Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Great Britain's first municipal music college, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, opened in 1880, and the City of London Corporation owns and funds it. The School is a specialist conservatoire providing professional training in drama, music, and production and design, at every level from undergraduate study to doctorate. Its home is the City of London's Barbican: the main building stands on Silk Street, and Milton Court, a second building opened in 2013, contains additional performance venues. Through creative partnerships with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Barbican Centre, students work regularly alongside professional artists.

Since 2014 Guildhall has had its own taught degree awarding powers, and it belongs to Conservatoires UK. The School has around 1,000 students in higher education and appears regularly among the leading music and performing arts institutions in international league tables. Through Guildhall Young Artists, which includes the Junior Guildhall Saturday programme, it is also a significant trainer of young people between the ages of 4 and 18.

Information for International Students

About a third of Guildhall's students come from abroad, representing more than 40 nationalities. Places are offered following an audition or interview. Music applicants may also take single-round live auditions held overseas, for example in New York, Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong. English requirements differ by programme: undergraduate music candidates need IELTS 5.5 with no skill below 5.5, BA Acting and BA Production Arts ask for 6.5 with each skill at 6.0 or above, and several postgraduate and research programmes require 7.0. Optional English classes run in the autumn and spring terms.

The School issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies only once every entry condition is met, and sponsorship queries go to a dedicated immigration contact. Before term, new international students can attend an orientation and welcome event on study skills, welfare and visas, and a buddy scheme pairs them with current students. Rooms at Sundial Court, the School's residential hall within a few minutes' walk, are limited and allocated using priority criteria, which means many students rent in the private sector. The School welcomes the Graduate Route as an option for graduates who are eligible.