Fees & Funding

​Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre & Diploma in Professional Dance

Italia Conti awards a limited number of Scholarships for full-time training annually and these are given at the discretion of the directors. The scholarships vary in value, ranging from a percentage of the fees up to the full cost. Scholarships may differ from student to student and are awarded based on their performance during the audition process. Scholarships are always for tuition fees only on the Diploma courses. Application for a scholarship can be made when completing the application form.​

Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre & Diploma in Professional Dance

Italia Conti awards a limited number of bursaries to those students from low-income families. Once accepted onto the course, students are able to complete a means tested application that allows their household income to be assessed. An Italia Conti bursary can range in value from a percentage of fees up to the full cost of tuition. Household income must be under £25,000.00 per annum in order to apply for this award. Bursaries will be reassessed each academic year.

Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre

Currently, only the Level 6 Diploma’s in Professional Musical Theatre and Dance attract this funding, unfortunately, all other courses are not eligible for this award.
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The awards offer reduced tuition fees and income-assessed support with living and learning costs at some of the leading independent Dance and Drama schools in England. They are funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The award covers some of the tuition fees charged and is means-tested. The household income threshold if £90,001 per annum. Government-funded Dance and Drama Awards will continue to be available for new students starting courses as well as continuing learners. Awarded students are income assessed for both tuition fees and maintenance on the basis of a national scale – with students from lower-income families contributing less and those from higher-income families contributing more.

The award covers all or part of the tuition fees charged based firstly on audition scores and secondly on a means-tested sliding scale. Maintenance is only awarded to those on lower incomes.

Italia Conti welcome applications for audition fee waivers. The following criteria applies:

• Written application needs to be made to the finance team using the template below.
• You will need to evidence that your household has an income under £25,000 p/a.
• Evidence can be given in the following formats:
  • A P60 or self-assessment return for the tax year 2022-23 for each parent/guardian in the household.
  • Confirmation that you are in or have recently left the care system.
  • You are an independent (18 years+) that has not lived in the family home for more than 24 months and have been self-supporting.​
• Please attach a copy of your passport as proof of residency.
• Application needs to be in writing with the relevant evidence before an application is assessed.
• Agreed applications will be emailed with information on how to access the application process with a fee waiver agreement

Italia Conti welcomes applications for deposit waivers.

The following criteria applies:

• Written application needs to be made to the finance team using the template below.
• You will need to evidence that your household has an income under £25000 p/a.
• Evidence can be given in the following formats:
  • A P60 or self-assessment return for the tax year 2022-23 for each parent/guardian in the household.
  • Confirmation that you are in or have recently left the care system.
  • You are an independent (18 years+) that has not lived in the family home for more than 24 months and have been self-supporting.
• Please attach a copy of your passport as proof of residency.
• Application needs to be in writing with the relevant evidence before an application is assessed.
• Agreed applications will be emailed with information on how to complete the acceptance process with a deposit

Students who will be aged 19 years old or over at the start of their course may be eligible to apply for a government funded Advanced Learner Loan. Further details can be found at the following website:

Advanced Learner Loan

The maximum Advanced Learner Loan amount per student is £22,185.00 payable over 3 years directly to Italia Conti. Advanced Learner Loans are available to fund tuition fees only.

Please note Italia Conti only has a limited allocation for Advanced Learner Loans per year which are awarded on a first come first served basis. Italia Conti cannot be held liable if we reach our allocation limits before you have applied.

• BA (Hons Musical Theatre
• BA (Hons) Acting
• Cert HE Intro to Acting
• Cert HE in Musical Theatre Performance
• BA (Hons) Professional Arts Practice (Top Up)

Students on our HE courses are potentially eligible for funding by the Student Loans Company; a non-profit making government-owned organisation set up to provide loans to students on university courses in the UK. Students who are eligible for a tuition fee loan from the UK government are able to ‘study now and pay later’. Access to tuition fee and maintenance loans for the HE courses is dependent on the student’s individual financial circumstances and the status of the course’s eligibility.

If you are eligible for a tuition fee loan you won’t have to pay any fees up front, and you won’t start paying the fees back until you’re earning a reasonable income. The current UK threshold is £27,295 a year, £2,274 a month, or £524 a week.

Further information can be found at:

All Courses
Charitable trusts and foundations have helped finance successful UK pupils in the past. Details of these can be found in the Directory of Grant-Making Trusts available on the internet or at local reference libraries.
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The Italia Conti Trust is a registered charity and offers support to genuine hardship cases but normally, although not exclusively, only to students who are progressing from one course to another or to students who are currently training on one of their full-time courses. A special provision is usually made for an outstanding Associate School student who has been selected for a place in the Theatre Arts School and who would be unable to undertake full-time training without financial help.
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The introduction of the Dance & Drama Awards and state funded Higher Education Awards has resulted in the decline by the majority of Local Education Authority awards to offer students on full-time courses awards. It is, however, worth noting that LEA’s are still at liberty to offer discretionary awards and students are advised to explore this avenue.​

Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre

Italia Conti in conjunction with The Stage newspaper offers applicants the opportunity to audition for a scholarship funded place on the Trinity Level 6, three-year diploma in Musical Theatre. Please indicate on your application form that you wish to apply for additional funding, ie The Stage Scholarship.