Bristol Old Vic Theatre School has announced that it will be axing all of its undergraduate courses. The conservatoire drama school cited ‘recent challenges’ making its undergraduate training model ‘financially unsustainable’ as the reason for the closure.
In a statement published yesterday, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School has confirmed that it will no longer be accepting applications for its undergraduate degree programmes and will not be admitting any new undergraduate students from September 2025. The school will continue to provide postgraduate training and short courses.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School principal and CEO Fiona Francombe said: ‘By taking this decision now we are able to plan for the next two academic years calmly, and with our students’ best interests at heart. It is our intention to create a long-term sustainable future for the School where we can deliver high calibre training for which the School is renowned but we need time and space to work through the options and our current focus must be on existing students and staff. We have always been known for producing extraordinary work, training wonderfully talented people, and reaching audiences of all ages. This legacy will continue as we begin this new chapter of our story.’
The school specifically mentions ‘capping of student fees, restrictions to international student visas, cuts in grants, and increases in costs of living and teaching’ and ‘the OfS’ recent announcement that it would not be accepting applications for self-registration until August ‘25 at the earliest’ as contributing factors to its financial challenges.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School has confirmed it will work with the University of the West of England, its degree validating body, to ensure the experiences of current students are unaffected and that they will be able to complete their degree courses as planned.