WaterBear the College of Music
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WaterBear the College of Music is a British popular music college based in Brighton, England.[1]
| Type | Music college |
|---|---|
| Established | 2018 |
Parent institution | Waterbear Education group |
| Location | , United Kingdom |
| Campus | Urban |
| Language | English |
| Website | waterbear |
 | |
History
The college opened its Brighton campus in 2018. Its cohort doubled in size from 2022 to 2023.[2] The college's patron Frank Turner played an acoustic set at the college's Brighton campus opening event.[3] Some of its students performed on the Croissant Neuf stage at the 2024 Glastonbury Festival.[4]
Locations
Its main campus is on Queen's Road, Brighton. In July 2024, it opened a grassroots music venue in Brighton.[5] The expansion was part of a wider move to broaden access to specialist music education beyond London and the South East.[6] In 2025, Waterbear opened its second campus on Gatecrasher's former site in Sheffield.[7][8]
Academic profile
The college offers BA Honours and MA courses awarded by Falmouth University.[4] The university also invests in the college and has a seat on its board.[9][10] The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in music.[10] The BBC has described it as a new type of music college that focuses on supporting independent musicians and preparing students for the realities of the modern music industry.[4]
Scholarships
The Carl Cox Scholarship was launched with the DJ and producer to support electronic music students.[11] The Pattern + Push scholarship covers fees for the three-year BA Honours Degree.[12] The While She Sleeps scholarship covers the tuition fees for one BA Hons student for the entirety of their course.[12] The Sarah Nulty Foundation scholarship, named after the late founder of the Tramlines Festival, covers the tuition fees for the three-year BA course at the Sheffield Campus. In 2025, the college launched the Skindred BA Hons Scholarship, which covers a three-year on-site BA (Hons) Professional Music degree at the Brighton campus.[13]