FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Term dates for the 25/26 academic cycle are as follows: 

Study Block 1: 

• Starts Monday 22nd September 2025 

Study Block 2: 

• Starts Monday 19th January 2026 

Study Block 3: 

• Starts Monday 25th May 2026  

(Actual return date 26th May due to bank holiday) 

Please note – there are no timetabled teaching and learning activities scheduled during Study Block 3 for our 3-year and 4-year BA (Hons) courses. If you require any additional information, please contact us on [email protected] 

BA (Hons) course entry requirements are A levels (or combination with AS/EPQ/BTEC/RSL/Cambridge Technical) equivalent to 104 UCAS tariff points (BTEC/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma at DMM, RSL Extended Diploma at Merit / Distinction). 

 Note these are guidelines only; anyone not meeting the stated requirements may still be eligible for a place and should book a consultation to discuss individual circumstances.  

Clearing is part of the undergraduate application cycle for universities. It’s an opportunity for you to apply for undergraduate courses that still have places available from July. It’s also a way for anyone who hasn’t applied to study at university by 30th June 2025 to make their application. So, if you haven’t applied to study at WaterBear by this date, you will need to go through Clearing. For further information please visit out UCAS Clearing page. 

Any questions? Call us on +44 (0)1273 726230 or email [email protected]. 

Course tuition fees for undergraduate degrees are as follows:  

BA (Hons) on-site 3-year and 4-year degree courses 

• BA (Hons) Professional Music (Performance) 3-yr: £9,535 per year. 

• BA (Hons) Professional Music (Songwriting) 3-yr: £9,535 per year 

• BA (Hons) Professional Music (Production) 3-yr: £9,535 per year 

• BA (Hons) Professional Music (Electronic Music) 3-yr: £9,535 per year 

• BA (Hons) Professional Music (Business) 3-yr: £9,535 per year 

• BA (Hons) Professional Music with Integrated Foundation Year 4-yr: £9,535 per year 

BA (Hons) Online 2-year accelerated degree courses 

• BA (Hons) Songwriting and Music Performance (Online) 2-yr: £10,950 per year 
• BA (Hons) Creative Music Production (Online) 2-yr: £10,950 per year 

All courses are designated for UK government tuition fee loans. Maintenance loans are also available for 3-yr BA (Hons) courses. For more information regarding eligibility and availability of student finance visit: 

Student finance for undergraduates – GOV.UK 

More information can be found on Funding and Finance here. 

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The College may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. For more information on fees and finance, please visit Falmouth’s tuitions fees page here. 

Course tuition fees for MA degree courses are as follows:  

Master’s Courses 

• MA Music Business 1-yr full time: £10,750 

• MA Music Business 2-yr part time (Online): £5750 

• MA Music Performance, Production & Business 1-yr full time: £11,250 

• MA Songwriting 1-yr full time on-site, and 1-yr full time (Online): £11,250 

• MA Music Education 1-yr full time on-site, and 1-yr full time (Online): £11,250 

Funding for postgraduate study – GOV.UK 

More information can be found on the Funding and Finance page.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The College may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. For more information on fees and finance, please visit Falmouth’s tuitions fees page here. 

Onsite 1-yr full-time master’s courses feature weekly timetabled classes and activity, all backed up by a virtual learning environment rich with content and information. 

Fully online master’s courses including 1-yr full time and 2-yr part-time feature weekly webinars and remote tutorial support, with activities happening in the college streamed and available to access online at a time that suits you. 

The MA minimum entry requirement is an honours degree, or if you don’t have an honours degree qualification, you can still meet the minimum entry requirements via the Accreditation of Prior Learning (APEL) process. For more information, or to book your 1-to-1 applicant session with one of the WaterBear team, call us on 01273 726230 or email us at [email protected]. 

Work experience and career development opportunities are central to the WaterBear experience.  We manage our student numbers carefully, in order that we may offer more experience opportunities to more of our students. Opportunities cover a broad range of activity, from festivals, touring, recording, session work, auditions, record labels, TV and radio, tech companies, publishing, PR and marketing, to live event management, musical instrument manufacturers, studio internships, teaching, merchandise, backline tech’ing, games audio, hospitality, and many more. Visit our Music Industries page to find out more. 

BA (Hons) Courses
Our BA (Hons) courses have three options available: 

• 3-yr on-site option 

• 4-yr Integrated Foundation Year on-site option 

• 2-yr accelerated online option 

Master’s Courses 

• The MA Music Business course runs as a 1-yr full time on-site option starting in September, and a 2-yr part time online option starting in January. 

• The MA Music Performance, Production & Business course runs as a 1-yr full time on-site option, starting in September. 

• The MA Songwriting course runs as a 1-yr full time on-site option, and a 1-yr full time online option, both starting in September. 

• The MA Music Education course runs as a 1-yr full time on-site option, and a 1-yr full time online option, both starting in September. 

 Our courses are delivered on-site and online. 

• Onsite courses (3-yr BA, 4-yr BA with IFY, and 1-yr full-time master’s) feature weekly timetabled classes and activity, all backed up by a virtual learning environment rich with content and information. 
• Fully online courses (2-yr BA, and 1-yr full time and 2-yr part-time master’s) feature weekly webinars and remote tutorial support, with activities happening in the college streamed and available to access online at a time that suits you. 

WaterBear does not provide its own student accommodation, but we work closely with a number of trusted local agencies to help source the best possible accommodation for you. Brighton is a busy student town, so we recommend anyone needing accommodation to get in touch with us as soon as possible and we’ll help you start the search to secure the right place for you to live. 

Please find details of accommodation providers and our WaterBear accommodation group for Brighton here and for Sheffield here. 

Yes. In addition to the WaterBear Venue and the WaterBear Music Bar, we also work with other local venues and performance spaces in Brighton and Sheffield, where we run regular live performance workshops and events. You’ll also be part of a community of like-minded creative individuals, so there will be plenty of opportunities for collaboration.

Wellbeing, and the health and happiness of our students is more important than anything. We have a commitment to smaller class sizes, one-to-one mentoring, and ongoing support services to make sure nothing gets in the way of you achieving your goals. We have a variety of different support services and activities designed to offer help and guidance across a range of issues that you may face during your time as a student.

These include: 

• Pastoral support
• Counselling
• Wellbeing and mindfulness
• Physical and mental health and fitness
• Academic and learning support
• Study skills
• Assessment guidance
• Funding and finance
• Accommodation
• Career support and guidance
• Social events and activities

We also offer a broad range of supporting materials and advice via our virtual learning environment, which is always accessible.  And the team of professional support staff at WaterBear are always on hand to help.   

For further information please visit our student services page here.

Please find details of the policies and procedures at WaterBear including the policies of our partner, Falmouth University here. 

We’re named after a creature called a Tardigrade (aka Water Bear, Moss Piglet), which is a water-dwelling, eight-legged micro-animal. They have been found everywhere; from mountain tops to the deep sea and in volcanoes, tropical rain forests and even the Antarctic. They are among the most resilient animals known, with individual species able to survive extreme conditions that would be rapidly fatal to nearly all other known life forms. It is this resilience that inspires us in everything we do. 

If you have changed your mind about your current course/university and considering transferring your music degree to WaterBear for level 5 or 6 entry it may be possible. Please see further details here. 

There are always student shows and gigs happening at the WaterBear Venue and WaterBear Music Bar in Brighton, and we encourage you to get involved. It doesn’t matter what course you’re studying or even if you’re studying fully online. If you’re interested in putting on your own show, our events team can help.