Some of the UK’s leading drama schools offering vocational training to students are set to increase their fees by £250 a year, after the government recently announced plans to raise the maximum that universities can charge. The reasoning behind this is unclear, and already institutions such as Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Rose Bruford College have confirmed their intention to raise fees to the new maximum of £9,250 from August 2017.
These changes will be the first time tuition fees have increased since 2012, when the cap for undergraduate fees rose from £3,290 to £9,000 per year. Training institutions which do not offer a degree qualification upon completion are not part of this, however many already charge similar prices for training with them. The new maximum fee will only affect schools funded by the Higher Education Funding Council of England, and does not apply to private drama schools such as Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and Arts Educational Schools, yet will not mean these fees will not change too.
Whilst not yet confirming, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and East 15 Acting School have also said they are seeking to raise fees to the new maximum, while RADA, LAMDA, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama have not yet confirmed whether their fees would remain the same for incoming students in 2017. The general argument seems to be the increase is crucial to enable schools to continue to offer high quality experiences, due to the the resource-heavy requirements of such institutions.
For some schools, fees will not increase for existing students, but the 2017 intake will bear the force of this increase, with applications rising year on year. The government has claimed the new maximum fee charge was being implemented so universities could keep fees in line with the inflation that is forecast, however this does not indicate a blanket increase across costs, fees and wages.