Funding your training and financial support
We offer places based on talent and potential, not on financial situation. However, it is important that when you accept a place at RADA, you understand how you will pay for it and whether you will need financial assistance. Our Student and Academic Services team is here to help with advice and support about paying your fees, applying for student loans and RADA scholarships.
We are a higher education provider, which means that coming to RADA costs the same as most UK university courses and has the same access to student loans. We also offer RADA scholarships and have links with external scholarship schemes such as D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Boris Karloff Foundation or Clothworkers’ Foundation. Around 50% of undergraduate students receive some financial support from RADA.
We include some advice on budgeting as a student in our Living in London pages and our Student and Academic services team can offer more in-depth assistance in our pre-induction support once a place has been offered and accepted.
We encourage anyone who is worried about finances to come and talk to us.
Student loans
RADA is a Registered Provider with the Office for Students and applications are made directly to us (not through UCAS). This means that Home (UK) students studying on our courses are eligible for financial support from the Student Loans Company.
Undergraduates can apply for a student loan for your tuition fees and living costs if:
- you are a Home (UK) student
- you have not already completed a course at the same level (for example another BA degree or higher)
Tuition fee loans are not means tested and are paid directly to RADA. This means that you do not have to pay any fees upfront for your course.
If you meet the above criteria, you may also be eligible for a maintenance loan to support you in your studies. These loans can be means-tested and the amount you can access will depend on whether you are living at home or independently. The maintenance loan is paid directly to you for your living costs.
Information about how much you can borrow, how to apply for loans and a student finance calculator are available on the government's student finance website.
Am I a Home (UK) or International student?
There are strict regulations regarding residency which must be met in order to qualify for Home (UK) student status.
Home (UK) student
In order to be classed as a Home (UK) student you normally need to meet all of the following criteria on the first day of the first academic year of the course:
- You are settled in the UK (this means there is no immigration restriction on the length of your stay).
- You are ordinarily resident in the UK, and have been for the full three years before the first day of the academic year (ordinarily resident means that your main home is in the UK, and you are choosing to live in the UK).
- The main reason for you being in the UK was not to receive full-time education.
Irish nationals who have been living in the Republic of Ireland or the UK can qualify for Home fees as long as they meet the residence requirements which can be found on the UK Council for International Students' (UKCISA) website.
International students
If you do not fall under the Home (UK) definition, then you will be classed as an international student.
International students coming to RADA on a full-time course of more than six months will require a Student visa before coming to the UK to start your course. Without the visa you will not be allowed to enter the UK. Please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
The definitions on this page are only a very brief summary and there are a number of exceptions to the conditions listed. For more detailed information, please refer to the UK Council for International Student Affairs guide.
RADA is a higher education provider, and our fees are set by the Government. You can find course tuition fees are at the top of each course page on the website.
Other costs
Almost all materials and resources you require for your course, including travel for any trips, are included in your tuition fees.
Other material costs (not included in your tuition fee): approximately £300. Depending on your course, things not covered include protective footwear, some tools, practice clothes, yoga mats, play texts and stationery.
To participate in our Technical Theatre and Stage Management courses you will need to have a laptop, phone/tablet devices and related equipment. See more information on the document here. Prices for laptops may vary but costs are likely to be in the region of £550 and upwards. Educational discounts are available, so we advise that you wait until you are enrolled before buying any new equipment. We recognise that not all applicants/ students will own this equipment or be in a financial position to purchase it and depending on circumstance will support you to ensure that you can access the equipment you need.
International students will need to pay for visa costs; please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
More information is available from the admissions team by emailing admissions@rada.ac.uk.
Students who have studied for a previous degree level qualification are not eligible for government-sponsored loans for a degree at the same or lower level.
RADA welcomes applications from UK students who already hold a degree from another institution or in a different subject and we hold a small number of places at the UK fee rate for such students.
You will need to finance yourself for both fees and living expenses. We will consider scholarship applications from students who are not eligible for Student Finance, however, priority is given to those new to Higher Education and it is unlikely that you would receive a full/full fees scholarship. Please read our scholarship section below for more information.
It is in your interest to provide us with information about how you intend to pay for your fees and support yourself through training, if you are not eligible for government-sponsored student finance.
Where we have limited funds, competitive awards* and/or must nominate students for specific named scholarships, we will use additional criteria to prioritise students as per the targets set out in our Access and Participation Plan:
- Household income is under £25,000 per year
- Ethnicity – students from a Black or Global Majority background
- Disabled students
- The student is classed as a care leaver/looked after or ‘estranged’ and is thus eligible for an additional annual financial award of £4,000 per year (on top of the income derived award – see point 14) for each year of study.
- Students studying on our FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management
*competitive awards are named scholarships which students are invited to interview/audition for.
If you are from the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a postgraduate Master's loan. This loan is not based on income and can provide a maximum of up to £12,858. It is paid directly to the applicant and can be used to pay tuition fees or living costs.
If you intend to use the loan to pay for tuition fees, please note that the maximum amount does not cover the full cost of the course. You will be expected to cover the balance. Visit www.gov.uk for more information.
We also have a limited number of scholarships for students on our MA Theatre Lab and MA Playwriting programmes. Please read our scholarship section below for more information.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be required to obtain a study visa for your chosen course of study.
International students are required to pay the full cost of their fees and living costs. We also ask for evidence that there is sufficient funding available for tuition fees and living costs for at least the first year of your course – you may also be required to submit this proof to UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) when applying for a study visa.
All international students are asked to pay a £3000 deposit when accepting a place offer.
There are also financial requirements associated with the allocation of a Student visa.
Please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
American applicants
RADA is not, at present, eligible to administer US Federal Loans.
RADA offers a number of scholarships and bursaries.
Students are invited to apply for a scholarship once they have been offered a place. Priority is given to low-income undergraduate students who are studying in higher education for the first time (under £25,000 up to £45,000) and from groups under-represented in the profession.
All students meeting the General eligibility criteria below will be allocated an automatic award of £3000, per year, for the duration of their registered programme
General eligibility
Students must meet all the following criteria:
- Be registered on a higher education programme at RADA validated by King's College London and be classed for funding purposes as a ‘RADA student’.
- Must be a UK/IRE student undergraduate student who is new to Higher Education (ie does not already hold a degree)
- Must have taken all government finance available to them (Student Loans)
- Household Income should be under £45,000 per year
- Must be able to provide proof of their household income (parental or partner) or must be able to provide proof of their own personal income to determine if they meet the government agency definition of being an ‘independent student’.
Students new to RADA are required to provide evidence of their own attempts to raise additional finance to contribute to the cost of their courses.
Students who do not meet the General Eligibility criteria may be considered for a Discretionary Award.
Find out more in our Scholarship Policy.
Care Experienced
In accordance with our institutional Access and Participation Plan, RADA offers an additional scholarship to people who are care experience (for living costs) of £1,000 per year for each year of study. This is for UK students on undergraduate courses.
Students are invited to apply for scholarship support once a place is offered.
Find our Accessible Summary of the Access and Participation Plan 2025-29.
Hardship fund
RADA has a small hardship fund. Students can make a direct request to Student Services staff for assistance for emergencies (like dental treatment) or general hardship. Amounts awarded will not usually exceed £250.