Conservatoire assessments
Conservatoires will let you know what you should prepare for an assessment.
Conservatoires will let you know what you should prepare for an assessment.
An assessment is how your application is being considered by the conservatoires in the way of an audition, interview, review of a portfolio, or a recording.
For all disciplines, we've put together a handy document giving you information on making the most of your audition (1.15 MB)
You may need to have more than one audition/interview, depending on the conservatoire's audition policy, and the study type and course you choose:
We usually collect assessment fees with our application fee – which is £27.50 for the 2024 cycle. The application fee is £28.50 for the 2025 cycle.
The assessment fees charged depend on the conservatoire(s), type of course, and if:
Our search tool displays the locations and fees for the assessment/audition for each course under the 'Assessment info' tab.
After completing your application, your audition or assessment fees will be calculated and displayed.
Will you have difficulty paying your assessment fees? Some conservatoires will waive fees if you're unable to pay. Information about eligibility criteria and how to apply for a fee waiver should be available on the website of your chosen conservatoires. Please contact them directly if you need any support with this. If you're applying from London or the East Midlands, Open Door is non-profit organisation that could provide you with guidance and financial support.
Conservatoires will not be able to waive assessment fees on your application until it has been submitted and you have paid your application fee. If you are eligible for fee waivers and need to submit your application, only paying the application fee, you need to complete each of the sections first. Once you reach the payment stage of your application, select the option to 'Pay using a different method' and then 'Confirm payment method'. This will submit your application without taking payment – you will need to follow the guidance below on how to pay your application fee. If you have any difficulties with this, please contact us.
Use a credit or debit card to pay your application fee and assessment fees online. If you do not have a credit or debit card, you can use someone else's with their permission. Secure payment can be made using the following UK and international credit and debit cards only – Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard, and Electron. We do not accept American Express or Diners Club cards.
If you are unable to use a credit or debit card, you will need to pay via bank transfer. Once you have completed all sections of your application and have gone through Review and Submit, you need to agree to the declaration on the 'Payment' screen. If you do not have one of the cards we accept, or you plan to pay by bank transfer, please click on the link. You'll be given instructions on how to make a bank transfer payment.
If you have forgotten to print off the invoice, please follow these instructions:
You will need to pay via bank transfer – the bank details are below.
Once you have made the bank transfer, please follow the link to the alternative payments webform where you will need to provide some details of the bank transfer. This will enable us to link the payment to the application.
After your assessment, conservatoires will tell us when they've made a decision and we'll let you know in your application. Once all decisions are in, you can reply to your offers.