The Top Drama Schools in the UK 2024
There are multiple routes you can take to become a professional actor, with the most tried and tested of those the drama school route. Despite being similar to some aspects of studying drama or theatre at a ‘traditional’ University, drama schools specialise in training you for three years into a professional actor with a focus on your acting skills, technique and all the assets you need to break into the industry.
It’s good to know the difference between studying at a University and Drama School, as one may suit you more than the other. Just because you study at a University first for a BA doesn’t mean that you can’t then go on and condense your actor training into one or two years in a professional acting MA. However, if your sole goal is to become an actor, Drama Schools are arguably better placed to help you achieve that goal at a higher level.
When choosing a Drama School, it’s important to know what type of course you want to apply to. There are now are a variety of different acting degrees that you can choose to study, including ‘straight acting’ that focuses on stage, TV and film and ‘musical theatre’ courses which focuses on singing, acting and dance. If you are unsure on the type of course you want to study, you can easily download all drama schools’ prospectus to read more about what they offer. Despite some schools having similar sounding names, you might find that one offers more TV and film-orientated training than another.
Like with all Universities and higher education, Drama School is very difficult to get into. As well as earning your grades, you need to be successful in your audition too. Most Drama Schools now offer ‘foundation’ courses that allow you to train for a shorter time period. These courses help students and future actors build up the experience and knowledge of actor training and can often help them be more successful in their auditions for the popular three year BA acting degrees.
When deciding on which Drama Schools to apply for, it’s always best to be led by an industry-recognised organisation that supports the top UK drama schools. The Federation of Drama Schools does exactly this and only partners with the schools that have the highest standards - from training to student satisfaction and post-graduation success.
List of the Top Drama Schools in the UK 2024
ArtsEd
London-based, one of the leading drama schools in the country and has excellent courses for both acting and musical theatre BA degrees. Graduates from the Musical Theatre course regularly go into West End musical casts within a year or two of graduating.
Alumni include: YungBlud, Lashana Lynch and Omari Douglas.
Bristol Old Vic
A prestigious school based in Bristol, only takes a small number of actors on every year. Famously opened by Laurence Olivier, it is one of the UK’s most successful drama schools.
Alumni include Daniel Day-Lewis, Olivia Colman and Naomi Harris.
Drama Studio
Based in central London, it was established over 50 years ago and offers a range of courses for actors. The courses are aimed at actor-training only and have Olivier Award-nominated alumni.
Alumni include: Forest Whitaker and Emily Watson.
East 15
Based in Essex, the school is a part of the University of Essex and has been churning out actors for the past 60 years. Offers a range of courses, including foundation acting courses and has a campuses in Loughton and Southend.
Alumni include: Alison Steadman and Blake Harrison.
Guildford School of Acting
Based at the University of Surrey campus, GSA is well known for its musical theatre courses. It offers a variety of other courses, including multiple acting BA and MA courses to suit any aspiring actor’s needs.
Alumni include: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and T’Nia Miller.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Based in the artistic hub of Barbican, Central London, Guildhall’s reputation has grown considerably in recent years. Their BA acting course is notoriously difficult to get into, but offers some of the best training in the country.
Alumni include: Damian Lewis, Daniel Craig and Ewan McGregor.
Italia Conti
With a new campus just opened in Woking, Surrey, Italia Conti flies the flag for the oldest theatre training school in the world. It continues offers high-level acting and musical theatre courses.
Alumni include: Layton Williams, Naomi Campbell and Sir Noel Coward.
LAMDA
Based in Central London, LAMDA needs no introduction. It’s world-class training is admired globally and it continues to develop some of the greatest stage and screen actors - including 5 Academy awards.
Alumni incude: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Brian Cox.
What does LAMDA stand for?
LAMDA stands for the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art.
LIPA
Liverpool’s flagship drama school, LIPA offers a wide range of exciting and diverse courses for actors - including stage and screen focused degrees for both BA and MA candidates.
Alumni include: Jamie Lloyd and Liz White.
Manchester School of Theatre
A part of Manchester Metropolitan University, it’s one of Manchester’s leading actor-training schools. Though it only offers a limited amount of courses, the training is held in high regard and is based in a city where arts, screen and stage is thriving.
Alumni include: Zawe, Ashton, Steve Coogan and Julie Walters.
Mountview
Having recently relocated to a brand new, purpose built centre and building in Peckham, South London, Mountview are historically known for their excellent musical theatre training and graduates. Offering a range of courses, it now sits in one of the most popular and bustling towns in the Capital.
Alumni include: Giles Terera, Denise Welch and Amanda Holden.
Oxford School of Drama
Despite not being a part of Oxford University, this conservatoire has been praised for the high level of training and student satisfaction in recent years. It’s based in the idyllic Oxfordshire countryside and works hard to maintain London-links for 3rd year showcases in front of agents and casting directors.
Alumni include: Claire Foy and Nicola Coughlan.
RADA
The most famous drama school in the world, RADA offers elite-tier training for actors. It has trained and developed some of the best actors in the history of the entertainment industry and continues to do so. Based in central London, the school offers a limited selection of courses for actors and it is historically difficult to get into.
Alumni include: Ralph Fiennes, Jessie Buckley, Ben Wishaw, Kenneth Brannagh and Gemma Arterton.
What does RADA stand for?
RADA stands for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Rose Bruford College
Based in Sidcup, South East London, Rose Bruford offers a huge range of courses for actors. It’s renowned internationally and has recently absorbed the entire ALRA student-base after the latter’s collapse.
Alumni include: Gary Oldman and Rosalie Craig.
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Regularly placing highly on the student satisfaction survey, the Birimingham-based conservatoire offers a large variety of courses in music and drama. With the Birmingham Rep attracting star named shows, like Tom Hiddleston, in recent years, the city offers a break from London without losing the rich levels of art and culture.
Alumni include: Catherine Tyldesley and Danielle Pinnock.
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Another world-famous school, Central offers a huge range courses for actors and creatives. Based in Central London, they are a part of the University of London and have excellent training facilities in the capital.
Alumni include: Judi Dench, Andrew Garfield, Riz Ahmed and Sir Laurence Olivier.
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Based in the historic, culture-centric Glasgow, this conservatoire offers some of the finest training in the UK. Constantly ranked in the world’s top 10 institutions for actor training, some of the best actors of this generation have trained there.
Alumni include: Ncuti Gatwa, Billy Boyd and Colin Firth.
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Located in Cardiff with state of the art facilities, Royal Welsh is beginning to make its mark on the industry after a few years of developing world-class talent. With two previous Luke Westlake Scholarship winners hailing from the school, it also produces its own theatre productions.
Alumni include: Anthony Boyle, Anthony Hopkins and Ruth Jones.
