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Current fees for the course
are set out on the application form enclosed
in the NBS prospectus and are normally payable
termly in advance. Responsibility for payment
of all fees rests with the student or, in
the case of a minor, with the parent(s)
or guardian(s), except when responsibility
for payment of part or all of the fees is
detailed and accepted in writing by a third
party. UK residents may make payment for
a year’s fees in ten equal, monthly
installments, from October to July. Payments
must be made on a regular basis by Standing
Order or Automated Credit. Failure to pay
a regular installment will entail immediate
liability for the outstanding balance. Overseas
student fees may be paid by automated credit,
CHAPS transfer, sterling cheque or bankers
draft drawn on a UK bank. All students are
required to give one full term’s notice
of withdrawal from a course or to pay a
term’s fees in lieu of notice. There
is no remission of fees for absence from
part of a course, for whatever reason, and
students are therefore strongly advised
to consider taking out insurance against
loss of fees and medical expenses in the
event of unforeseen injury or illness.
Since September 1999 applicants
from states of the European Union have been
eligible to apply for UK government funded
scholarships towards tuition fees at NBS.
The number of such scholarships allocated
for NBS to award is determined annually
by the Department for Education and Employment.
The recipients are nominated by the school
in strict order of merit, after audition
and interview. Unsuccessful applicants for
one of these scholarships at NBS have a
right of appeal, but the number available
is finite and decisions on order of merit
are at the sole discretion of the school,
which keeps a detailed relative performance
and aptitude assessment of all auditionees.
Scholarship recipients are required to pay
a proportion of the fees as determined by
government from year to year, but the ultimate
liability for this contribution is subject
to means testing by agents appointed by
the DfEE and may be waived on hardship grounds.
The scholarships are only available to study
for the new National Diploma in Professional
Dance, validated by Trinity College, London,
and offered by NBS as an integral part of
its own Professional Dancers Diploma Course.
Although UK Local Education
Authorities generally no longer offer new
discretionary awards towards fees and maintenance
for dance courses, some areas with autonomous
rule, such as the Channel Islands, do still
offer support, as do some non-EU overseas
governments. Applicants not eligible to
apply for one of the UK state funded scholarships
should make enquiries of their own authorities,
which may be able to offer assistance. NBS
is the beneficiary of some modest independent
charitable trust funds, aimed at applicants
from specific geographical areas, which
are awarded on the Principals recommendation.
Some large national and
international foundations have assisted
past students at NBS, as have some of the
much smaller town or county based charities.
Some are restricted to applicants from particular
ethnic or geographic origins, whilst others
are for the children of particular trade
employees. Information on some of these
sources of funding is held at NBS and further
details can be obtained from directories
available in public libraries.
Successful applicants for
a government funded dance scholarship may
also apply for means tested assistance,
from a special hardship fund for dance and
drama students, to go towards the cost of
accommodation, travel and dancewear. Details
of how to apply to this fund will be provided
by NBS to those awarded tuition fee scholarships.
Non-UK tuition fee scholarship recipients
are not eligible for assistance from the
hardship fund and should apply to the appropriate
authorities in their EU country of residence.
The school has no resources
to assist with individuals’ living
expenses, but there are opportunities for
students over 18 years of age to earn some
income and gain some theatre front of house
experience, as casual staff in the Dancehouse
Theatre and Bar.
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