BA Acting
This intensive programme will prepare you for a career in theatre, screen, and radio as you explore your creativity in acting, voice, and movement.
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Overview
The RCS three-year BA Acting programme is one of the leading actor-training programmes in the UK. Practical and intensive training will prepare you for a professional career as an actor on stage, on screen, on audio and other digital media platforms. You will collaborate with others to make new work and perform in public-facing productions. Your actor-training journey will be one of discovery, with an awareness of the world around you as an artist.
You will work intensively with our expert teaching staff to develop acting, voice, and movement skills, equipping you for a career in film, television, and theatre.
Our movement specialists are trained in the Lecoq technique and will help you acquire some of the best movement skills for actors in UK training. You will also work with the Centre for Voice in Performance – using techniques developed by voice expert Nadine George.
We accept a cohort of dedicated students who demonstrate potential, an appreciation of the art of acting, a sense of self, and an awareness of the world beyond them. We focus on developing you as a creative artist where you will be part of an ensemble with others from across the world. You will undertake Professional Practice modules from the start of your training, developing your individual artistic identity and ensuring that you graduate as an entrepreneurial, industry-ready actor.
Studying at RCS offers you the unique opportunity to collaborate with your peers, formally and informally, across all performance disciplines, including dance, music, production, and film.
The important details
UK Applicant Deadline:
29 January 2025
International (including EU) Applicant Deadline:
29 January 2025
Institution Code:
R58
Programme Code:
W410
Audition Fee:
£55
Application Fee:
£28.50
Why Study Acting at RCS?
As well as aiming to give you full practical training, our goal is to prepare you for a long and successful career. We focus on developing you as a creative artist, giving you a sound grounding to continue that development throughout your working life. You will undertake professional development modules, ensuring that you graduate as an entrepreneurial, industry-ready actor with all the contacts you need and a great deal of professional experience.
Small Classes & Outstanding Staff
Our class sizes average thirteen students per class, providing you with focused learning and teaching opportunities. You will learn from the best faculty and attend regular masterclasses with renowned professionals.
Industry Connections
Our industry connections prepare you to participate in showcases and professional events. You will attend showcases in Glasgow and London. North American students will be offered the opportunity to attend the New York Industry Week.
Specialist Training
Our course offers specialist voice and movement training. You will develop in these areas by taking classes based on the work of Nadine George and Jaques Lecoq.
Agent Representation
In 2019, 85% of graduates secured agent representation within one month of graduation.
Competitions
Studying for a BA in Acting at RCS opens up opportunities for you to enter a variety of competitions. For example, our students regularly participate in the BBC Carleton Hobbs Radio Competition.
International Opportunities
The BA Acting course offers you international experiences. You will have opportunities to enrol in international exchange programmes with the Paris Conservatoire and Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and perform at international festivals. Recently, our students participated in festivals in Paris, Spoleto and Timisoar.
Meet the Staff
Voice Staff
BA Acting students work with staff from RCS’s Centre for Voice in Performance (CViP), the national centre of excellence for the teaching, practice and research of voice in performance.
Additional Staff
The Acting Department welcomes visiting lecturers and industry professionals to host masterclasses and workshops.
Regularly Visiting Lecturers and Industry Professionals
- John Kazek (Acting)
- Peter Collins (Acting)
- Lucianne McEvoy (Acting)
- David Hayman Jr (Screen Acting)
- Louise McMenemy (Screen Acting)
- Adura Onashile (New Work)
- Meghan Tyler (New Work)
- Gary McNair (New Work)
- Jack Nurse (New Work)
- Sharon Mackay – Intimacy Coordinator
- Raymond Short (Stage Combat)
- Tim Licata (Feldenkrais – Movement)
- Adam Wright (Acrobatics – Movement)
- Lewis Normand (Dance – Movement)
Visiting Directors
- Finn den Hertog
- Becky Hope Palmer
- Emma Baggott
- Debbie Hannan
- Sally Reid
- Roy Alexander Weise MBE
Masterclasses and International Workshops
- Nadine George (Voice Centre International)
- Giles Havergal (Shakespeare)
- Dominic Hill (Shakespeare)
Professional Partners
Our unrivalled professional connections result in numerous work opportunities for our students. You will have opportunities to participate in our European and International activities. Our partners include:
Graduate Destinations
Our graduates work in all aspects of the performance industry, primarily as professional actors in theatre, film, television and radio. Acting graduates are also found in other influential roles in the industry, working as agents, directors, casting directors, writers, producers, and educators.
- The Royal National Theatre London
- National Theatre of Scotland
- Royal Shakespeare Company
- The Globe
- London West End
- Broadway
- Citizens Theatre Glasgow
- Tron Theatre Glasgow
- Oran Mor Glasgow
- Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
- Dundee Rep
- Vanishing Point Theatre Company
- Traverse Theatre Edinburgh
- The Almeida London
- The Gate London
- The Royal Court London
- BBC (radio and screen)
- Netflix
- Channel 4
- ITV
- STV
Alumni
Alumni of the BA Acting programme include:
Ncuti Gatwa
Sam Heughan
Anneika Rose
Katie Leung
Richard Madden
Crystal Clarke
Robert Carlyle
Amy Conachan
James McAvoy
Laura Donnelly
Jack Lowden
Colin Morgan
Programme Structure
You will be introduced to the three disciplines of Acting, Voice, and Movement.
In Acting, you will explore inner life, observed behaviour, relationships, and text.
In Voice, you will be introduced to Nadine George’s voice work and explore accents, dialects, and your singing voice.
In Movement, you will develop your physical technique through Lecoq-based classes, dance, and acrobatics.
You will also have classes in screen and radio techniques.
You will explore Shakespeare through workshops and public performances. You will continue to develop your screen and radio techniques and explore new approaches to theatre-making and new writing.
Second-year students collaborate with peers to explore new and devised work in the Off Kilter Festival. A series of workshops will allow you to extend your movement skills in physical theatre and introduce you to verbatim theatre and new writing.
You will also take part in professional practice classes to develop the essential skills required for the acting industry.
You will perform to public audiences in a variety of genres, including modern adaptations of classic plays and contemporary texts. You will also be participating in voice acting and screen projects.
You will have opportunities to perform in industry showcases to an audience of employers, casting directors and agents.
Through the course of your final year, you will develop your employability and entrepreneurial skills, equipping you to manage your career as a professional actor.
Class of 2025
How to Apply
Apply via UCAS Conservatoires
Applications are made through the UCAS Conservatoires website. The UCAS Conservatoires application system is separate from the main UCAS undergraduate application system. You can read our guidance about using UCAS Conservatoires on our dedicated How to Apply page.
All applicants applying for the BA Acting programme also need to create an Acceptd profile and upload a headshot. As part of this process, you will need to complete a questionnaire — a required part of the Acceptd submission.
We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2026, you must apply next year.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland institution code is R58. You will also require the following programme code to apply: W410 — Drama Performance.
The closing date for all applications is 29 January 2025. If you submit your application after this date, we cannot guarantee that your application will be reviewed by the audition panel. If you do want to submit a late application, you must contact admissions@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance to check we are accepting late applications.
Application & Audition Fees
There is a UCAS Conservatoires application fee of £28.50. In addition to the application fee, each conservatoire charges an audition/interview assessment administration fee. The interview assessment administration fee is £55 for this programme. Fees are not refundable. The fees are paid via the UCAS Conservatoires website and not directly to RCS.
We recognise that auditioning and interviewing for conservatoires, drama and ballet schools can be costly. The audition assessment administration fee charge allows us to offer a thorough and positive experience to all applicants and we encourage you to get in touch to ask the panel questions and find out more about the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to see if it is the best place for you.
We are committed to ensuring fair access to a conservatoire education for students who have the talent and potential to benefit from it, regardless of their background. In support of this, audition fee waivers are offered to applicants whose financial hardship may be a barrier to auditioning. Please note you can only apply for a fee waiver request once you have completed and submitted your UCAS application. Please see the audition fee waiver form for more information.
Audition Information
For 2025/26 Entry
Please state on your UCAS Conservatoires application whether you would like to be seen in Glasgow (RCS), London, New York, or Live Online for your first-round audition. There will be no pre-recorded video submissions this year.
Whilst we will endeavour to schedule you for your preferred option, we cannot guarantee spaces will be available if demand is high. We advise submitting your application via UCAS as soon as possible for the best chance of selecting your location.
BA Acting Audition Guide
USA Open Auditions
We will be holding open auditions for the BA Acting programme in New York, 25-26 January 2025 at Ripley Grier studios, 305 West 38th St. #302
Applicants are welcome to come along on the day, or if you would like to guarantee a slot you can email usaauditions@rcs.ac.uk in advance. You do not need to have submitted your UCAS application before this, although please note the deadline for UCAS is 29 January 2025.
London Auditions
Audition spaces for London are limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. We will be conducting Round 1 auditions Tuesday 17th February 2025 – Sunday 23rd February 2025 inclusive.
17.12.2024 Update:
Please note our London Auditions are now fully booked. Please select an alternative audition location on your UCAS Conservatoire application.
Please note Round 2 recall auditions commence in February 2025.
Audition Rounds
There will be three rounds of auditions for entry into the BA Acting programme. All three rounds will take place either live in-person or online. Please prepare the following:
Please ensure you have completed all the required documentation with Conservatoires UK and Acceptd. We will not be able to schedule your audition otherwise
All candidates will be invited to attend a first audition. Once we receive your application, we will email you with further details. Please note that due to the large number of applications we receive, you may wait several weeks before receiving details of your round one audition. Auditions will begin at the end of November 2024.
You will be asked to prepare two monologues for your round one audition:-
- One modern/contemporary speech (preferably from the 21st Century). This should be performed in English and come from a published play.
- One speech that is written in verse (written between the years 1550 and 1630). This should be performed in English and come from a published play.
OR
- Two modern/contemporary speeches (preferably from the 21st Century). These should be performed in English and come from a published play.
Each speech should be no longer than 2 minutes
The panel may or may not choose to redirect one of your pieces. The audition should last about 15 minutes. You will also be invited to attend a Q&A session with the panel. Details of this will be provided in our invitation email.
If you are successful, you will be invited to attend a recall audition.
The first recall audition will be held live in person (live online sessions will be an option for those unable to travel).
You will take part in several workshop-style sessions. This may involve learning or familiarising yourself with a short script that will be sent to you before your audition. Candidates will have the opportunity to attend a Q&A session with the panel and meet a recent/current student.
Successful applicants from round two will be invited to attend the final recall at RCS.
During the final recall, applicants will be invited to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for a 30-minute audition with the panel and a tour of the campus. Applicants will be asked to present a new monologue and have an interview with the panel members.
References
It is your responsibility to ask two separate referees to write references and ensure that these are sent to RCS.
The references must be written by two different people and we will not accept references from family, other relatives or close friends. You can submit your UCAS Conservatoires application form and send your references at a later date, but they must be received prior to your audition date.
UCAS Conservatoires provides reference forms for you to download and send to your referees for completion.
Policy
We have a number of policies and pages which you should read when applying to study at the Royal Conservatoire:
Entry Requirements
Academic Requirements
- Scottish Highers — 3 passes (grade C or above)
- A Levels — 2 passes
- International Baccalaureate — minimum score of 24 with 3 subjects at Higher Level
- Recognised equivalences (EU and International Entry Requirements)
- We welcome the Scottish Baccalaureate and will accept Highers and Advanced Highers combinations.
- We offer a flexible approach to students taking Higher over more than one academic year and/or who achieve their qualifications in more than one sitting.
English language requirements
The language of study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) is English. All applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence that their English language level meets the entrance requirements.
The required IELTS level for this programme is 7.5 overall, with a 7.5 speaking score and a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.
Full details of the English language tests and equivalencies we accept can be found on our English Language Requirements page.
Direct entry
Unfortunately, we do not offer direct entry for the BA Acting course. If you would like to apply, please see the audition requirements for the current application cycle.
Fees & Funding
Tuition fees
For academic year 2025/26:
- Scottish full-time: £1,820 (for most full-time, Scottish-domiciled undergraduate students, this will be paid by SAAS)
- RUK (including ROI*) full-time: £9,535
- International (including EU) full-time: £28,919
Please note these fees are subject to change.
Funding & Scholarships
You can find out about the funding and scholarships available for studying at RCS by visiting our dedicated page:
Please check your Tuition Fee status carefully before applying, you may be required to present the necessary documentation in the application process
Cost of Living & Programme Costs
In addition to tuition fees, it is estimated that you will need between £11,200 and £15,300 per year to live in Glasgow, plus programme costs. Much will depend on your lifestyle and whether your course runs for three or four terms.
Undergraduate Programmes within the School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film have a range of associated costs related to the specific activities required and advised by the programme team. In order to ensure fairness and parity of experience in relation to certain core programme activities a one-off payment to cover a proportion of necessary costs is required of the student at matriculation. You can find these costs in the pdf below:
More from the BA Acting Department
Learn from the Best: Audition Tips with Sam Heughan
Watch Sam Heughan’s video to help prepare for your next audition.
Emun Elliott: Looking Forward
Read our blog about Emun Elliott, an RCS BA Acting graduate.
Insights: Ncuti Gatwa
Watch Ncuti’s video and learn about his experience at RCS.
Why RCS?
We are the only place in Europe where you can study all of the performing arts on the one campus. There is a distinctive creative energy at RCS and you’ll be made to feel part of our inclusive and diverse environment from the very beginning of your studies.
Our graduates are resourceful, highly employable and members of a dynamic community of artists who make a significant impact across the globe.
At RCS, students develop not just their art but their power to use it.
World Top Ten
We were voted one of the world’s Top Ten destinations to study the performing arts (QS Rankings) in 2025, the ninth time we have been placed in the top ten since the ranking was established in 2016.
Perform & Collaborate
Our curriculum is built around performance and collaboration and we hold professional partnerships with all of Scotland’s National Companies. Join forces across artforms and be part of the 500+ performances we give each year.
Outstanding Alumni
Our graduates are employed across the world and we take pride in the impact they have on their art forms. We’ll equip you with the skills to thrive as a professional and join their ranks.
Learn from the Best
More than 1,000 lecturers, tutors, artists, technicians, co-ordinators and support staff work at RCS across all our art forms. Study with some of the finest educators and performing and production artists in the UK.
A Campus Built for You
Our facilities are world-class. From rehearsal rooms and recording studios to our five professional performance venues, we have a campus to showcase and develop emerging artists to the highest standards.