New data shows Performers College students complete their training – and go on to work
New data shows that 93% of our performing arts graduates are in work 15 months after leaving us – and that the vast majority of students who start with us go on to finish their qualification.
The figures come from the Graduate Outcomes survey, run by HESA, which contacts graduates 15 months after they leave higher education. Employment outcomes are among the questions prospective students and their families raise most frequently at open days, alongside course content and audition requirements.
What the data shows
- 93% of our performing arts graduates are in work 15 months after graduating
- 93.2% of students continue into their second year, against an Office for Students threshold of 80%
- 93.3% of students complete their qualification, against an Office for Students threshold of 75%
Taken together, these figures point to a consistent picture: strong retention, strong completion, and strong employment once students graduate.
Understanding the numbers
The Office for Students publishes a separate indicator called progression, calculated from Graduate Outcomes survey data. It counts graduates in managerial or professional employment, or in further study, 15 months after they leave. Our performing arts figure is 69.7%, comfortably above the 60% threshold the OfS expects.
It’s worth understanding what that measure does and doesn’t capture. Creative careers rarely begin with a permanent salaried job title. Many of our graduates build portfolio careers – touring, freelance contracts, ensemble work, teaching alongside performing – and these routes aren’t always picked up by a measure designed around traditional employment categories. The in-work figure of 93% gives a fuller picture of what our graduates are actually doing.
Backed up by what our students tell us
These results come on the back of our recent National Student Survey 2026 results, where students rated our teaching, support, and wellbeing provision above the national benchmark – including 98.5% who said teaching staff make the subject engaging and 94.3% who felt well supported by their tutors.
Students feel well supported, they stay with us, and they’re highly employable once they complete their course.
A word from our Dean
Dr John Harrison, Dean of Performing Arts, commented:
“What these figures show is that our students arrive, they stay, and they go on to work. Vocational training asks a great deal of people; our teaching and support teams work hard to make sure every student gets the help they need.
“I’d also like to share my experience of how creative careers begin. We teach students to know their strengths, and how to make the most of the opportunities we create for them. As a result, our graduates go into touring companies, ensembles, teaching, and freelance work that builds over time. It doesn’t always look like a conventional career path in the first year or two – and that’s exactly what a career in this industry looks like. Seeing so many of our graduates go on to work after they leave us is what we’re here for.”
Join us
If you’re thinking about a future in performing arts, there’s never been a better time to train with us.
Looking to start this September? Clearing is now open, and our friendly Admissions Team is on hand to talk you through your options.
Planning ahead for September 2027? Come and see us in person at one of our upcoming open days – it’s the best way to experience our campuses, meet our tutors, and get a feel for life at Performers College.
Figures cover performing arts students across our Birmingham, Brighton, Essex, and Manchester campuses, based on the most recent four years of data. Employment figures come from the Graduate Outcomes survey, run by HESA, which contacts graduates 15 months after they leave higher education. Continuation and completion are drawn from HESA student records. The Office for Students, the regulator for higher education in England, publishes continuation, completion, and progression indicators from this data and sets minimum thresholds for each.
To discover more about Performers College, including auditions and how to apply, contact us at [email protected] or you can Apply Now, or book an Open Day on our Events page.
