Modern Ballet (BA) at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS

Course options

Course summary

Our BA Modern Ballet programme is designed to help you develop secure classical and contemporary dance techniques and prepare you for a professional career as a confident, versatile, and technically strong dancer. You will graduate with the skills required by professional companies and the ability to effectively communicate with artists, choreographers, and audiences. The course is delivered in partnership with Scottish Ballet. This provides students with numerous opportunities to gain invaluable insight into professional life. You will work with the Scottish Ballet artistic team and dancers, and internationally acclaimed teachers and choreographers, including Artistic Director/CEO Christopher Hampson. In your final year, you will attend company class. Some students will have the opportunity to perform on main-stage company tours. RCS is the only European conservatoire to offer all performance art specialisms. In this environment, you will be encouraged to work collaboratively with other students, expanding your artistic horizons. You might find yourself *Performing on camera for film students *Choreographing a piece with our composers *On stage at one of Scotland’s major theatres Taking part in performances within a variety of environments and contexts will further enhance the breadth of your vocational education and your employability. All applicants, regardless of how you are auditioning, need to create an Acceptd account and upload the required material prior to your audition. Details of how to complete this, can be found under the "How to Apply" section on our webpage: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/ba-modern-ballet/ Important Audition Information For UK auditions, there are two stages to audition: the preliminary round auditions will take place in Glasgow or London - you can choose where you would like to attend. Auditions taking place overseas will only audition once, with the possibility of a follow up interview by the Head of Programme. The UK recall audition will only happen in Glasgow (or online for international applicants if unable to attend an in-person audition). If you are unable to attend a live audition, there is the option to submit a recording via our Acceptd platform, please see our website for details. Please note, the international application deadline is the 31st March 2025. For UK applicants the application deadline is the 29th January 2025.

Course details

Principal study options

During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:

Single specialism

Only one instrument is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument formatively, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.

Instrument/specialisms

For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.

Primary instrument/specialism

  • Dance

Modules

Please visit our website for more information about the course.

Assessment method

Please visit our website for more information about the course.


How to apply

*If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.

Application codes

Course code:
201F
Institution code:
R58
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

Applications for direct entry beyond Year 1 will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Royal Conservatoire’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning policy. Please email [email protected] for more information.

International applicants

Currently around 20% of our students come from outside the UK. Between them, they represent over 60 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire. Audition recordings are welcomed from international applicants.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

More information about entry requirement equivalencies can be found at the weblink.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://royal-cons-scotland-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024/03/EU-and-International-Entry-Requirements.pdf

Additional entry requirements

Audition

In-person – Preliminary Audition You will be invited to a preliminary audition which will consist of a classical ballet class which will include barre work, centre and allegro. There will be a short pointe work section at the end of the class. The class will last approximately 90 minutes and will be taught by one of the RCS ballet staff and accompanied by a musician. The Glasgow Preliminary auditions will take place at our Wallace Studios. The London Preliminary auditions usually take place at the end of January. If you are successful at the preliminary audition, you will be invited to attend a final recall audition held in Glasgow in March 2025. Final Recall Audition The final audition will consist of: a classical ballet class (including pointe work) a contemporary class a medical screening (carried out by a qualified physiotherapist) an interview with members of the Programme Team You and your parent/guardian/carer will be also invited to an ‘Information Session’, buildings tour and accommodation tour during the recall auditions, where you will be given further details on the course and an opportunity to meet some members of the department. Online Auditions All material must be submitted via Accept’d. The audition videos and photographs do not need to be professionally filmed/taken – your phone or a similar device is suitable. The camera should be positioned so that the full range of movements is shown (ideally between the front and the side for barre work and at the front for centre work). Applicants should wear a plain leotard, ballet tights, and ballet shoes (no skirts or warm-up clothes, please). Please contact the admissions team if you have any questions.

Health checks

If successfully put through to a round two audition, then all in-person applicants will receive a physio assessment as part of the audition process.

Interview

For in-person auditions, an interview will happen if successfully recalled to a round 2 audtiion. For recording submissions, the Head of Department may set up an interview to find out more about you, your aspirations and give more information about the course.

Portfolio

Photograph Requirements apply to all applicants regardless of your audition location. The photographs do not need to be professionally taken but should be against a plain background and of good quality. You should be photographed in a leotard and tights. You will be required to create an Accept’d account and once you have done so you will be able to easily upload your photographs. Please arrange for these to be submitted at least 5 days before the audition date. Details of what positions need to be photographed are detialed on our website under the 'How to apply' section.

Other

Knowledge of ballet vocabulary to a minimum of Intermediate level (or equivalent) is required. Appropriate physical qualities for a career in professional classical dance, this will be considered as part of the audition process.


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)5.5Applicants who first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English. An IELTS minimum score of 5.5 in each component is required.
TOEFL (iBT)72Overall score of 72, with minimum scores of: Reading – 18, Listening – 17, Speaking – 20, Writing – 17
PTE Academic59Overall score of 59 with a minimum of 59 in all components (reading, listening, speaking, writing)

More information about our language requirements can be found at the weblink.

https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/english-requirements/


Assessment locations

In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.

Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.

Single specialism assessment

LocationOn-time FeeLate Fee
RCS£55£55
City of London£55£55
Recording£55£55
Japan£55£55

Joint principal specialism assessment

LocationOn-time FeeLate Fee
RCSNo fee charged
City of LondonNo fee charged
RecordingNot available at this location
JapanNot available at this location

Additional information

All applicants need to complete an Acceptd account regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process. Please see our website for more information for what to prepare for the audition - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/ba-modern-ballet/. For UK auditions, there are two stages to audition: the preliminary round auditions will take place in Glasgow or London - you can choose where you would like to attend. Auditions taking place overseas will only audition once, with the possibility of a follow up interview by the Head of Programme. The UK recall audition will **only** happen in Glasgow (or online for international applicants if unable to attend an in-person audition). If you are unable to attend a live audition, there is the option to submit a recording via our Acceptd platform, please see our website for details.


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
78%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
96%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Channel Islands £9250* Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250* Year 1
England £9250* Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250* Year 1
Wales £9250* Year 1
Scotland £1820* Year 1
EU £27968* Year 1
International £27968* Year 1

*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

*Please note, fees are subject to change for AY25 entry* Please note, all new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies. For more information on this please see our website - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/fees/

Sponsorship information

The School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film scholarships are awarded for a mixture of financial need and merit. Scholarships within the School of DDPF are applied for and awarded on an annual basis. If you are offered a place at the Conservatoire for drama, dance, production or film (DDPF), you will be forwarded the link to Apply for a DDPF Scholarship. - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/scholarships/.

Modern Ballet (BA) at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS