Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts is one of the world's leading performing arts academies, recognised nationally and internationally for the quality of its graduates.
Find out moreWhy ECU?
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THE Young University Rankings ECU has been ranked in the world's top 150 universities under 50 years old in the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Young Universities Rankings.
Young universities are measured on their teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income.
These are the same performance indicators as measured in the overall THE World University Rankings.
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Good Universities Guide In the 2020 Good Universities Guide, ECU graduates have given us a 5-star rating for:
- Teaching quality
- Skills development
- Student support
- Learning resources
- Median salary (based on the starting salary for new domestic graduates under age 25, and in their first full-time job.)
The 5-star rating for teaching quality has now been achieved for 13 straight years. We're the only public university in Australia to have achieved such a consistently high endorsement.
Read more about the Good Universities Guide.
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QILT rankings ECU received the top undergraduate teaching quality ranking of all public universities in the Australian Governments 2019 QILT (Quality Indicators for Learning & Teaching) survey.
We're also the top-ranked Australian public university for skills development and overall educational experience (based on two-year aggregated results).
ECU also ranked best in Australia across these disciplines for teaching quality, skills development, student support, quality of educational experience and overall educational experience:
- Humanities, Culture and Social Sciences
- Rehabilitation
- Creative Arts
- Teacher Education
Read more about the QILT survey.
Courses
Study world ready
WAAPA provides world-class teaching, concert facilities and performance opportunities for aspiring professionals in acting, dance, classical, jazz or contemporary music, and musical theatre.
Download a guide
If you prefer paper over pixels, please download one of our guides.
Become World Ready
Experience Performing Arts at ECU.
Reduce your expenses
Scholarships recognise those whose life journey may have been challenging, as well as students who've shown outstanding academic excellence and endeavour.
A scholarship can help you realise your ambitions by paying for fees, text books and living expenses.
WAAPA stars are born
Our graduates excel in their chosen professions around the world, confirming WAAPA's well-earned reputation.
Many well-known actors, dancers, musicians and music theatre stars, including Hugh Jackman, Meg Mac, Frances O'Connor, Jai Courtney, William McInnes, Lisa McCune, Lucy Durack, Dacre Montgomery, Emma Matthews, Jamie Oehlers, Eddie Perfect and Tim Minchin have called WAAPA home.
Student
stories
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"I love the atmosphere at WAAPA, the combination of brilliant staff and passionate students creates an inspiring space alive with possibilities"
Joshua WebsterWAAPA Classical Music graduate WAAPA pushed me to develop my musical skills, gave me the opportunity to have a wide range of musical experiences, helped me to make essential contacts, and to make wonderful friends.
I'm very thankful to have been a student at WAAPA and can’t imagine having my career without it.
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"Studying classical guitar at WAAPA is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences"
Melissa FitzgeraldBachelor of Music (Classical Performance – Instrumental) graduate & PhD candidate I began my studies as a timid girl with much to learn, but found quickly that being surrounded by passionate staff and students every day created an excellent environment for learning and developing my craft. All of the classes helped to further my development as a musician, however for me, the highlight was my individual tuition, workshop classes, and frequent performance opportunities as they really helped me to grow in confidence and gain experience as a performer.
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"WAAPA was the best possible place for me to learn about the craft of acting"
Shalome Brune-FranklinWAAPA Acting graduate I was able to learn from some of the best teachers and directors in the country. I entered an incredible creative community and was inspired constantly by my classmates and the performances I witnessed whilst studying there.
I was challenged every single day, but most importantly, I was shown a way forward into the industry that meant I could actually turn my dreams into a reality. For that, I cannot thank WAAPA enough for giving me the start I so desperately wanted.