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Dance and Drama Awards: see if you qualify

Dance and Drama Awards are available from 22 private dance and drama schools in England.

Whether you qualify for an award depends on your age, nationality or residency status, and on the course you do.

Your age

To apply for a dance course you must be 16 or over.

To apply for acting or stage management courses you must be 18 or over.

If you are under 16, you may be able to apply for the Music and Dance scheme instead. This is a separate scheme that can help parents pay the fees and boarding costs at eight specialist independent schools. Each of these schools is a centre of excellence in its field.

• Find out more about the Music and Dance Scheme Opens new window

Nationality and residency requirements

You could be eligible for an award if both of the following apply:

• you are a national of a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country
• you have been resident in the EU or an EEA country for the three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of your course

You may also be eligible if you have refugee status, or if you have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK and you've been resident in the UK since you were granted this status.

If you have been out of the United Kingdom or EU because your parents have been temporarily employed elsewhere during the last three years, you will be considered to have been resident throughout the whole period.

Your course

You will only be eligible to receive a Dance and Drama Award if you take the Trinity College London qualification at one of the 22 accredited providers.

The awards do not cover general university or college degrees, or courses in dance or drama other than those listed.

Follow the links below for details of courses and schools.

• Dance and Drama Awards: courses and schools (A-M)
• Dance and Drama Awards: courses and schools (N-Z)

How much you could get

To find out how much you’ll get, follow the link below.

• Dance and Drama Awards: how much you could get

Effect on other financial help

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

If you get a Dance and Drama Award, you will not be entitled to Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

This applies even if you are also studying for A levels.

The Dance and Drama Award courses are at Levels 5 and 6 on the National Qualifications Framework. To be entitled to EMA, your course must be at Level 3 or below.

• Qualifications: what the different levels mean

How to apply for a Dance and Drama Award

To apply for an award, you need to contact one of the 22 private dance and drama training schools.

• Dance and Drama Awards: how to apply

Further information

This information is also available in a booklet. You can download a copy in PDF format, or get a hard copy by:

• phoning 0845 60 222 60
• selecting option 0; and
• quoting reference LSC-DD1

If you have any further questions about the scheme, call the Learner Support helpline on 0800 121 8989.

• Download Dance and Drama Awards booklet (PDF, 982K)
• Help with PDF files
• Contact the Learner Support helpline