One of Britain's most famous drama schools, whose alumni include Oscar winners Olivia Colman, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jeremy Irons, is scrapping its undergraduate degrees, citing a range of financial challenges. It became.
Bristol Old Vic Drama School, founded in 1946, said its undergraduate education model was now “financially unsustainable”.
Other former students and alumni of the school include Oscar nominee Pete Postlethwaite, Star Trek's Patrick Stewart, The Crown's Erin Doherty and Game of Thrones' Stephen Stephen. There are people like Dillane.
The school said caps on student fees, restrictions on international student visas, reductions in grants, and increases in living and teaching costs all influenced the decision to close undergraduate programs from September 2025.
The school will continue to offer graduate courses including an MA in Professional Acting, an MA in Professional Voice, an MA in Film Acting, an MA in Drama Directing, an MA in Drama Writing, and an MA in Performance Design. I'm going. We will continue to offer short-term courses in the future.
Fiona Francome, Principal and Chief Executive of Bristol Old Vic School of Drama, said: “Like many arts and higher education institutions, we are facing unprecedented funding challenges. “This needs to be addressed as the current training model focuses on teaching undergraduate degree courses.” , will not hold true in the future.
“As a result, from 25 September undergraduate training will no longer be offered, but we will continue to offer postgraduate training and other courses. By taking this decision now, we are ensuring that we have the best interests of our students in mind. , you can calmly plan for the next two academic years.
“While it is our intention to build a long-term sustainable future for the school where the school can deliver the high quality training for which it is renowned, we need time and space to consider our options and our current focus must focus on existing students' and staff.
“We have always been known for producing extraordinary work, nurturing incredible talent and reaching audiences of all ages, and as we begin a new chapter in our story, This legacy continues.”
The school, whose alumni include Brian Blessed, Sean Pertwee, Miranda Richardson, Mark Strong and Gene Wilder, works closely with degree awarding body the University of the West of England. , said that the quality of the degrees is ensured. It is believed that one of the trainings that current students receive will not be affected and they will be able to complete their degree course as planned.
“The Trustees intend to build a sustainable long-term future for the school to remain at the forefront of dramatic arts training for many years to come, but we do not believe we have the time and space to consider our options. It’s necessary,” he added.
The decision does not affect the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, which has been a separate entity since 1986.
