LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts)
Sir Paul McCartney, who is its founding patron, and Mark Featherstone-Witty founded the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), a specialist higher education institution. Its home is the restored building that once housed the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, where McCartney was a pupil, and Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it in 1996. LIPA now awards its own degrees under powers that the Office for Students granted; before this, Liverpool John Moores University validated its degrees.
The curriculum spans acting, dance, musical theatre, music, sound technology, management, filmmaking and creative technologies, theatre and production technology, and theatre and performance design. Courses take the form of BA (Hons) degrees, foundation certificates in acting lasting one year and a handful of master's programmes, among them music industry management, costume design and making, and acting. Learning is project-based and oriented towards industry, with students from performance, design, technical, film and management courses working together on joint projects. Among the facilities are recording studios, performance venues and areas for design and film work. The campus is located on Mount Street, Liverpool.
Information for International Students
LIPA's International Team supports applicants through the application process, gives visa advice once an offer has been accepted and can put them in touch with current international students. Admission is by audition or interview. Over half of international applicants join live online sessions on Zoom or Microsoft Teams, while others come to Liverpool events or one of a few in-person sessions abroad; every route is assessed equally. IELTS 6.0 is the general English requirement, and certain applicants need not sit a Secure English Language Test.
A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies is issued by LIPA, a Student visa sponsor, when the offer has become unconditional and any tuition deposit required has been paid. There are no LIPA halls; instead, a selection of vetted accommodation providers close to the campus is recommended. Shortly before induction week, a dedicated international orientation deals with immigration formalities and gives new students the chance to get to know each other. LIPA does not offer international scholarships, so applicants may need to find funding in their home country. Under Home Office rules, eligible graduates may apply for the Graduate Route.