in England taking our MFA or MA courses may be eligible for a Postgraduate Loan of up to £12,471* if your course starts on or after 1 August 2024 or £12,167* if your course started between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024. This is money to go towards the cost of your course and living expenses.
If your course lasts for more than a year, the loan will be divided equally across each year of your course and paid in three instalments each year.
To be eligible you must:
– Be under 60 on the first day of the first academic year of your course. (The academic year is a period of 12 months starting on 1 September, if your course starts between 1 August and 31 December)
– Be a UK national or have Settled Status
– Normally live in England, not move there just to study.
– Have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years before starting your course.
You may not be able to get a Postgraduate Masters Loan if:
– You are receiving instalments from another Student Finance England plan
– You have received a Postgraduate Masters Loan before (unless you left your course due to illness, bereavement or another serious personal reason).
– You already have a master’s degree, or a qualification that’s equivalent or higher.
– You are behind in your repayments for any previous loans from the Student Loans Company.
Applications for Postgraduate Loans will open in June 2022. You will need to log into your Student Finance England account to apply or set one up here.
You should apply as early as possible to make sure your loan is ready for the start of your course. You don’t need a confirmed place in order to apply.
Repaying your loan
You will not have to start paying your Postgraduate Loan back until the April after you complete your course and then you will only begin to repay when your income is over £404 a week or £1,750 a month (before tax and other deductions). If you have a salary this will be taken through your PAYE. If you are self-employed this will be through your self-assessment, tax return.
For more detailed information on repayments go to www.gov.uk/repaying-your-student-loan
*Based on loans for 2024/25 admission.
Disabled Students
If you identify as a student with a disability, you may be eligible for a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). This is a grant to help with any extra essential costs you may have as a direct result of your disability, long-term health condition, mental-health condition, or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Students on Undergraduate or Postgraduate courses may receive up to £25,575/ year in support. The amount that you receive is dependent on your needs rather than your income and does not need to be paid back.
There’s also a useful guide with further information here. It includes:
- An overview of what the DSA is, what it covers, and how it is different from tuition fee assistance and maintenance loans
- Eligibility for the DSA, including the broad range of conditions in the Equality Act of 2010
- Step-by-step instructions on applying for the DSA, along with a guide to getting the requirements accomplished
- A list of other support a disabled student can get while studying
Scholarships and Bursaries
The Professor Peter John CBE Scholarship
The Professor Peter John CBE Scholarship is awarded to one student entering each of our full-time courses. You will be given the opportunity to apply for this scholarship when you have been offered a place. The scholarship offers 50% off tuition fees.
The recipients of the scholarship are individuals who show great promise and passion for acting and who will greatly benefit from the financial support to pursue their ambitions.
As Vice-Chancellor of the University of West London, Professor Peter John CBE is demonstrating his commitment to the broadening of access to specialist arts training by putting his name to these scholarships.
Funding Awards Whilst Training
Each year DSL 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 Mayflower Theatre’s Higher Education Bursary Scheme (16-25 year olds from Hampshire)
DSL Awards
There are four DSL cash prizes awarded annually to graduating students who, in the eyes of the faculty, have displayed a talent for comedy, classical acting or screen acting during their time at Drama Studio London. It is not based on a single performance but on their work over the whole course. Students have no need to apply for these awards individually since everyone graduating year actor is eligible for consideration by the faculty.
The Maggie Ollerenshaw Prize for Comedy Acting:
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. Her recent credits include War Horse, Holby City and Little Princess.
Recent winners:
2023 – Elizabeth Fisher, PG Dip in Professional Acting
2022 – Wen Zhou, MFA in Professional Acting with Independent Production
2021 – Helena Ashwell, 1 Year Diploma in Professional Acting
2020 – Henry Settle, BA (Hons) in Professional Acting
The Terry Hands CBE Prize for Classical Acting:
The Terry Hands Prize for Classical Acting was established in 2022 in memory of Terry Hands, CBE, an esteemed English theatre director who founded the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and was the Artistic Director of The Royal Shakespeare Company from 1978 until 1990.
Previous winners:
2023 – Leon Bellusci, BA (Hons) in Professional Acting
2022- Charlie Sheepshanks, 1 Year Diploma in Professional Acting
The DSL Screen Acting Award:
Previous winners:
2023 – Angelica Servan, MFA in Professional Acting with Independent Production
2022 – Andrew Harmon-Gray, BA (Hons) in Professional Acting
The Sara Raybould Voice Prize
New for 2025
Sara Raybould is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience ) at the University of West London and previously, Director of the London College of Music. She has always had a keen interest in the development of the voice, both spoken and sung. Before entering the academic world she has worked in the fields of pop, cabaret, band work, film music sessions and jazz, which ranged from acoustic settings to concert work with orchestras as a vocalist and pianist. Sara is strong advocate of the Creative Arts and is always happy to support students in this area.
Friends of Drama Studio London
The Friends of Drama Studio London is a small independent, registered charity funded by donations to support trainee actors across all of our courses, not in receipt of student grants.
Any applications for grants must be for living expenses not for fees, and can only be applied for once a place has been accepted and confirmed.
There are no deadlines for applications whilst you are a still a current student. The decision on how many bursaries can be made, subject to available funds, will be made by the small panel of trustees on a regular basis.
No audition is required, and bursaries are offered on the basis of financial need. Decisions will be made on the evidence of a short letter no longer than 1 A4 page addressed to the Director of DSL setting out the case for receiving assistance.