BA (Hons) Acting (Screen and Digital) Bachelor's degree at LIPA
BA (Hons) Acting (Screen and Digital) at LIPA. LIPA is a specialist university-level provider of performance learning. This course focuses on acting for screen and digital platforms, setting it apart from stage-centred programmes.
About this course
LIPA is a specialist university-level provider of world class learning for performers and those who make performance possible. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Acting (Screen and Digital) is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at LIPA, based in LIPA Mount Street Main Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Drama graduates from this provider, 92% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 45% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £25,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Music & Performing Arts, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 92% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 94% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 4 modules
- The Actor's Preparation: Acting & Screen Principles ICore
Module details
You develop the fundamental skills needed to prepare text and create performance for both a live audience and for screen. You examine different practitioner approaches and develop your acting skills through the contemporary re-interpretation of the Stanislavskian system. Modern texts and screenplays from a diverse range of writers provide a framework for text analysis and the application of technique in presentations to peers.
- The Actor's Preparation: Acting & Screen Principles IICore
Module details
This module deepens your understanding and engagement with practitioners' work. As part of an ensemble, you work on a single text from a globalised canon of work. Exploring the rehearsal process, you integrate psychological, physical, and vocal approaches to create character, while considering the boundaries of an inclusive, respectful rehearsal space.
- The Actor's Preparation: Acting & Screen Principles IIICore
Module details
This module develops your screen acting further as you position yourself as an auteur. You explore your own creative voice, using the short film format as a platform. You develop the technical screen production skills essential to the modern actor while working with greater independence in small groups.
- Artistic Practice ICore
Module details
You will develop the necessary skills to create original work and extend your ability to work as part of a creative ensemble. Narrative and performance sessions include devised, verbatim and site-specific approaches to generating original works. As part of a small group, you create a short staged, digital or audio performance.
Year 2 4 modules
- The Actor's Process: Screen & Digital Project ICore
Module details
You advance your technical knowledge as you consolidate practitioner approaches by applying them to a variety of studio performance forms. You experience the accelerated industry processes of studio work and its emphasis on independent decision making. You work with a director to explore a multi-cam environment for both acting and presenting.
- The Actor's Process: Screen & Digital Project IICore
Module details
You apply your developing process to heightened works, including Shakespeare, and explore the accessible technology behind live casting so you can make your own digital theatre event. You take responsibility for realising the demands of the material and are expected to identify appropriate methods and techniques for approaching historical texts.
- The Actor's Process: Screen & Digital Project IIICore
Module details
This module introduces you to the technical skills, industry requirements and creative possibilities of digital audio work for the actor, in particular when working from a home studio and an industry audio suite. You explore Voice Acting as part of a portfolio career, beginning to develop your own voice reel, containing commercials, audiobooks and podcasting.
- Artistic Practice IICore
Module details
You develop your creativity by researching and originating a personal performance of your choice. This could be a script submission, micro-musical or play reading, short film or screening. You investigate cultural perspectives around your chosen subject area/theme to discover the technical demands of your piece.
Year 3 4 modules
- The Actor's Performance: Professional Screen & Digital Production ICore
Module details
This module provides industry equivalent experience of independent film production. Working with industry filmmakers you realise a series of short films for public screening, working from story concept to picture lock. You reach professional standards and expectations, working independently to research and prepare for the production process.
- The Actor's Performance: Professional Screen & Digital Production IICore
Module details
You work with professional theatre-makers, including students from other courses, to realise an original live multi-media public production. You experience a full-time, professional-equivalent rehearsal process and public performances with industry level expectations.
- The Actor's Performance: Professional Screen & Digital Production IIICore
Module details
This module is your springboard to the creative industries. You curate a promotional digital portfolio. Having researched appropriate industry networks, you use this portfolio when contacting potential employers in preparation for your future career. You take part in a live industry showcase, generate showreels, voice reels and additional promotional material.
- Artistic Practice IIICore
Module details
This module brings together your independent research, creative enterprise skills and professionalism as you advance your ability to develop and create new material. Supervised by a mentor, you adopt both a creative and a production role as you generate a brand-new piece of work for our annual festival of new writing.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
LIPA is a specialist university-level provider of world-class learning for performers, and this course focuses on screen and digital acting. You'll usually begin with performance fundamentals, building technique and presence in front of the camera. As the course progresses, you'll typically move into more specialised work, developing skills in digital formats, exploring character creation for screen, and working with contemporary performance technologies. Year 3 usually allows for deeper focus in areas such as film performance, digital theatre, or emerging media formats. Throughout, you'll combine practical studio and set work with contextual study of screen performance history and practice. The course culminates in a substantial final project, typically a significant screen performance piece or digital project portfolio.
Who it's for
You're drawn to acting but see your future primarily on screen or in digital media, not theatre stages. You have strong observational skills and the ability to take direction, alongside genuine curiosity about how performance translates differently on camera. You'll find this programme genuinely demanding, it requires commitment to studio work, repetition and honest self-assessment. You're comfortable with the reality that performance careers are uncertain; you're prepared to build a range of professional skills alongside your craft. You're likely to have A-level qualifications or equivalent, and you're seeking a full-time, three-year degree in a specialist institution focused entirely on performance training.
Careers & job market
Nationally, 90% of graduates in Music and Performing Arts are in work or further study within 15 months. Among those working, 55% are in highly skilled roles or pursuing additional study. Graduate earnings across the field range from £20,000–£28,000 at the 15-month point, £15,725–£22,200 after three years, and £19,975–£28,200 after five years. Performing arts careers are varied; outcomes depend on individual choices, location and market conditions. The university's TEF award of Silver reflects consistent teaching quality.
University & format
This is a full-time BA (Hons) degree studied over 3 years at LIPA, a university located at Mount Street Main Campus. LIPA is a specialist university-level provider recognised as a UK degree-awarding body; your degree is nationally recognised. Teaching is in English. The university holds Silver for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 85% |
| another higher-education qualification | 5% |
| a Baccalaureate | 5% |
| No / unknown prior qualifications | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at LIPA →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Music & Performing Arts graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £25,000 | £21,000 – £30,000 | 20 |
| 3 years after | £18,500 | £12,000 – £22,500 | 75 |
| 5 years after | £23,500 | £19,000 – £28,000 | 65 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in music & performing arts · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Music & Performing Arts nationally
National figures for Music & Performing Arts graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 20; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Music & Performing Arts courses at the same study level.
Compared with 527 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 30% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
- Skilled trades occupationsSOC 2020 5 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £34,241
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 95; response rate: 65%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Is BA (Hons) Acting (Screen and Digital) worth it?
Weigh it carefully. On these figures graduates of BA (Hons) Acting (Screen and Digital) earn close to non-graduate pay, so on cost alone the course is slow to pay off.
Cumulative earnings vs. going straight to work at 18, counting tuition and 3 years of wages given up while studying. The model remains below break even after 30 years. This is a simplified gross-earnings comparison, not a forecast of cash loan repayments.
Model: this course’s own median graduate earnings (Graduate Outcomes / LEO) above the £24,000 non-graduate baseline (ONS), net of £9,790/yr over 3 years (published course home fee). Eligible England-domiciled students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan; repayments are 9% only on income above the threshold, with anything left written off after 40 years. That makes the cash flow different from conventional commercial debt. Opportunity cost assumes £18,000 gross earnings forgone in each study year; figures are nominal and exclude tax, living costs, investment returns and loan interest. A simplified estimate. Earnings and actual fees vary by graduate, provider, fee status and UK nation.
Job market & outlook
How Music & Performing Arts graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Music & Performing Arts graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Orchestras & ensembles
- Schools & conservatoires
- Studios & venues
- Media & freelance
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Music & Performing Arts graduates.
Music Tech Beta Liaison & Support SpecialistinMusic Brands, Inc.Music QTSColmore Education Recruitment LtdMusic Teachers in HuddersfieldAcademicsMusic Rights Operations & Data Services LeadPPLMusic Engagement Officer - Alternative Provision · Coventry MusicMusiceducationukMusic Audio & Tech Support Desk SpecialistMandarin RecruitmentIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
Published home tuition is £9,790/year for this course. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
92% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £25,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 7.9 out of 10: NSS 51.4% · in work or study 92% · continued 94%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around LIPA Mount Street Main Campus
5,027 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Music & Performing Arts right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to LIPA from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £22,750 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check LIPA’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with LIPA and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at LIPA
Music & Performing Arts at other universities
BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre Studies (with integrated foundation year)Aberystwyth UniversityBA (Hons) Drama and Theatre Studies (with integrated year in professional practice)Aberystwyth UniversityBA (Hons) Drama & Theatre StudiesAberystwyth University
BA (Hons) Creative Industries Futures (including Foundation Year)ACMCommon questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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