Participation Bursaries
Participation Bursaries — offered as part of our Access and Participation Plan — provide financial support to those living in low-income households, enabling participation in selected Short Courses by providing a full or half bursary* to cover the course costs. This is a fantastic opportunity to get a taste of conservatoire-style training and to find out what it is like to study at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. *Please note, half bursaries are only available for on-site courses.
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full bursaries were awarded in 2022, enabling recipients to benefit from a wide range of on-site and online short courses.
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The Participation Bursary Guidance (below) explains the eligibility criteria and application process, and you should read this fully to understand the eligibility, evidence needed, and for further information. Please also ensure that you check the list of eligible courses before submitting an application. The eligibility criteria are as follows:
YOU MUST
- Have no previous experience of higher education
- Be UK-domiciled
- Be between the ages of 11-19 on the start date of the course
AND meet one of the following criteria:
- Be in care or a recent care leaver*
- Live in a household which receives income assessed benefits
- Be a recipient of means tested financial support at Junior Guildhall, or a GYA/CYM centre.
- Live in a household with a residual annual income** of below £33,000 for a full bursary (all courses), and between £33,000 and £46,000 for a half bursary (on-site courses only)
*Recent Care Leaver means someone who has been in local authority care for at least 13 weeks in the last 5 years (note, these do not have to be consecutive weeks).
**Residual Household Income is income left after deductions are made for dependents. We deduct £1,130 for each dependent child in the household. Evidence will be required.
Participartion Bursary 2025 - Guidance for Participants .pdf
The courses that are eligible for a Participation Bursary are outlined in the table below.
Participation Bursaries 2025 - eligible course table.pdf
Applications for 2025 are now open.
You can apply for a Participation Bursary using this form.
Deadlines:
Monday 3rd March 2025 – courses running in April 2025
Monday 28th April 2025 – courses running in Summer 2025
Composition Summer Course for Ages 14-21 and Vocal Summer School for Classical Singers require you to complete an application to assess if you are at the level required for the course.
Applications will then be reviewed by the lead course tutors and they will confirm if you are offered a place. There are limited participation bursaries available for each of these courses and they will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
More information on the application process can be found on the courses webpage.
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