Fees and Finance

What matters at Chetham’s is musical potential, not background or ability to pay.

Over 90% of our students receive some form of financial support, with up to 80% of those receiving full funding through the Department for Education (DfE). This is made possible by the Government’s Music & Dance Scheme (MDS), designed to enable young, talented musicians and dancers to receive full time education and training at a specialist school irrespective of parents’ financial means.

If you are offered a place at Chetham’s your parents will be asked to provide their income details to the Director of Finance who will then calculate what their annual contribution to the fees will be. As a rough guide, if your parents earn less than £13,000 per year they will pay nothing towards your boarding fees and education. If your parents earn over £188,000 a year then they will be asked to pay full fees. Everyone in between has to contribute on a sliding scale.

This scheme does not apply to Choristers or overseas students.

A summary of fees is below, whilst additional detail can be found in the Fees Information document.

If you have additional questions, please contact our Director of Finance Andrew Ross via his PA:
Joan Grimes
0161 838 7211
joangrimes@chethams.com

Parents' annual contribution to fees 2023/24 for Music and Dance Scheme aided students (not choristers)
Relevant income (£ per annum)Day studentBoarding student
10,00000
20,000333567
30,0001,4431,809
40,0002,5533,279
50,0003,6784,938
60,0005,0286,846
70,0006,5498,766
80,0008,16010,776
90,0009,77112,855
100,00011,37914,964
110,00012,99017,076
120,00014,60119,185
130,00016,20921,294
140,00017,82023,406
150,00019,43725,515
160,00021,03927,624
170,00022,65029,736
180,00024,26131,845
190,00025,86933,954
200,00027,48036,066