Once you've explored our courses, experienced an open day, and had a chat with our Admissions Advisors, you're ready to start your application journey. But what's next? We've made it easy for you, just follow the steps below and we'll guide you through how to apply.
If you have any questions about our courses, entry requirements or how to apply to us, contact our admissions team by email admissions@dbsinstitute.ac.uk or
call +44 161 552 6467.
To apply for one of our undergraduate programmes you will need to make an application through UCAS.
UCAS is an online centralised application service that all students use to apply to university to provide information about previous/current education, experience, references and a personal statement.
You make your application online, through UCAS.com. You don’t need to do it all at once – you can save your progress and sign back in anytime. In addition to our guidance, the UCAS website has step-by-step guides to completing your application. We’ll use your completed UCAS application to make decisions about your application.
Make sure you include all of the qualifications that you have and are currently taking. You can also tell us about any work experience that you've done, as well as any other information that may be relevant to your application.
An innovative, industry focused degree that explores the skills needed to create, produce and perform high quality electronic music. At its core, this Electronic Music Production degree covers both essential and advanced composition and production techniques. During the three years, you will explore new and exciting methods of sound creation and manipulation using industry standard software, such as Ableton and Logic Pro.
For those who want to explore music composition and creative sound specialist within the exciting and ever-changing television, film and new media industries.
This Music Production and Sound Engineering degree is aimed primarily at people who see themselves as producers or engineers and want to focus on studio-based production.
Our exciting Live Sound degree is highly practical, gear heavy, packed full of industry connections/opportunities and will give you the skills needed to progress onto a successful career. We’ll teach you current mixing technologies, acoustics, modern speaker systems, sound system optimisation techniques, analogue and digital live sound production, while elevating your listening skills and honing your professional practice.
This postgraduate course has been designed to help you push the boundaries in your chosen field; developing not only your academic prowess but also the capacity to move beyond music and sound, exploring broader realms of creative possibility. It also offers a flexible and multidisciplinary approach allowing you to tailor the course content to suit your own creative and career goals.
Develop advanced music production skills and prepare for a professional career in the audio industry. This music production master's degree combines technical expertise, creative development, and industry-focused learning to help you succeed as a music producer.
Develop advanced music production skills and prepare for a professional career in the audio industry. This music production master's degree combines technical expertise, creative development, and industry-focused learning to help you succeed as a music producer.
Please make sure you list all your academic qualifications including any pending qualifications you are still working towards. Your qualifications equate to UCAS Points which are used as a way of measuring the value of all post-16 qualifications in the UK.
You can work out how many points you have using the UCAS Points Calculator.
Your personal statement supports your application to study at a university or college. It’s a chance for you to demonstrate why you’d like to study a particular course or subject, and what skills and experience you possess that show your enthusiasm and commitment to your chosen field.
We've put together this helpful guide on How to Nail Your Personal Statement.
If you're not currently in education, we will accept references from an employer or a professional who knows you in a relevant capacity. This could be a line manager, mentor, or someone who can speak to your skills and suitability for study.References must not come from family, friends, or partners. For full guidance, see UCAS reference advice.
If you're applying through a school or college, you may need to enter your school/college buzzword so your institution can attach your reference and review your application before submission. Speak to your UCAS advisor for details.
You can apply to up to 5 course choices. Each university will only see details of its own course choices, so they will not know where else you have applied or whether all the courses in your application are the same.
To add your choices you will need the course code (found on our course pages) and our institution code is D16. You can also find all course codes and information on our provider page on UCAS.com
Before you can submit your application, you will need to pay the UCAS application fee of £28.95, your application will not be visible to us until it has been paid for and submitted.
Free school meals application fee waiver: If you have received UK government funded free school meals at any point during your secondary education, you will be eligible to have the application fee waived. Find out more.
Once you've submitted your application, you'll receive email communications from both Falmouth University (our validating partner) and from the dBs Admissions team, who will advise you on next steps so keep an eye on your inbox.
Why Falmouth? dBs Institute of Music degrees are validated by Falmouth University.
Falmouth University will email you with instructions and a login for the Falmouth University Applicant Portal. You can use this as well as your UCAS Hub to monitor the progress of your application to dBs Institute of Music.
This portal is where you’ll:
You can also sign in to your UCAS Hub at any time to check your application's progress. You'll need the Personal ID given in your welcome email, along with the password you used when applying.
Once we have received your application, our Admissions team will be in touch to arrange an interview. You can choose to meet us in person at one of our campuses or online, whatever works best for you.
Your interview is a chance for us to get to know you better, to talk about your aspirations, interests and experience. We want to understand your potential, how you think and what excites you about music and sound. It’s not a test; it’s a relaxed conversation about what you love and where you want to take it.
It’s also an opportunity for you to get to know dBs Institute of Music, ask questions, meet our community and see if we’re the right fit for you.
If you can’t make your interview date or can’t find a time that works for you, just email us at admissions@dbsinstitute.ac.uk and we’ll arrange another option.
We interview for all our courses, and some programmes will also ask for a portfolio or an audition. You can find all the details in our guides:
Each guide above includes full requirements for tracks, compositions, auditions and how to submit your work. If you’re unsure what you need to prepare, or have questions at any point, our Admissions team is here to help: admissions@dbsinstitute.ac.uk.
If you are invited to interview, at dBs Institute, we look beyond grades, and want to get to know you; our interviews are designed to assess your ability, style and personality.
Please be prepared to:
We would also like you to:
This is your chance to find out what you need to know to make an informed decision about your future. It is important that you get a feel for whether we are the right place for you.
We aim to make a decision on your application as soon as possible. Once we have made our decision, we’ll update you via UCAS, the Applicant Portal and via email.
You'll need to fulfil some conditions before starting your studies, like achieving certain grades or providing further evidence of your qualifications.
You don't have any conditions to fulfil prior to starting the course, you have secured a place. We'll be in touch with you about the next steps.
Once you’ve heard from all of your choices, UCAS will ask you to respond to your offers.
You will need to log in to UCAS to respond to your offers.
These are the types of replies you can make.
this is your first choice.
You don't have any conditions to fulfil prior to starting the course, you have secured a place. We'll get in touch with you about the next steps.
you'll need to decline any other offers you get.
These are based on when we get the last decision in from your choices. Check your UCAS application to see your personal deadline.
If you miss your deadline, UCAS will decline the offer on your behalf. If this happens, you’ll need to contact our Admissions team and UCAS as soon as possible.
You get UCAS points by achieving grades in Level 3 qualifications like A-levels, BTECs, or the International Baccalaureate, which are then converted into a numerical score. You can look up how many UCAS points your qualifications are worth using the UCAS Tariff point calculator
Entry requirements vary between institutions and courses. For dBs Institute of Music, we ask for 96-112 UCAS Points but we consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential, you will be invited to an interview/audition, where you will have the opportunity to discuss your experience and suitability for the course.
At dBs Institute of Music, we welcome applicants from diverse educational backgrounds and consider factors beyond academic grades, including personal circumstances and professional experience. If you don’t meet the standard entry requirements, you may still considered for the course and be asked to submit additional supporting documents alongside your portfolio as well as attend an interview to help us assess your suitability. Please get in touch with our Admissions Team to discuss your individual circumstances.
Alternatively, if you haven’t gained enough UCAS points to study at the university or higher education institute you were aiming for, it may be possible for you to re-sit some of your exams or do another Level 3 qualifications or we may recommend you complete one of our Access to Higher Education courses, courses include Music Production, DJ & Electronic Music Production and Music Performance & Production. These courses will give you the technical foundation and the qualifications to progress on to an degree.
If you don’t hold formal qualifications but can demonstrate relevant experience and suitability for your chosen course, you may be eligible to apply through our APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) process.
This route allows you to gain entry to a course based on your professional or personal experience, rather than traditional academic qualifications.You will still need to apply via UCAS. Once we receive your application, a member of our Admissions Team will contact you to guide you through the APEL process and provide support at every stage.
Other options include our Access to Higher Education courses, that we offer in a choice of specialisms including Music Production, DJ & Electronic Music Production and Music Performance & Production. These courses will give you the technical foundation and the qualifications to progress on to an degree.
If you think APEL might be the right route for you, please contact our Admissions Team to discuss your options and next steps.
Yes, we welcome direct entry applications from students who wish to transfer into year 2 or 3 of our courses. Please get in touch to discuss your options and eligibility.
The UCAS application fee for 2026 entry is £28.95 for up to 5 course choices,
Free school meals application fee waiver: If you have received UK government funded free school meals at any point during your secondary education, you will be eligible to have the application fee waived. Find out more.
There are a number of key dates in the UCAS application calendar. The equal considerations deadline for 2026/27 Entry is on 14th January 2026. The main cycle deadline is 30th June 2026. Applications received after this date automatically go into Clearing.
Your Personal ID or UCAS ID code is a 10-digit code that you receive when you first start your application and you can find it on your application form.
UCAS Extra allows you to apply to more courses choices if you have no offers, or have declined all your offers. The service is free and applicable as long as you applied through UCAS and you are not waiting for a decision on any of your original five applications or holding any offers.
UCAS receives your results directly and will update UCAS Hub accordingly - typically around 8am.
To apply for one of our postgraduate programmes you will need to make a direct application via our validating partner Falmouth University.
Places are allocated as applications are received, so we recommend applying as early as possible.
You'll need to write a personal statement to accompany your application. It’s your chance to demonstrate why you’d like to pursue postgraduate study, and what skills and experience you possess that show your enthusiasm and commitment to your chosen field.
You'll need to get the following documents together for your application:
Select two references to support your application.
You'll need one academic reference and one professional.
Now you're all ready, head to your chosen course page, select your study options and hit ‘apply’.
Once you've submitted your application, you'll get an email from Falmouth University to confirm that your application has been received. You will also receive email communications from the dBs Admissions team, who will advise you on your interview, so keep an eye on your inbox. You'll be contacted by the dBs Institute Admissions team to invite you to interview via email. You can choose in-person at our campuses, or online if you cannot attend in person.
We try to make a decision within five working days of your interview. However, we want everyone to have a fair chance, so popular courses can take longer. Once we have made our decision, we’ll update you via the Applicant Portal and via email. You can accept your offer in the Applicant Portal.
