UK based university applications are made through the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). To apply for one of our degrees, please register with UCAS. This is a fairly straightforward process that should only take a few minutes. Once you’ve registered, you’ll be taken to your UCAS Hub dashboard where you can create an application.

There is a fee for submitting a UCAS application, this is paid directly to UCAS. For 2025 entry, the application fee is £28.50 for up to five choices.

If you are applying through a school, college or centre that’s registered with UCAS you can link your application with the school or college using a ‘buzzword.’ Once you have registered with UCAS and have access to your UCAS Hub/Track, you can add your ‘buzzword’ when you start your application to link yourself to your school or college. Your teacher or adviser will provide you with this ‘buzzword’ if it applies to you.

Visit the UCAS website to learn how to link your application to your school or college.

If you’re not applying through a school, college or centre, or have not been provided with a ‘buzzword’, you will need to apply as an independent applicant.

After you apply to a course UCAS sends your application to us. You’ll receive an acknowledgement email from us once we have received your application. 

Once we’ve received your application we’ll consider it against the course entry requirements, look at any previous qualifications, predicted academic achievements, references and personal or supporting statements. We look for evidence of your passion for the subject, as well as your ambitions, skills and any previous experience. However, we understand that not everyone will have had previous opportunities in music production, sound engineering and other related subject areas. You shouldn’t be deterred if you don’t think you’ve had enough technical experience. 

If we require more information we may invite you to interview.

You can keep up to date with the progress of your application and reply to your offers using UCAS Track.

For the BA (Hons) Popular Music, Songwriting and performance we would require the following in addition to your UCAS application; 

1. A link (Soundcloud, One Drive, Google) demonstrating current songwriting and production skills: Song duration 1 min 20 secs or 3 mins maximum.

1. A link (Youtube, Instagram, TikTok) to a live performance of an original song; Performance duration: 1 min 30 secs minimum or 3 mins maximum. 

Please note, if submitting both links, then these can be the same song. 

With the BA (Hons) Music Production, BA (Hons) Music Production with Foundation and BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production with Performance courses we may also request a portfolio of your work as supporting evidence.

If an offer has been made to you for one of our degree programmes and you have not met the entry requirements, please contact our admissions team by calling 0161 276 2100 and selecting ‘Option 3’ for Admissions. Or email admissions@spiritstudios.ac.uk

If you don’t meet the requirements but are still interested in applying to one of our courses, please contact our admissions team by calling 0161 276 2100 and selecting ‘Option 3’ for Admissions to see if we can help. Or email admissions@spiritstudios.ac.uk

Submitting an application may still be advised if you have almost made the requirements or you have a lot of prior experience in your chosen subject area.

A mature student is someone who is aged 21 or over. If you do not have the necessary qualifications for entry then we will assess whether your previous work or experience with relation to the course is enough to be accepted.

Please contact us prior to submitting your application at admissions@spiritstudios.ac.uk

Unfortunately we don’t currently hold a Tier 4 license, and therefore are unable to accept applicants from outside the UK or those who do not have settled status at this time.

Yes – we accept applications from students who may wish to defer entry.

A deferred entry means applying for a course and then taking a year out before starting it. This might be pre-planned, for example if you want to go on a gap year, or you might change your mind during the application. 

You can select a ‘deferred’ start date for your chosen course when you apply, but it’s important to contact us before submitting your application.

We would advise to start this process as soon as possible due to the high competition for student accommodation in Manchester. As soon as you have decided where you want to study, we’d recommend looking for accommodation. 

Please refer to our student accommodation page for further information.

Tuition fees for all our undergraduate degree courses are eligible for government funding through Student Finance England, subject to a successful application. This loan will cover the entirety of the cost of your tuition and is available to all eligible students (UK).

Alongside your tuition loan, you may also be eligible for a maintenance loan to help cover your living costs while you study. This is used to cover your rent, bills, food and gig tickets. It’s paid directly into your bank account in three instalments throughout the year, but the amount you’re entitled to is dependent on a variety of factors. You can check your eligibility and begin the application process here.

How you apply depends on whether you have studied before and where you’re from or normally live. Before you apply, check you’re eligible for student finance.

​​New students who are from or normally live in England

Most full-time and part-time students who are from or normally live in England can apply online to Student Finance England.

Continuing students who are from or normally live in England

You’re a continuing student if you are:

• moving on to the next year of your course
• repeating a year of the same course or returning to a course after taking time out
• transferring onto a new course from your old course

If you’re a continuing student who’s from or normally lives in England, you should log in to your student finance account and apply online.

With the aim of ensuring our courses remain accessible, we have a bursary fund in place to support student where necessary.

Find out more information about student bursaries here.

Foundation year degrees are beneficial if you didn’t study the appropriate subjects at A Level or are returning to study after an extended break. A degree with a foundation year have an additional year of study at the beginning of your undergraduate course, and could be your route a full degree.

We’re committed to helping you lay the foundations for degree success. If your qualifications don’t meet the current admission requirements for direct entry to an undergraduate degree, then foundation entry could be for you. Our foundation requirements are 40 UCAS points.

Conditional offer – An offer to study here is based on you meeting certain conditions, usually academic but we will specify the grades you need in order to confirm your place.

Unconditional offer – This offer means that you’ve already met the conditions required to study with us, so the place is yours if you want it.

Clearing is a period in the UCAS admissions cycle that allows a student to apply for a course, should they be left without an offer following exam results or if they have changed their mind and asked to be released from an offer they were previously holding, or if the are applying for the first time after June.

This service usually runs between July and October, although it is more commonly used by many following A Level results day. 

Please email our admissions team at admissions@spiritstudios.ac.uk  or call us on 0161 276 2100 and select ‘Option 3’ for admissions- we will be happy to help with any application enquiries.

You can book a tour and chat to our course advisor on enquiries@spiritstudios.ac.uk or  call 0161 276 2100 and select ‘Option 2.’

Alternatively you can fill out a booking form.

You can register for an industry course via a form on our website. We require the first month’s payment in order to accept a student onto the course.

For some of our industry courses there will be an informal interview and questions to better ascetain your skill level and make sure the course is right for you. We recommed you get in touch with our course advisor before registering for a course. Contact us.

Classes are included in the course which take place from one evening a week, 7pm – 10pm, Monday – Wednesday (depending on which course you’re interested in). 

In addition you will have access to studios, edit suits, venue and DJ booths, (depending on which course).

Also included in your course fees is 1-2-1 tuition with your tutors to the equivalent of 30 mins per week of your course length (24 hours for 12 months/ 18 hours for 9 months.) These can be accrued should you wish to have longer than 30 mins for a session. 

We can accept international students provided you already have the right to stay and work in the UK for the duration of the course. Evidence of this would be required before we can confirm your space on the course. 

Please note that industry courses don’t qualify for a Student Visa and Spirit Studio’s wouldn not be able to help with any visa applications.

For students paying by monthly instalments we can arrange an early exit or course transfer. This would need to be requested in writing and you must have not attended a lesson, used the studio credits and had a 1-2-1 tutorial within the payment month.

For students who have paid in full, we will not be able to offer a refund for leaving the course early, after the 14 day cooling off period. However we would be able to transfer you over to the following intake if requested in writing and agreed by Spirit Studios. This would be for a maximum of 2 transfers. 

If you’re unsure about the length of commitment please get in touch with a member of our admin team on 0161 275 2100 or email enquiries@spiritstudios.ac.uk

We offer two types of industry courses; introductory and advanced. 

For the introductory courses you wouldn’t need any prior experience with the subject area to be accepted onto the course. 

For advanced courses, we will need to asses your prior experience and knowledge by asking you to answer some questions in an informal interview. This can be done over the phone, in person or online. Please get in touch with enquiries to arrange this before registering for a course.

Providing you can evidence a competent understanding of the English language we wouldn’t necessarily need the Level 6 IELTS qualification. It should be noted that the lessons will be delivered in English as well as any assignments submitted by the student.

Spirit Studios will provide all equipment required for the lessons and studio time. We would recommend each student bring with them a note taking device for the lessons.

Each course will have access to different facilities and studios depending on the subject matter and level of the course. If you would like to find what facilities are specific to each course please contact enquiries.