BA (Hons) Acting
Overview
What is the BA (Hons) Acting?
East 15’s BA (Hons) Acting is a three-year, industry-focused, conservatoire degree for aspiring performers who want to work across stage, screen, audio and digital media.
Based at our Loughton Campus, the course develops your acting talent, skills and versatility, preparing you to enter the performing arts industry as a creative, proactive and collaborative actor.
This course is now closed for applications for October 2026 entry. Applications for October 2027 entry will open in September.
Why this course
The BA (Hons) Acting encourages you to explore your creative practice in depth, helping you refine your craft, discover your unique artistic identity, and develop not only the performance skills but the confidence essential to your growth as an actor.
You’ll train intensively in small groups with professional tutors and guest practitioners from across the industry. This gives you first-hand insight into a wide range of approaches, techniques and performance styles. From classical texts to contemporary and experimental work, you’ll engage with a broad repertoire that builds your versatility and adaptability.
Our step-by-step training in Years 1 and 2 strengthens your technical, physical and imaginative skills, while the Final Year focuses on your professional development, working with visiting directors and professional practitioners, preparing you to enter the industry. By the end of the course, you’ll have the resilience and versatility to tackle diverse roles and projects in the ever-evolving landscape of the performing arts.
Who should apply
- Aspiring actors committed to building a professional acting career and seeking structured, high-level training
- Students looking for intensive, conservatoire-style actor training across stage, screen, audio and digital media
- Ambitious performers who want comprehensive development of their physical, vocal and imaginative abilities
- Those seeking a rigorous programme that equips them with the skills and readiness to enter the industry directly upon graduation
- Individuals eager to explore their acting potential and develop a distinct artistic identity
What you’ll learn
- Acting technique and craft: Build core skills in acting, movement, voice, singing, improvisation and character creation through structured, immersive training
- Artistic identity: Discover and refine your individual artistic voice, developing confidence, self-awareness and a performance style that is uniquely yours
- Performance repertoire: Work across classical, contemporary and experimental material, gaining versatility and a deeper understanding of diverse roles and genres
- Professional practice and industry exposure: Experience professional rehearsal and performance processes and take part in sessions and showcases with industry experts, agents and casting directors
- Multimedia performance: Learn to adapt your craft for theatre, screen, audio and emerging digital media through dedicated screen-acting classes, film projects and multimedia training
Your learning experience
- Intensive studio training: Most classes take place in focused, small-group workshops led by experienced tutors and visiting industry practitioners
- Specialist teaching and facilities: Train with acting, voice and movement specialists in our dedicated studios, rehearsal rooms, on-campus theatre and screen-acting facilities
- Performances and projects: Take part in publicly ticketed stage productions directed by professional directors and work on film, audio and digital projects
- Industry-focused final year: Experience professional rehearsal processes and participate in an Industry Showcase for agents, casting directors and other professionals
- Personal and professional development: Benefit from regular feedback, coaching and employability training that supports both your artistic growth and your readiness for the industry
Careers and outcomes
A BA (Hons) Acting prepares you for careers in:
- Theatre: classical, contemporary, devised and touring productions
- Film, television and streaming
- Voice and audio performance: radio drama, voiceover, audiobooks and gaming
- Digital and immersive performance
- Creative industries that value communication, collaboration and performance expertise
Where have graduates go on to work?
Graduates from this course have gone on to perform at leading theatre venues including:
- The National Theatre
- The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
- Shakespeare’s Globe
- London’s West End
- Manchester Royal Exchange
They have also appeared in screen productions for major broadcasters and platforms such as the BBC, ITV and Netflix.
Notable graduates
- Patricia Allison
- Daniel Ezra
- Clint Dyer
- Kiell Smith-Bynoe
What is Loughton Campus like?
- Ideal location: A calm, scenic campus just a 10-minute walk from Debden Underground station, offering fast access to Central London’s theatres and culture
- Hatfields estate: A beautiful Georgian house surrounded by landscaped grounds, home to acting studios, rehearsal rooms and performance spaces
- Corbett Theatre: A medieval tithe-barn converted into a fully-equipped performance venue, with a busy student production calendar
- Roding House: A 15-minute walk from Hatfields, featuring 10 rehearsal studios, a sound recording space, video editing suite and costume department
- Unit 4: A purpose-built facility for the Stage Management department, 15 minutes’ walk from Hatfields House, housing a large workshop, paint shop, prop shop, prop storage facilities and teaching spaces
- #1-ranked drama school in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2026), offering industry-leading actor training
- Industry-focused, conservatoire-style actor training delivered by specialist tutors and industry professionals
- Multimedia performance training that equips you to work confidently across stage, screen, audio and emerging digital media
“Everyone here has something positive to offer and East 15 allows everyone, no matter who they are, to express themselves and contribute to their art.”
Daniel Ezra, BA Acting
Entry requirements
UK entry requirements
- A-levels: EE, or 32 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A-levels.
- BTEC: PP, or 32 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels.
- Combined qualifications on the UCAS tariff: 32 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A levels or equivalent. Tariff point offers may be made if you are taking a qualification, or mixture of qualifications, from the list on our undergraduate application information page.
- T-levels: Pass with E in core.
- IB: two Higher Level certificates with 33
- IB Career-related Programme: We consider combinations of IB Diploma Programme courses with BTECs or other qualifications.
Applicants will need to submit a video audition and, if successful, complete a recall audition/workshop. Applicants should also have, or expect to have:
International & EU entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.
Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Undergraduate Admissions team at ugquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.
English language requirements
If you do not require a student visa to study in the UK then we will assess your English language proficiency/ability at your interview or audition.
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.
Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here
If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.
Pre-sessional English courses
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
Structure
Course structure
The BA (Hons) Acting course is dynamic and unique. Our training draws upon more than 60 years of East 15 traditions, while being continuously updated to stay in tune with latest developments and emerging opportunities in the acting industry.
Each week, you'll receive training in key skills such as voice, movement and singing, alongside practical sessions in the art and craft of acting. Through workshops and small projects, you'll explore topics such as rehearsal techniques, approaches to text, acting honestly under imaginary circumstances, stage and screen craft, and voice acting.
As you progress through the course, you will build upon what you've learned each year, honing your craft to launch your professional career. Progression is carefully sculpted to challenge and support you as you gain skills and experience, steadily growing in aptitude, confidence and mastery of your art.
Our carefully selected modules will enable you to develop a grounded, professional and personal process, equipping you to succeed in a demanding profession.
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.
Teaching
Year 1
In your first year, you will focus on acting, voice, singing, movement and contextual studies and explore your own creativity through work focussed on co-operation, responsiveness to others and the ensemble. In addition you will:
- Develop the skills required for objective self-assessment, recreating through observation, research and improvisation
- Concentrate on individual character study and work on larger community-based projects with an emphasis on psychological realism
The first year culminates in a unique, large-scale ‘Living History' project, in which you study, understand and live the lives of others through periods of conflict.
Year 2
Your second year is a journey of maturation as study moves from improvisation to text and from the examination of self to the exploration of character. We focus on:
- Technical skills such as movement, voice and singing which are integrated into the work, and you start to build characters independently
- Opportunities to take responsibility for your own creative work and adapt to the differing demands of project and director
- Multiple screen and radio projects throughout the year
- Specific focus on Contemporary British Playwrights, continuously updated to reflect relevant British culture
- Varying work from nineteenth century naturalism, to exploring the textual and psychological complexities of Shakespeare, plus learning to devise and break the fourth wall through projects such as Brecht, Cabaret and Commedia dell'Arte
Year 3
Your final year focuses on understanding the demands of the professional performance industries before you graduate. You deliver a wide variety of plays to extend your performance repertoire, produce performance-tailored short films as well as work with experienced industry professionals in recorded media. Productions enable you to develop advanced acting skills as well as to understand the research demands and commitment required for different roles, and place a strong emphasis on actor contribution within the ensemble.
In addition, specialised professional development workshops help you understand the administrative aspects of your future profession, including:
- Audition technique
- CV and letter writing
- Tax and self-employment
- Marketing and promoting yourself as an actor
You also undertake an Industry Showcase for an invited audience of influential agents, casting directors, film, voiceover, TV and theatre directors. East 15 continually liaises with industry professionals to ensure the format for the event accords with the changing landscape of the industry.
Fees and funding
Home/UK fee
£9,790 per year
Additional costs for materials and field trips of up to approximately £650 per academic year. Equipment lists are reviewed annually.International fee
£22,600 per year
Additional costs for materials and field trips of up to approximately £650 per academic year. Equipment lists are reviewed annually.Fees will increase for each academic year of study.
Scholarships and financial support
There may be scholarships, bursaries or discounts available to help with the cost of this course.
Fees and funding guide
What's next
Applying
You can apply to our full-time undergraduate courses through either the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) or the University of Essex Direct Application Form.
If you choose to apply through UCAS, you can find step-by-step guidance on how to fill your UCAS undergraduate application. UK students (as well as some EU and international students) who are still in school or college may apply through their institution. Your school will help you complete and submit your UCAS application. The option to apply through UCAS is also available to independent UK and international applicants.
The UCAS code for the University of Essex is ESSEX E70. The individual campus codes for our Loughton and Southend Campuses are ‘L' and ‘S' respectively.
In addition your UCAS or University of Essex application, you must also submit an East 15 Application Form.
For full details on how to apply, please visit the Applying for an Undergraduate Course page on the East 15 website.
Auditioning
Applicants to this course must submit a Round 1 video audition as part of your East 15 Application Form. If successful at this stage, you'll be invited to a Round 2 audition, which may take place on our campus, online, or at a regional or international audition.
We no longer charge an audition fee for Round 1 auditions. There is a £10 administration fee for Round 2 auditions. Administration fee waivers are available for eligible applicants. You can check your eligibility for a waiver on the Applying for an Undergraduate Course page.
Our staff regularly travel to conduct auditions worldwide. So if you're not based in the UK, it's likely that we may hold auditions near you. These will be one-on-one auditions. You can find the locations and dates of these auditions on our International Auditions page.
Offers for this course are made only after successful auditions.
For details of what to prepare for our auditions, please visit our Preparing for Auditions page.
Visit Loughton Campus
You’ll be in intensive training at one of the most prestigious and internationally respected conservatoires in the country, gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue a career in the performing arts. You'll arrive at a campus with state-of-the-art study and performance facilities, nestled in the stunning grounds of a country house.
But fear not! It’s not all work and no play at East 15 Acting School in Loughton and you're just a short step away from the bright lights and big city of central London.
Open Days
Our events are a great way to find out more about studying at East 15. We run Open Days at our Loughton Campus each year, which give you the chance to:
- tour our campus
- get answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, student support and more
- meet our students and staff
We also occasionally offer course-specific Visit Days, which enable you to discover what each course has to offer.
At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.
The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.