Royal College of Music

Opened in 1883 by the Prince of Wales of the day, who later reigned as King Edward VII, the Royal College of Music operates as a specialist conservatoire in London. It occupies a building in South Kensington facing the Royal Albert Hall, in the centre of the district's concentration of museums and cultural organisations. The college is comparatively modest in size: more than 900 students, drawn from over 60 countries, study there at undergraduate, master's and doctoral level, with training centred on performance, composition and associated research.

Performance is a regular part of student life through the RCM Opera Studio, two jazz bands and five orchestras, all of which give concerts at venues around the UK and overseas, and students also attend masterclasses led by performers with international reputations. Among the college's facilities are a library, studios, the Britten Theatre, a concert hall and the historic RCM Collections. Its former students include the composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst, the soprano Dame Joan Sutherland and the conductor Sir Colin Davis. The college is a registered charity and also operates a Junior Department for gifted young musicians.

Information for International Students

International students receive advice from the Registry and Student Services team on visas and immigration, finance, accommodation, and living and working in the UK; dedicated pages serve applicants from several countries. Most programmes take applications through UCAS Conservatoires, and admission depends primarily on audition. Performers may audition in person in London, send in a recording, or travel to an overseas audition centre run by the college; these have included cities in North America, Australia, and East and South East Asia. Composers are instead assessed on a portfolio and at interview.

For the BMus, applicants need IELTS 5.5 in all four components; Master of Music programmes set 7.0 overall, with no component below 5.5. Students can live at Prince Consort Village in west London, which Campus Living Villages manages, or in one of several partner halls near the college, some of which offer pianos and practice rooms. No separate application is needed for scholarships, which are awarded on merit at audition. Most are restricted to students paying home fees, although international applicants are eligible for a small number of named awards. Graduates may qualify for the Graduate Route.