You can apply to the National Theatre School online. Applications are accepted between October 1st and January 31st each year. Application fees are $95 per program, non-refundable.

Yes. Candidates must be at least 18 years old as of December 31 of the year of entry at NTS.

Yes, absolutely. Candidates must then:

• Fill in a different online form for each program
• You can have a discount on the $95 application fee if you apply to more than one program.

No. All courses are obligatory; students must complete their entire program of study regardless of their chosen discipline or previous studies. The School does not grant course equivalencies, exemptions or substitutions. Only one status is recognized, that of full-time student.

After applications close on January 31, all candidates will receive instructions on the next steps (an audition, interview, and/or project depending on the program), which will take place in the early spring. Final results are officially communicated to all candidates in May.

The selection process for all programs lasts from February to May. At each step of the process, candidates are notified in advance of the date and location of their interview or audition as well as the status of their application. We will not contact you before February.

If you have any questions about the status of your application, you can reach out to admission@ent-nts.ca

There are no academic prerequisites for any of NTS’s programs. We don’t even ask for your transcripts!

Get a feel for student life at NTS by joining a free Guided Tour of our campuses: offered to teachers, their students and potential candidates.

NTS is a co-lingual school. We offer similar programs in English and French, but they are separate programs. You do not need to know French in order to apply to any of the English programs (and vice versa).

The Set and Costume Design / Scénographie program is taught bilingually, but you only need to know one of the two languages.

For the professional training programs, there are two semesters per year: fall and winter. Applications are only accepted for the fall. It is not possible to begin training at NTS in the winter.

2024-2025 dates*
Fall semester: August 26 to December 14
Winter semester: January 6 to May 4
Summer: off

*subject to chance

Students who have met all the requirements and completed their program of study will receive a certificate from the National Theatre School.

NTS is accredited by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur du Québec as a post-secondary institution, but does not issue a recognized diploma. This means that we have full control and flexibility over our curriculum.

Certain universities may grant equivalencies for the National Theatre School’s certificate, on a case-by-case basis.

The school year at NTS always begins in late August or early September. In 2024-2025, the first day of classes for Acting, Playwriting and Directing will be August 26, 2024. The first day of classes for PDTA and Set and Costume Design will be August 19, 2024.

These dates are subject to change.

It is not possible to begin your training at NTS in the winter semester. There is only one application period per year, from October 1 to January 31, for admission in the fall.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents:
For the Acting, Production Design & Technical Arts, and Set & Costume Design programs, tuition fees for the 2025-2026 school year are $6,125.26.
For the Playwriting and Directing programs, tuition fees for the 2025-2026 school year are $7,084.31.

International students:
For the Acting, Production Design & Technical Arts, and Set & Costume Design programs, tuition fees for the 2025-2026 school year are $12,250.59.
For the Playwriting and Directing programs, tuition fees for the 2025-2026 school year are $14,168.62.

Read more about Financial Aid from NTS

Students who are Canadian citizens normally qualify for the various loan and bursary programs offered by the government. Furthermore, students who experience financial difficulties can apply for financial aid from NTS.

Our tuition fees are the same for all students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, regardless of your province or territory of origin.

NTS does not allow its students to accept work in the performing arts during the school year without the prior written authorization from their program director.
Also, because of their full schedule of classes and performances, students are strongly discouraged from working other than during their summer vacation.

Yes, absolutely. NTS encourages the creativity, imagination and initiative of its students. It is even possible to obtain financial support from NTS to produce artistic projects outside of the School, thanks to the TEC (Theatre Engaging Communities) program – subject to eligibility.

No, candidates are responsible for finding their own coaches and acting lessons to prepare for their auditions for the National Theatre School’s Acting program.

You can search through published plays, which you’ll find in school libraries, public libraries, or bookstores.

The Bleviss library at the National Theatre School has a vast collection of plays and anthologies. You can consult them on site or borrow them by becoming a member.

No. The School does not divulge the details of the selection juries’ evaluations.

Applicants to the Acting program who cannot attend an in-person audition can record their audition scenes and submit them via a private YouTube link.

The first step is to select the option “video audition” when you fill out your online application form. You will then receive detailed instructions on how to submit a video, after applications close on January 31.

No, we prefer to see scenes from plays. Our library is a great resource for finding audition monologues.

For students who are not citizens or permanent residents of Canada, the tuition fees for the 2025-2026 school year are $12,250.59 for the Acting, Production Design & Technical Arts, and Set & Costume Design programs, while for the Playwriting and Directing programs, tuition fees for the 2025-2026 school year are $14,168.62.
It is possible to obtain financial aid from the School.

International applicants are welcome to apply. However they must be aware that they need to sort out their student visa themselves, as well as travelling and moving to Montreal, Canada. If a selected applicant is not able to complete their visa process or get to Montreal, we will have to rescind their invitation to join the School and select another applicant.

The National Theatre School welcomes many foreign students every year. Currently, there are young people from the United States, France, Mexico, India, Chile and South Korea studying at NTS. They enrich the School’s classes and workshops thanks to their respective theatre traditions and practices.

The process is the same for all candidates. Start by filling out the online application form in the Admissions section of the National Theatre School’s website.

International applicants are responsible for sorting out their student visa themselves. See the government’s website for more information.

We do not require any official language test scores. Your ability to engage in high-level training in English (or in French if you are applying to the French Section) will be assessed informally throughout the admissions process. All accents are welcome.