Actor Sam Heughan is using the success he found through acting to help the next generation of performers get their start. The Outlander star, who trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow, has committed to funding three annual scholarships for students pursuing undergraduate studies at the institution. He has also created a separate initiative that gives emerging artists financial support to develop their own creative projects. According to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and its May 2026 announcement, Heughan’s contribution extends beyond tuition assistance. Through his scholarship programme and the Write Start creative commission, he is helping students gain access to opportunities, mentorship and resources that can make it easier to take their first steps into the performing arts industry.
From student to supporter
Heughan’s connection with the institution is a personal one. Born in Balmaclellan, Dumfries and Galloway, the actor graduated from RCS with a BA in Acting in 2003. He went on to build an international career, becoming widely recognised for playing Jamie Fraser in the historical fantasy series Outlander, based on Diana Gabaldon’s novels.In July 2021, he announced his ten-year scholarship commitment, returning to the institution to help students who might otherwise struggle to afford studying in Glasgow. The programme provides three scholarships each academic year. Two are intended for Scottish students entering the BA Acting course, while the third supports a student from outside Scotland studying within the School of Stage and Screen. The financial assistance is intended to make professional arts education more accessible, particularly for students who face financial barriers to pursuing their ambitions. His contribution was also recognised by the conservatoire in 2022, when he received an honorary doctorate and returned to attend its graduation ceremony.
A separate platform for student creativity
Alongside the scholarships, Heughan established Write Start: The Sam Heughan Creative Commission in 2021. Unlike the scholarship programme, which helps students with their education, this annual initiative focuses on helping them turn original ideas into finished creative projects.The competition encourages collaboration between students from different disciplines, including music, acting, dance, filmmaking and production. It provides funding and professional guidance, giving students the opportunity to experiment with ideas that might otherwise remain on paper. The 2026 edition recognised projects that brought together different artistic approaches, with two main winners receiving £2,500 each and runners-up receiving £500.
Meet the 2026 winners
Among this year’s recipients was music student Bohdan Ilnytskyi, who won the School of Music category for his project Some of Us. The £2,500 grant will support his exploration of how music can drive storytelling in films, rather than simply accompany scenes. His work also looks at incorporating Ukrainian musical instruments, including the kobza, into contemporary screen compositions. The School of Music runner-up award went to Isla Hallewell and her six-member ensemble, Mother Tongues: Ancient Folk. Their project will explore the relationship between historical Baroque music and folk traditions through a collaborative programme involving the University of Oxford and the Bates Instrument Collection.In the School of Stage and Screen category, second-year acting student Robert (Robbie) Greenhalgh received the other £2,500 award. His project, Swim Until You Can’t See Land, will be developed with fellow students Shay McFadden and Morven Blackadder. The proposed theatre production or feature film draws inspiration from Scottish band Frightened Rabbit and its late frontman Scott Hutchison.The story follows a young man returning to his seaside hometown on Scotland’s east coast after his brother’s death, exploring grief, identity and the complicated relationship people have with the places they come from. The £500 runner-up award in the same category went to acting students Wren Callender, Kit Allen and Marcela Weltsek-Medina. Their project, The Boy and the Rat Bastard, is a queer satirical animated television concept for which they plan to develop a teaser trailer. The next edition of Write Start is expected to open for applications in 2027, with details due towards the end of the year.Through these two initiatives, Heughan has created different avenues for students to pursue their ambitions, whether by making formal training more affordable or giving original ideas the financial backing needed to take shape. For someone who once walked the same corridors as these aspiring performers, the effort is also a way of helping ensure that financial circumstances do not determine who gets the opportunity to build a career in the arts.