Application and Eligibility

Applicants must be aged 16-19 years by the start date of the course.

Entry onto the course is based on audition. Whilst we encourage strong academic qualifications, they will not prevent an applicant from being granted a place, although good written and spoken English is a requirement for all of our courses.

However, if a student has not gained a 4 or above in Maths or English Language, it will be mandatory that they re-sit these qualifications whilst training at Emil Dale Academy. EDA provides tutoring for both subjects on-site.

Applicants are then offered after a successful audition and interview.

International Students

If you are applying to Emil Dale Academy as an international student, please contact admissions@emildale.co.uk before applying.

Currently, for students applying for the BTEC course, they must have a valid British passport, and they must have lived in the UK for 3 years prior to starting the course.

To apply, please CLICK HERE. You must pay an audition fee of £40, which is non-refundable. This is a one-off fee payable upon applying and covers the cost of the workshops and panel auditions, as well as any recall auditions if required.

We ask you to complete your application as robustly as possible, including detailing any specific access requirements you may have that need to be considered to ensure you have a fair audition opportunity.

Audition process

We audition throughout the year.

There are three things to prepare. You will need to learn one monologues of your choice lasting approximately 2 minutes, and two contrasting musical theatre songs with sheet music (you must bring the sheet music with you), cut to 2 minutes also.

You will take part in one jazz class where you will be taught and asked to perform a routine, and may also be invited for an interview at the end.

In some cases, students may be recalled to a later date, with advice as to why we need to see them again. There are no additional fees for this.

We are looking for trainability. Many people come to us as a strong singer or a stronger dancer. Do not let anything hold you back!

What the course offers:

Emil Dale Academy’s two-year course offers the following:

• A BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Performing Arts Practice (Musical Theatre) qualification
• Participation in 2 x full-scale productions – in students’ 1st and 2nd years
• Access to the Emil Dale Academy facilities – 56,000 square foot building, one of the most beautiful places to train in the UK
• High contact training hours
• Small year group sizes

Weekly (Please note that a condensed timetable is run during show terms to accommodate rehearsals and shows):

• Private 1-to-1 singing lessons for every student
• West End Jazz classes (Streamed in ability)
• Acting classes (Including acting for stage and screen, text deconstruction, monologues, audition technique, acting projects)
• Technical Ballet classes (Streamed in ability)
• Ensemble Singing Classes (Technical harmony workshops)
• 30-minute cardio sessions
• Tap dance classes (Streamed in ability)
• Song and Dance classes
• Acting Through Song workshops
• West End Masterclasses (Taught by professional working in top UK Touring and West End shows)

Additional weekly classes may include a combination of the following:

• Commercial dance classes
• Contemporary dance classes
• Performance workshops
• History of Musical Theatre classes
• Professional development (Learning about the industry and gaining understanding of casting, job roles, submitting tax return, nutrition and more)

Emil Dale Academy – BTEC Fees & Funding (2025/26)

Emil Dale Academy is both a funded and private fee-paying college.

Through our partnership with The Knights Templar School, Baldock, students can achieve a BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Performing Arts Practice (Musical Theatre).

Course: BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (2 years)

Awarding Body: Pearson (via Knights Templar School)

Total Annual Cost: Up to £4,450

(Government-funded academic hours + optional private sector hours)

1. Government-Funded BTEC Education – Free for students aged 16–18

• Funded by: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
• Academic hours: 13–18 hours per week
• Delivered in partnership with: The Knights Templar School
• Cost to student: £0 – fully funded for eligible students (ages 16–18)
• No application required: Funding is automatically awarded upon enrolment

This covers the full BTEC academic programme delivered at Emil Dale Academy.

2. Private Vocational Training Fee – £4,450 per year (inc. VAT)

• Paid to: Emil Dale Academy
• Covers: Additional private sector vocational training hours
• Breakdown: Included VAT – no hidden costs
• Payment Options: Flexible payment plans available

Important: Private sector hours are optional. They are not required to complete the BTEC qualification.

What Are Private Sector Hours?

Private sector hours make up 10–17 additional studio hours per week over the two-year BTEC course. These sessions allow us to offer a highly enriched vocational training experience, including:

• Private 1:1 weekly technique lessons
• Ensemble singing
• Guest masterclasses
• Ballet, jazz, tap, commercial, contemporary
• Acting, acting through song, performance class
• Cardio

These additional hours and associated fees are not linked to The Knights Templar School or required for the academic qualification.

Scholarships for Private Sector Hours

Emil Dale Academy proudly offers full and part scholarships to help support access to private sector training.

• Scholarships are awarded based on audition performance and means testing
• Places are limited and not guaranteed
• Scholarships are not externally funded, so we ask for detailed financial information during the process

Here at Emil Dale, we appreciate that this will be the first time that many students will be away from home which can be daunting – we have a Welfare Officer as well as a Head of Student Experience who can help students cope with independent living.

Students studying on the BTEC course must apply for host accommodation through EDA, unless they have a private arrangement which must be discussed with EDA first.

Landlords/ letting agents will not allow students under the age of 18 to rent a property without an adult, and as such the host accommodation is a great solution for students living away from home.

EDA has a referral scheme to local hosts, and we require them to hold a valid DBS check. We cannot guarantee a host within Hitchin – some hosts are based in Stevenage, Baldock, Stotfold, Biggleswade and other surrounding towns and villages. Travel to EDA must be factored in to your budgeting and planning.

Costs

• Rent is approximately £120-150 a week (depending on property)
• Council tax is exempt for students for the period of the course that they are on.
• Different hosts offer different options for the student – they may offer meals, laundry and travel, whereas others may not. We try our best to offer referrals to the most suitable hosts, but it must be considered that all requirements may not be met, and you may have to compromise on options depending on the hosts available. As such, you may need to factor in different costs depending on the host.

We are driven by results! Take a look at our 2019/20 student destinations by CLICKING HERE