Registration Fees:
A deposit of £200 is payable on the acceptance of a place on the BA (Hons) Acting.
DaDA holders are not charged the £200 deposit.
This is refunded at the end of the course subject to there being no outstanding payments or property due to ALRA.
Tuition Fees:
£11,400 per year
University Fee: £350
The fees shown above are subject to change at any time. Cheques made payable to ALRA.
Student Loans
ALRA is classified as a college of Further Education and operates under the Dance and Drama Award scheme (DaDA) from the Learning & Skills Council (LSC). As such, our Acting course students are not eligible for Student Loans from the Student Loan Company (LSC) as these are only available to students in Higher Education.
Dance and Drama Awards Scheme
DaDA’s were introduced by the Government in 1999 to provide national scholarships for the UK’s most talented dance and drama students. Both the BA (Hons) Acting and the MA Professional Acting are part of the scheme.
If you wish to be considered for a DaDA you must tick the relevant box on the application form.
You are eligible to be considered for a DaDA if you are a citizen of the UK or EU and have lived in the EU continuously for three years prior to the start of the course.
Awards are offered to applicants who show the most potential at audition. Where students are judged to have equal potential, awards are allocated to those who are in greatest financial need.
Tuition fees for DaDA recipients are reduced to £1,250 per annum (subject to a small annual increase). DaDA students are eligible to apply to the Income Assessed Student Support Fund for assistance with their remaining tuition fees and living expenses. This is not a loan and does not have to be repaid. Please note: The £350 University Fee is mandatory for all full-time Acting students and is not covered by the DaDA or the Student Support Fund.
Students with disabilities who have a Dance and Drama Award can apply for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). The DSA is a grant that can help to cover the cost of extra equipment and support required to access the training at the School.
The Dance and Drama Awards are scholarships funded by the Learning and Skills Council. For further information about the awards, please visit the website at: www.direct.gov.uk/danceanddrama
Career Development Loans
Career Development Loans are bank loans designed to help you pay for vocational training. You can borrow up to £8,000 through Barclays, The Co-operative Bank or The Royal Bank of Scotland. For further information see: www.direct.gov.uk/cdl
Scholarships and Bursaries
ALRA are committed to assisting students wishing to apply for funding from charitable organisations. Students are nominated by ALRA for bursaries from the following:
The Laurence Olivier Bursary
The Stanley Picker Trust
The Lilian Baylis Award
The Sir John Gielgud Charitable Trust
Students are usually nominated in their second or third year of study.
You may also wish to apply individually to relevant charitable foundations of which ALRA’s Development Department will be able to supply a list.
US Loans Scheme What support is available? An American National or permanent resident can apply for a loan if you have accepted an offer of a place at ALRA. We are an eligible Federal Loan institution and our school code is G37413. Federal Student loans. The FFELP Stafford loan – This loan supported by the US government that is available to all students. TheStafford loan is offered at a fixed interest rate which has been set at 6.8%. This loan does not enter into repayment until 6 months after the student has completed the course or dropped below 50% attendance. There are 2 parts to the Stafford loan.
The subsidized loan is assessed on “need” and as such the interest accrued on this portion of the loan is paid by the US government whilst students are in study. These costs will revert to the student’s responsibility after completion of the course.
The unsubsidized loan will accrue interest during the period of study and these costs will be the student's responsibility.
During the 2009/10 year most lenders will be charging the student a 1% default fee and a 0.5% origination fee on these loans in accordance with US Dept of Education Guidance The FFELP Parent Plus loan – These loans are available to Parents of dependent undergraduate students. The parent would take a loan out on behalf of the child to cover any additional educational costs. The loan is offered at a fixed interest rate of 8.5%. Parents can opt to delay repayment of this loan until 6 months after the student has completed the course or dropped below 50% attendance. The FFELP GRAD Plus Loan – These loans are available to Graduate students and taken out in their own name under similar conditions to the Parent Plus loan. The student will need to complete the application form so that they are the student as well as the borrower. Students with low or little credit may require a co-signer. Again these loans are offered on a fixed interest rate of 8.5% and student’s can defer repayment until 6 months after the completion of the course.
Both forms of PLUS loans will also normally attract a 1% default fee plus a 3% origination fee for the 2009/2010 year, again in line with guidance from the Dept of Education in the US. How much can I borrow? The table below shows the amounts of Stafford loan a student can borrow depending on the course and year they will attend.
Year of course
Subsidised loan
Additional Unsubsidised loan
Total loan
Dependent Undergraduate 1st year
2nd year
3rd year
$3500
$4500
$5500
$2000
$2000
$2000
$5500
$6500
$7500
Independent Undergrad 1st year
2nd year
3rd year
$3500
$4500
$5500
$6000
$6000
$7000
$9500
$10500
$12500
Graduate/professional
$8500
$12000
$20500
Any Parent Plus loan (available to UG dependent students only), Grad Plus or Private loan is intended to cover any remaining costs of attendance the student has, without any set annual maximums.
The cost of Attendance includes Tuition fees and living costs and is set by the institution. Below is a guide to the cost of attendance you can expect for our institution.
Three Year Acting course
Tuition Fees £11,750 per year ($19,150 per year)
Living expenses £9,000 per year ($14,666 per year)
Total £20,750 per year ($33,816 per year)
One Year Acting course
Tuition Fees £12,600 per year ($20,550 per year)
Living expenses £9,000 per year ($14,666 per year)
Total £21,600 per year ($35,216 per year)
What is the repayment period? These loans can be repaid within a period of 10 to 15 years depending on what is arranged with the lender. Repayment normally starts 6 months after completion of the course, withdrawing or dropping below 50% attendance. There are no early repayment penalties on any of these loans. Students can also defer repayments on previous Stafford, Grad Plus and Private loans whilst you are attending an educational course full time at another Title IV eligible institution.
When should I apply?
Student’s will need to apply for these loans on an annual basis and would be recommended to start the application process anytime from the 1st March each year, although the FAFSA applications can be submitted anytime from Jan 1st. PLUS and Private loan applications should be applied for no earlier than 6 months prior to the start of the course.
Any application being received within a month of the course start date cannot be guaranteed to be processed in time for the start of the course or to provide the required documentation for any Visa.
How can I apply?
All students should apply for the Stafford loan before any other funds as it is the most beneficial loan available to students. You would need to complete this process on an annual basis, should you wish further loans.
Students would need to complete a financial aid form through the FAFSA website (www.fafsa.ed.gov) to generate the essential Student Aid Report.
Complete the Loan Debt Counselling at the following website, required by the Department of Education in the US.
Students will also need to select a lender to service and disburse the loan by completing their Master Promissory Note (MPN). We do not have any preferred lenders; however we would strongly recommend checking your lender works with international institutions. Students attending this institution can work with:
Sallie Mae has a dedicated international team and can provide student loan support for Federal Stafford and PLUS loans along with Private loans. Sallie Mae processes loans through their own internal lenders Sallie Mae Ed Trust (802218) and AMS (833471) but students can also opt to use 2 unaffiliated banks as their lenders; Fifth Third Bank (808780) and Regions Bank (810612).
Students can apply for Federal and Private loans online for all of these lenders via the following link https://opennet.salliemae.com
Students applying online with Sallie Mae would not need to send the original MPN to the school. If using a different lender however, students would then need to send the signed MPN to us at
Studio 1
Royal Victoria Patriotic Building
John Archer Way
London
SW18 3SX
Once you have decided on your lender and completed your MPN, you should send us a covering lettering confirming who you have decided to use as your lender and confirming the amount of loans you wish to take out, should you have a maximum and confirming any other funds you may have secured towards the cost of the course, along with the original signed Paper MPN if you have not opted to use one of the online lenders above.
Parent/Grad Plus or Private loans can be applied to cover any remaining cost of attendance. If you wish to take out a top up loan, please also confirm these details in your covering letter and ensure you submit a separate MPN for this loan.
When will the funds be disbursed?The Institution will request that the Stafford and Plus Loans are disbursed in at least 2 installments, in accordance with US laws. The first disbursements of any Stafford or PLUS loans will be requested to be available to collect from the institution once you have enrolled for the start of relevant academic year. The subsequent installment of loans would be available at the start of the subsequent term or semester.
Loan funds will already be disbursed in the form of a US Dollar cheque.
Private Loans
These are loans offered by some lenders to offer top up support and are not connected to the US government. Available to all students, although some students may require a co-signer. The loans are mainly based on credit history and therefore interest rates can vary. Each lender would provide a different type of private loan. SMART OPTION STUDENT LOAN - A private, credit-based loan for undergraduate and graduate students. This loan helps fund education expenses not already covered by federal student loans. Designed to reduce the overall loan costs and help shorten the amount of time it takes to pay off the loan, the Smart Option Student Loan features interest-only payments while in school and repayment terms based upon the cumulative outstanding private student loan balances and the borrower’s academic grade level.
All students applying for or receiving US Federal Aid (subsidized, unsubsidized and PLUS) must progress satisfactorily towards completion of a chosen academic program in order to remain eligible to receive US loan support.
The guidelines below have been established to encourage students to successfully complete the academic program they attend and continue to receive Financial aid.
A student:
Should not exceed 150% the published time frame for the course and should remain at least half time
Should pass the course/modules with a minimum of grade C to confirm they are making satisfactory progression.
The Satisfactory progression to retain Financial Aid is entirely separate from the academic requirements to remain on the course and does not guarantee the outcome of the students course. Satisfactory Academic progress will be checked before any loan funds are released to a student.
Financial Aid Probation and/or suspension
Should a student not meet the above mentioned procedures for Satisfactory Academic Progression, the university has agreed to place students on probation for the following term, until more credit marks become available or the failed module can be re-sat. The Programme Director would confirm any probation or suspension period in writing with the individual student should this situation arise.
If the student does not achieve satisfactory progress within the allotted timeframe, the student may lose their entitlement to US Loan support.
Acceptance of a place means that the student is liable for full fees for each year.
If a student withdraws from the course for any reason the remaining portion of unpaid fees for the year become immediately due for payment.
If a student does not reach the standard of work required and is asked to leave, the remaining portion of the fees for the year will normally be cancelled.
In the event of a student being expelled from the course for gross misconduct, fees paid are not refundable.
The following is an addendum for students who are utilising US Federal student aid funds.
If a student who receives financial aid withdraws from the institution, the university will recalculate your Financial Aid eligibility based on the period of attendance. As a result you may be required to pay back money to the US federal Government from the Federal Stafford subsidized and unsubsidized or PLUS loans you may have received. The institution may also have to repay any funds received for tuition to the US Federal government. As such you may be requested to make an additional fee payment to the school to replace these funds.
Pro-rata refund calculations apply for any student who withdraws within 60% of the payment period. If a student withdraws prior to completing 60% of each payment period, the university will calculate the amount of funds to be returned based on your period of attendance for that specific term. The last date of attendance will be the date confirmed by the program office and the calculations undertaken are those that are set by the Department of Education in the US and cannot be altered.
