Offer Procedure
Every year ALRA receives around 10 applications for every place on both the Three Year Acting course and the Postgraduate Acting course. We have a limited number of places for these courses at each campus, and it is vital that we recruit an exact number of students.
We recruit according to the following process:
Following your audition, you will either receive a firm offer of a place, be placed on a waiting list, or be rejected.
Firm Offers
If you are made a firm offer, your place will be guaranteed, providedthat:
a) You meet the academic entry requirements. Applicants to the Three Year Acting course must have at least 200 UCAS tariff points in their Level 3 qualifications. This equates to, for example, a minimum of CDD at A Level, or MMP at BTEC Diploma. Other combinations of grades are acceptable, provided they equal a minimum of 200 UCAS tariff points. If you do not know your results when your offer is made, it will be a condition of acceptance that you provide ALRA with confirmation of your satisfactory results as soon as they are known.
b) You accept by the stated deadline. When you receive your offer you will be asked to confirm that you have received it; if we do not hear from you within two weeks, your firm offer will be withdrawn and your place will be offered to a waiting list candidate. You will be asked to provisionally accept your offer by returning a form to ALRA, and will subsequently be set a deadline for firm acceptance. If you wish to firmly accept the offer, you will need to submit a payment of £400 to secure your place. If we do not receive this payment by the stated deadline, your place will not be secure. Your offer will still be open to you however, and you can still accept your place at a later date, as long as there are places available. Please bear in mind though, that we will continue to make firm offers to other students in the meantime, and your place may not remain available if you delay your decision. Early application, and early acceptance are therefore advised.
Waiting List Offers
Candidates who are made a waiting list offer will need to confirm that they are happy to be placed on the waiting list.
If you are made a waiting list offer, please remember that you are still very much under consideration for a place. We do not make offers (firm or waiting list) to candidates that we do not want to undertake the training; the only reason we make waiting list offers is because we cannot risk over-recruiting for the courses. If you are seen early in the entry cycle for example, you may receive a waiting list offer simply because we cannot reliably predict the quality and quantity of future applicants. Rest assured however, that many good students will not initially be made firm offers, but will subsequently be able to accept their places.
As with all schools, our firm offers list changes throughout the year as candidates make decisions on which schools they wish to attend; waiting list candidates therefore stand a very good chance of subsequently being made firm offers. For example, as the information above explains, if a candidate is made a firm offer and does not contact us within two weeks, we will immediately offer their place to someone on the waiting list.
Candidates’ acceptances are also often dependent on receiving Dance and Drama Award (DaDA) funding (see below), which is usually limited to between 20-35% of the year group (depending on which course). Places invariably become available once funding decisions are made, and unsuccessful DaDA-dependent students withdraw.
We will remain in close contact with you throughout the entry cycle and keep you updated as to your place on the waiting list.
Rejections
Candidates who are unsuccessful at audition will be notified on the day if they fail to progress past Stage 1 or Stage 2; but will be notified by e-mail if they reach Stage 3.
If you are rejected, try not to be discouraged by this outcome; remember that different schools are looking for different things, and no applicant gets in to every school they apply for.
ALRA is unable to audition any applicant more than once in any given year.
Dance and Drama Awards
N.B. Please familiarise yourself with the fees and funding arrangements at ALRA in connection with this information.
The DaDA scheme is merit-based; awards are offered to the candidates who show the most potential at audition. The work you present at audition therefore, is used to determine not just your suitability for the course (Three Year Acting or Postgraduate Acting), but also your ability in relation to other applicants. Since we must compare all eligible candidates against each other to determine who are the most deserving, for that reason we cannot allocate awards until all auditions have taken place.
If you are made a firm offer after your audition, it will be for your place only. Decisions on funding will be made in May, when we have held our last audition. If, at that point, you are offered a DaDA, you will be given a two-week deadline to decide if you wish to accept it. If you do not accept within two weeks, your funding offer will be withdrawn and your DaDA will be offered to another student.
Please remember that we have a limited number of DaDAs to offer. Around 1 in every 3 students on the Three Year Acting course is DaDA-funded, while on the Postgraduate Acting course, 1 in every 5 is DaDA-funded, and although this is a very generous ratio of funded to unfunded places, you are still statistically more likely not to be offered a DaDA than to be offered one. Consequently, you need to be realistic about your financial situation, and be prepared for the eventuality that if we offer you a place but no funding, you may not be able to accept.
The value of Tuition Fee Loan available from the Student Loans Company, to eligible students on the Three Year Acting course is £6,000. This will still leave a balance to be paid from private means, but in conjunction with the Maintenance Loan, and Maintenance Grant, the private cost of tuition might be more affordable than you think. A breakdown of the different fees and funding arrangements can be found on our website, and in our prospectus.
Shadow and Taster Days
The Shadow Days are offered to all incoming students on the waiting list to attend. The aim of these days is for students to get a taste of what happens at ALRA, talk to current students and get a feel for how the building is laid out.
Later in the year we offer a Taster Day; on these days students will be able to participate in lessons so they will get a real understanding of what will be expected of them and the high level of energy needed! Students will be contacted in regards to the date of the Taster Day by the Registrar.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is the student liaison officer and is always available for any queries you may have regarding coming to ALRA.
Why not watch our virtual open day? View the ALRA South Virtual Open Day
Induction Week
Here at ALRA we feel it is paramount the students feel clued up about starting on their journey with us here at ALRA.
The Induction Week is ALRA’s version of Fresher’s Week, unfortunately – or fortunately for some, minus the partying!
The Induction Week covers everything from Street Safety to Orientation, where students learn the geography of the building; which is important for their 8:40am call on the Monday morning of their first day! Students will also learn about Wellbeing, understanding just how essential breakfast is when you’re on your feet for 8 hours will be your saving grace!
New students will also be allocated a buddy from the second year, someone they can turn to outside of the body of staff who will always be on hand. Students are also assessed on the Learning Needs and a short test will be carried out to see if any student needs extra help due to dyslexia or dyspraxia. We have a dedicated team of Learning Support tutors in both the North and South who provide weekly classes to help students who need additional support.
You can see an example timetable below for Induction Week.
For any questions about Induction Week please speak to Maddy Anholt, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.