An audition is a course-specific selection stage used by some performance and creative courses. The university or conservatoire sets the format, material, deadline and assessment process, so preparation starts with the instructions for the exact course you have applied to.
University auditions are most closely associated with acting, music, dance and musical theatre, although other performance-based courses also use practical assessment. An audition is not a standard part of applying to university. Whether you have one depends on the course and provider.
Check the course page before applying, especially if several of your choices involve performance. Different courses with similar titles set different rounds, material and submission routes.
Where the audition fits into your application
You apply for the course first through the route it uses. The provider then tells you how its audition stage works, either in the published course guidance or after it has received your application. Formats include live auditions, recorded material, online assessment and multi-round selection.
Submitting the UCAS application therefore does not complete every requirement for an auditioned course. Watch for messages from the provider, check any applicant portal it gives you and treat the audition instructions as part of the admissions process. What Happens After You Submit Your UCAS Application? explains the wider period between submission and a university decision.
Check the application route and the audition deadline separately
The presence of an audition does not determine which UCAS application service you use. Participating conservatoires use UCAS Conservatoires, which is separate from the main undergraduate UCAS application service. Other auditioned courses use the ordinary undergraduate route.
For 2027 entry, the UCAS Conservatoires deadline is 1 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time for music courses and 13 January 2027 at 18:00 for most undergraduate dance, drama and musical theatre courses. Some conservatoires also require material through their own systems. The Royal Academy of Music, for example, requires both a UCAS Conservatoires application and an Acceptd profile, while several Royal Conservatoire of Scotland courses use Acceptd for audition material.
If your course uses the main undergraduate UCAS route, submit through that route and then follow the separate audition instructions from the provider. Audition invitations are sent either directly by the provider or through the UCAS application, depending on the course. Check which route your provider uses for messages and responses.
The application deadline and audition deadline are not always the same. A recording, booking, supporting file or live audition therefore needs its own date in your application planning. Guildhall School of Music & Drama's BA Acting course, for example, has a 13 January 2027 application deadline and sends applicants a separate deadline for the first-round audition video after receiving the application.
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland uses another timetable for 2027 BA Musical Theatre. Home applicants submit the application and first-round recordings by 13 January 2027, while international applicants have until 30 January 2027. Use the dates published for your own applicant category and course.
What an audition involves
There is no standard university audition format. One course assesses applicants once and moves directly to a decision. Another begins with recorded material and invites selected applicants to one or more live rounds.
The activity also changes with the subject. Acting audition formats include prepared monologues, redirection, workshops and interviews. Musical theatre selection combines different mixtures of singing, acting and dance. Dance audition formats include technique classes and creative work. Music courses set repertoire requirements alongside course-specific practical assessment such as sight-reading or aural work.
Trinity Laban's undergraduate dance auditions for 2027 entry, for example, use an in-person day containing technique, creative work, an additional class and an individual interview. That format tells you what to prepare for at Trinity Laban; it does not establish a model for other dance courses.
Your invitation or course guide should set out what to prepare, where and how the assessment will happen, what to bring or upload, and whether further rounds follow. Read the complete instructions before choosing material, recording anything or making travel arrangements.
Prepare the material you have actually been asked for
Follow stated requirements for repertoire, monologue length, number of pieces, recording format, accompaniment, clothing, photographs or supporting material. Missing a required element risks leaving the submission incomplete or unusable for assessment.
Recorded auditions have particularly course-specific technical rules. Providers differ over continuous or separate takes, editing, file formats and upload methods. Use the current instructions for your course and entry year when recording and submitting each item.
Where editing or effects are prohibited, submit the performance in the format requested. Professional production is unnecessary when the provider says ordinary equipment is sufficient. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland tells 2027 BA Musical Theatre applicants that their first-round videos do not need professional filming. The Royal Academy of Music states that its panels assess the performance, not the production quality of the recording.
For an in-person audition, confirm the venue, arrival time, expected length, equipment, accompaniment arrangements and anything you need to bring. If an accompanist is provided, check what music or copies you need to supply and when. If you must provide accompaniment or equipment yourself, follow that course's instructions.
Plan several auditioned choices as one workload
If several of your choices require auditions, put every application deadline, recording deadline, live audition window and known recall date into one calendar. Some preparation overlaps, but the requirements will not necessarily match, so one recording or one set of repertoire will not automatically serve every course.
Overlapping travel, preparation or later rounds create a practical problem across several choices. Contact the providers as soon as a clash becomes clear rather than assuming one date will be moved. A valid UCAS choice does not guarantee that every later audition session has an alternative date.
When the audition includes an interview or unfamiliar task
Many selection processes include activities beyond prepared performance. These include interviews, workshops, improvisation, redirection, classes, sight-reading tasks and aural exercises alongside material prepared in advance. Follow the activities described for your course rather than trying to predict a universal audition pattern.
If an interview is a distinct part of your selection process, University Interviews: What Happens After You Apply? covers that stage. Questions asked within a practical audition remain part of the process described by the course unless the provider identifies a separate interview.
If you cannot attend the date you are given
Tell the provider as soon as you know you cannot attend. If an interview or audition invitation has been sent through the undergraduate UCAS application, UCAS provides an option to request another time. If the invitation arrived through another route, contact the provider directly.
A replacement date depends on the provider's process and available audition sessions. Some later rounds use fixed dates. Guildhall states that an applicant who cannot attend its final BA Acting recall cannot be considered for a place, so an unavoidable conflict needs to be raised as soon as the invitation arrives.
For illness, disruption or a technical problem affecting a recorded submission, use the support route given in the instructions and explain the problem before the deadline wherever possible. Send material through a different route only if the provider authorises it.
Accessibility and reasonable adjustments
If you need an adjustment to take part in the audition, contact the provider through its stated admissions or accessibility route as early as possible. Universities and conservatoires set out their own processes for arranging support. The Royal Academy of Music asks applicants to declare disability or access requirements in the UCAS application, after which its team contacts them to discuss support before the audition.
Once an adjustment is agreed, confirm how it changes the practical arrangements for your assessment. Continue to follow the remaining course requirements unless the provider tells you otherwise.
What happens after the audition
The provider uses the audition as part of its admissions decision. A single-stage process moves from the audition to the provider's decision. In a multi-stage process, successful applicants proceed to a recall, second round or another assessment before the final outcome.
The length of your audition, how much material the panel heard, whether you were redirected or whether another applicant appeared to have a different experience does not give you a reliable result. The Royal Academy of Music explicitly tells applicants that being asked to stay for a second round, or not being asked, does not necessarily indicate the eventual outcome.
After the audition, follow the communication route given by the provider and keep checking the email address and applicant portal linked to your application. UCAS Conservatoires decisions appear in the UCAS Hub once the conservatoire sends them to UCAS. Other providers use the route stated in their own admissions process.
Keep confirmation of attendance or submission and retain the exact files you sent until the admissions process is complete. That gives you a clear record if a later round or an admissions query refers back to your first audition.
