One of the U.K.’s most prestigious drama schools – whose alumni include Daniel Day-Lewis, Olivia Colman and Patrick Stewart among other well-known names – is shutting down its undergraduate program, which it has deemed “financially unsustainable.”
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which has also trained Jeremy Irons, Naomie Harris, Josh O’Connor and Gene Wilder, will no longer admit undergraduate students from this fall. It will continue to deliver postgraduate courses, including in professional acting, drama directing and screen acting.
In a statement on its website, the school blamed “recent challenges” for the change, including student fees being capped, international student visa restrictions and the cost of living crisis.
The statement added that it was working closely with its degree-validating body, the University of the West of England, to ensure current students already enrolled on the program would be able to complete their courses.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School first opened in 1946 with support from Laurence Olivier.
“Along with many Arts and Higher Education organisations, we are facing unprecedented funding challenges which we need to address as our current training model, focusing on teaching undergraduate degree courses, is not viable in the future,” said the school’s current principal and CEO, Fiona Francombe. “As a result, we will no longer be offering undergraduate training from September ’25 but will continue to provide postgraduate training and other courses. By taking this decision now we are able to plan for the next two academic years calmly, and with our students’ best interests at heart.”
“We have always been known for producing extraordinary work, training wonderfully talented people, and reaching audiences of all ages,” Francombe added. “This legacy will continue as we begin this new chapter of our story.”
