Company Life Program | Canada's National Ballet School

Through the Company Life Program, we provide students the opportunity to experience the intensity and rigours of life in a dance company while still within the supportive environment of an educational program.

Today’s professional ballet dancers are expected to be more versatile and adept at managing their own professional development than at any other point in ballet’s history. Our Company Life Program concentrates on the refinement of skills and the professional development of a dancer after their completion of academic high school. We provide a supportive and flexible transition from completion of training to full-time professional practice. 

The primary difference between the life of a dance student and the life of a professional dancer in a company is the intensity of the rehearsal and performance schedules. Not only do dancers in a company spend many more hours a day rehearsing and performing, they are also expected to pick up new choreography quickly and are often called upon to rehearse several works at once. In addition to physical endurance, this requires significant mental stamina. Dancers must learn to manage their time and energy while taking full responsibility for their professionalism. By mirroring the demands of professional company life, students can explore who they are as artists while receiving educational support.

NBS provides an extensive financial assistance program for full-time students and their families. Since its inception, our policy is to accept students solely on the basis of talent, with efforts focused on ensuring that families' financial circumstances are not a barrier for any eligible student to attend the School.

Student Financial Assistance Packages 

Our needs-based financial assistance program awards upwards of $3-4 million annually, in renewable terms. The majority of families in our full-time program receive comprehensive Student Financial Assistance packages at a level that is customized according to each family’s need. This support goes beyond a simple one-time scholarship—it covers up to 100% of their tuition, residence, and meal fees for their entire time at NBS.  

Assistance is available to all students, including Domestic and International students, in the full-time Professional Ballet Program—i.e. Gr. 6-12 and the Company Life Program. Families wishing to apply for financial assistance must complete a detailed third-party application and all requests are individually evaluated on the basis of each family's particular needs. 
 
Full-Time Fees 

Canada's National Ballet School is a publicly-subsidized professional training institution. For most programs, the School charges tuition fees which cover only a portion of the real costs. 

For students in grades 6 to 11, full-time fees for both tuition and residence are based on the school year (September to July); tuition and residence fees for July Summer School are included. We work flexibly with families to arrange options for the payment of fees. Where payment has been approved in installments, post-dated cheques must be provided to the School according to the student's individual fee contract. 
 

International Students
All international students require a Study Permit for courses longer than six months in length.  For information about acquiring a Study Permit please visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

International students in the full-time Professional Ballet Program are eligible for our needs-based financial assistance program (see above for details).