# Australian Ballet School
The Australian Ballet School is the Melbourne-based classical ballet training institution of [The Australian Ballet](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-australian-ballet), founded on 2 March 1964 to train dancers for the company and now operating as a privately run registered training organization offering accredited vocational qualifications from introductory full-time study through a Graduate Diploma of Classical Ballet.
The school opened its doors to its first students on 2 March 1964, just 15 months after the formation of The Australian Ballet, and marked its 50th anniversary in 2014.[1](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-history) It was created through the advocacy of Dame Margaret Scott as part of Dame Peggy van Praagh's artistic policy of training dancers for the new national company.[1](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-history) Today it is registered on the National Training Register as RTO 3132, a privately operated registered training organization,[2](https://training.gov.au/organisation/details/3132) providing vocational classical ballet training for dancers for The Australian Ballet and other national and international companies.[3](https://search.studyaustralia.gov.au/provider/australian-ballet-school-the/e82b0e3bd671c31c0f5c05e6146cfea6)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2 March 1964, 15 months after The Australian Ballet[1](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-history) |
| Location | Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre, Melbourne, shared with The Australian Ballet[4](https://australianballet.com.au/about-us) |
| Full-time program | Levels 4 to 8, typically completed by age 20[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) |
| Entry to full-time Diploma | Audition only; successful applicants generally aged 15 to 17[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) |
| Daily contact time | About 4 hours per day at Level 4 plus academics; Levels 5 to 8 from about 4 to 7 hours plus academics[6](https://www.danceaustralia.com.au/study-2025/australian-ballet-school-the) |
| Fees (2026) | $14,110 for Level 4; $32,960 for the two-year Diploma; $22,125 for the Level 7 Advanced Diploma[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) |
| Graduate destinations | Approximately 80 companies worldwide; around 75% of The Australian Ballet's members are ABS graduates[3](https://search.studyaustralia.gov.au/provider/australian-ballet-school-the/e82b0e3bd671c31c0f5c05e6146cfea6) • [4](https://australianballet.com.au/about-us) |
| Artistic Director | Megan Connelly, the fifth director[1](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-history) |
## How training works
The full-time program runs across five levels, Level 4 to Level 8, and students typically complete it by 20 years of age.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) Level 4 is the first year of full-time training and is taken alongside academic Year 9 at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS), so students combine dance with mainstream schooling from the outset.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program)
Contact time scales with level. Level 4 involves approximately four hours of dance per day plus academic study, while Levels 5 to 8 range from about four hours plus academics to seven hours per day.[6](https://www.danceaustralia.com.au/study-2025/australian-ballet-school-the) The technique taught is Vaganova-based, and students arriving from RAD ([Royal Academy of Dance](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-academy-of-dance)) syllabus training describe an adjustment period of roughly a month before the new method feels natural.[7](https://www.dancetrain.com.au/a-day-at-the-australian-ballet-school/)
Each level carries a defined qualification. Levels 5 and 6 make up the two-year Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite [Performance](https://www.edgepedia.org/performance)) (CUA51520), with an accelerated one-year option.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) Level 7 students complete the VCE alongside the Advanced Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance) (CUA60120).[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) Level 8 students enrol in the one-year Graduate Diploma of Classical Ballet (11008NAT), which the school describes as preparing students for the dance profession at a virtuoso level.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program)
Entry is by audition only. Successful applicants for the full-time Diploma are generally between 15 and 17 years of age, and applicants who do not hold a Diploma-level qualification or Year 12 must pass a DEWR-approved literacy and numeracy test before enrollment.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program)
The school's daily structure has deepened over six decades. A former student of the early years recalled four one-and-a-half-hour classes a day covering classical, pointe, pas de deux, and character work with Marina Berezowsky, plus repertoire, jazz-based "modern" dance, choreography, drama, music, and art education classes held at the [National Gallery](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-gallery), taught by figures including Poul Gnatt and Leon Kellaway.[8](https://www.danceaustralia.com.au/expertise/i-got-in) Today's program supplements studio training with healthcare, dance education, and physical conditioning resources, an approach described in specialist dance journalism as holistic and nurturing.[7](https://www.dancetrain.com.au/a-day-at-the-australian-ballet-school/)
## By the numbers
Fees for 2026 and 2027 are published by level. Level 4 costs $14,110 in 2026 and $14,750 in 2027.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) The two-year Diploma course (Levels 5 and 6) costs $32,960 for the course commencing in 2026, or $16,480 for the accelerated one-year option, rising to $17,220 for 2027; the corresponding 2027 two-year total is not published.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) Level 7 Advanced Diploma tuition is $22,125 in 2026 and $23,150 in 2027.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program)
To offset these costs, a number of bursaries are awarded each year on grounds of financial need.[6](https://www.danceaustralia.com.au/study-2025/australian-ballet-school-the)
On outcomes, graduates of the school are now in approximately 80 companies around the world.[3](https://search.studyaustralia.gov.au/provider/australian-ballet-school-the/e82b0e3bd671c31c0f5c05e6146cfea6) Named graduate placements include The Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and Houston Ballet.[6](https://www.danceaustralia.com.au/study-2025/australian-ballet-school-the)
## Relationship with The Australian Ballet
The school and company share the Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre in Melbourne, where The Australian Ballet is based.[4](https://australianballet.com.au/about-us) Each year talented graduates of the school are selected to join The Australian Ballet, and around 75% of the company's members are ABS graduates.[4](https://australianballet.com.au/about-us) The two organizations also collaborate on artistic projects such as regional tours.[4](https://australianballet.com.au/about-us)
That collaboration is built into the final year of training. Level 8 students in the Graduate Diploma of Classical Ballet undertake a secondment with The Australian Ballet's Regional Tour.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) A first-hand account of a Level 8 rehearsal preparing for a regional tour, directed by former company dancers Joanne Michel and Andrew Murphy, describes an environment that mirrors a professional company.[7](https://www.dancetrain.com.au/a-day-at-the-australian-ballet-school/)
Employment is selective, not guaranteed. The company's own wording is that talented graduates are selected each year,[4](https://australianballet.com.au/about-us) and the school's stated purpose includes training dancers for companies other than The Australian Ballet.[3](https://search.studyaustralia.gov.au/provider/australian-ballet-school-the/e82b0e3bd671c31c0f5c05e6146cfea6)
## Alumni and influence
The clearest measure of the school's reach is the spread of its graduates: approximately 80 companies worldwide employ ABS-trained dancers,[3](https://search.studyaustralia.gov.au/provider/australian-ballet-school-the/e82b0e3bd671c31c0f5c05e6146cfea6) and roughly three-quarters of The Australian Ballet's own membership came through the school.[4](https://australianballet.com.au/about-us)
## What has changed recently
The school is under a new artistic director. Megan Connelly has been recently appointed, following directors Dame Margaret Scott, Marilyn Rowe, Gailene Stock, and Lisa Pavane, making her the fifth person to hold the role.[1](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-history) Published fees also rise across the 2026 to 2027 period, by roughly $640 at Level 4.[5](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program) Beyond these points, the evidence base contains no documented post-2023 curriculum, accreditation, or funding changes.
## References
1. [ABS History | The Australian Ballet School](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-history)
2. [National Training Register - 3132 The Australian Ballet School](https://training.gov.au/organisation/details/3132)
3. [ACIR Search - The Australian Ballet School](https://search.studyaustralia.gov.au/provider/australian-ballet-school-the/e82b0e3bd671c31c0f5c05e6146cfea6)
4. [About Us | The Australian Ballet](https://australianballet.com.au/about-us)
5. [ABS Full-Time Program | The Australian Ballet School](https://www.australianballetschool.com.au/pages/abs-full-time-program)
6. [Australian Ballet School (The) - Dance Australia](https://www.danceaustralia.com.au/study-2025/australian-ballet-school-the)
7. [A Day at the Australian Ballet School | dancetrain magazine](https://www.dancetrain.com.au/a-day-at-the-australian-ballet-school/)
8. [I "got in"! - Dance Australia](https://www.danceaustralia.com.au/expertise/i-got-in)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Dance and ballet › Ballet people, companies, and training › Ballet companies and schools › Ballet schools and academies of the Americas and beyond*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license