How to Apply

entry requirements

Entry to The Oxford School of Drama is by audition only and we audition all those who apply by the closing date. For courses starting in September 2018, this will be 31 May 2018. Applicants must be available to audition before and including the first week in June.

Minimum age for acting courses:

Foundation Course - 18 years

Three Year Course - 18 years

One Year Course - 21 years

There are no academic requirements for any of our courses. Please note that it is only possible to submit one application for each course per academic year.

audition fee

UK Applicants - £45

Non-EU Applicants - £55 (applicants must be able to attend the school for their audition as the deadline for auditioning via an electronic link is the 1^st April 2018)

Once we have received your application form and audition fee, we will email you an invitation to audition. This will include links to two documents with information on what to expect on your audition day and how to get to the school. We will ask you to confirm your audition within 5 days of receiving your audition and inform us how you intend to get to the school, so we can make arrangements.

Check list for applying:

Please ensure you have specified any dates that you will not be available for an audition. We will do our best to allocate you a convenient date although due to the high demand, this cannot always be guaranteed. We don’t hold auditions every day and do not open at weekends. Once you have your audition date, it is unlikely we will be able to rearrange it but please contact us in advance if this is the case, so we can see if we can help. We ask that you inform us in advance if you are no longer able to attend so we can offer your place to another applicant.

You may like to have your education records to hand as you can record these details on your application. Please keep in mind that there are no particular academic requirements for any of our courses and references are not required.

You will be required to upload a recent headshot photograph. Please make sure this is in jpg, png, bmp or gif formats only (Max size 2,000 KB) and press the upload button once you have selected your photo. Your application will not save unless you have pressed the upload button so you could lose your application.

Once you have saved your application, it will take you through to the WorldPay screen to make a payment by card. Once we have received the audition fee, we will be able to process your application.

If you have not heard from us within 7 working days of submitting your application, please check your junk folder before emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make sure we have received your application.

You will need to prepare 2 contrasting monologues, each no longer than 2 minutes.
One will need to be from Elizabethan or Jacobean drama (Shakespeare or Jonson, for example) and the other will need to be a piece from post-1950 drama.

Auditions also consist of group work for which you will need to wear loose, comfortable clothing.

Nicholas Hytner, former Artistic Director, National Theatre