Studying theatre in the UK

I'm a college application and acting coach based in Mexico City, and usually my students apply and audition to study in the USA. However, one of my students just changed her mind and now wants to go to the UK. We are both feeling very lost, as it is a very different system of applying and auditioning. She wants to study performance, probably musical theatre or acting, but she wants it to be a bachelors degree for sure. Is it possible to apply to more than 5 universities? Or can she only do 5 and do it through UCAS? Can she do 5 through UCAS and apply to others directly? What will be asked of her in the auditions? Is it different for international students? These are some of the questions we have, but we would appreciate any help/guidance/advice you may have. Thanks in advance! PS: She graduates in May 2026 so she would be applying to start Fall 2026.

I'm a college application and acting coach based in Mexico City, and usually my students apply and audition to study in the USA. However, one of my students just changed her mind and now wants to go to the UK. We are both feeling very lost, as it is a very different system of applying and auditioning. She wants to study performance, probably musical theatre or acting, but she wants it to be a bachelors degree for sure. Is it possible to apply to more than 5 universities? Or can she only do 5 and do it through UCAS? Can she do 5 through UCAS and apply to others directly? What will be asked of her in the auditions? Is it different for international students? These are some of the questions we have, but we would appreciate any help/guidance/advice you may have. Thanks in advance! PS: She graduates in May 2026 so she would be applying to start Fall 2026.

Although UK students must apply for full-time undergraduate degrees via UCAS, international applicants have the advantage of being able to apply directly to individual universities too. So your student would be able to apply for more then five. UCAS has the simplicity of it being one application, and one application fee, for up to five courses - whilst each direct application she makes will be a separate form to complete, together with a separate fee.
It makes sense for her to start looking around at where she might like to apply now. Applications via UCAS can be made from 2 September 2025 with an "equal consideration" deadline of 14 January 2026. (The concept of "equal consideration" is that all applications received by that date must be considered equally - universities aren't allowed to give priority to those who applied earlier than others. She can still apply after that deadline, but universities can deprioritise her application or not considered it at all.) The universities of Oxford and Cambridge are different. They have a hard deadline of 15 October 2025. (If she hasn't decided to where else she wants to submit her UCAS application by that date, she can submit it without the full complement of five courses and then add more later.)
For direct applications to individual universities, ignore all of the above. They each have their own rules and deadlines.
As for what will be asked or her in auditions, that will vary between universities. As an international applicant, she'll likely be able to provide a recording of her audition, rather than having to do it in person. Check the web sites of individual universities for details about the content of the audition.
One thing worth mentioning, which I think is different to how applications work in the US, is that applications are normally done based upon predicted grades and conditional offers. So when she applies, she'll list the qualifications for which she's currently studying and will name someone who can provide an academic reference (that person might be you?). That referee would then complete a reference and provide predicted grades for each qualification. Universities would take those predictions into account when deciding whether or not to make her an offer. That offer would be conditional on achieving particular grades (which may or may not match her predicted grades). Having said that, for the sort of courses for which she'll be applying, I suspect her audition will be just as important (if not moreso) than her grades.
Good luck to her - and to you, navigating the weird way we do things over here!

You can apply to five through UCAS and then apply to any others directly! I can't speak for international student requirements but generally the acting auditions consist of a few contrasting monologues in a selftape for the first round and then the second round will depend on each place's requirement for international students, but specific audition requirements can often be found on the drama school's website

Thank you so much! That was very helpful!

I'm a college application and acting coach based in Mexico City, and usually my students apply and audition to study in the USA. However, one of my students just changed her mind and now wants to go to the UK. We are both feeling very lost, as it is a very different system of applying and auditioning. She wants to study performance, probably musical theatre or acting, but she wants it to be a bachelors degree for sure. Is it possible to apply to more than 5 universities? Or can she only do 5 and do it through UCAS? Can she do 5 through UCAS and apply to others directly? What will be asked of her in the auditions? Is it different for international students? These are some of the questions we have, but we would appreciate any help/guidance/advice you may have. Thanks in advance! PS: She graduates in May 2026 so she would be applying to start Fall 2026.

I'm a college application and acting coach based in Mexico City, and usually my students apply and audition to study in the USA. However, one of my students just changed her mind and now wants to go to the UK. We are both feeling very lost, as it is a very different system of applying and auditioning. She wants to study performance, probably musical theatre or acting, but she wants it to be a bachelors degree for sure. Is it possible to apply to more than 5 universities? Or can she only do 5 and do it through UCAS? Can she do 5 through UCAS and apply to others directly? What will be asked of her in the auditions? Is it different for international students? These are some of the questions we have, but we would appreciate any help/guidance/advice you may have. Thanks in advance! PS: She graduates in May 2026 so she would be applying to start Fall 2026.

x5 applications via UCAS
&
x6 applications via ucas conservatoires
then also direct to some Schools:
Good Luck

I’m an international applicant and applied to 10 drama schools in the UK—six through UCAS (two under the undergraduate category and four under the conservatoire category), and four directly through their own application systems. Each school has its own set of requirements, and they tend to update them every year, so it’s a good idea to check their websites regularly during the application season.

Can you explain to me more about UCAS conservatoires? I thought you could only apply to 5 through UCAS altogether. How does it work? Thanks!

Can you explain to me more about UCAS conservatoires? I thought you could only apply to 5 through UCAS altogether. How does it work? Thanks!