Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

As Scotland's national conservatoire, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland brings drama, music, dance, film, production and education together in one institution. It traces its history to the Glasgow Athenaeum, founded in 1847. Until 2011 it was called the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama; the name changed that year to signal its wider spread of disciplines. In 1993 the conservatoire became the first in the UK to be given degree-awarding powers of its own, and the University of St Andrews validates its research degrees.

Its principal campus, designed by Sir Leslie Martin, stands on Renfrew Street in the centre of Glasgow and has been in use since the late 1980s. The Wallace Studios, which opened at Speirs Locks in 2010, provide additional space. Of approximately 1,200 students, about 70 per cent are undergraduates, and younger performers receive training through the Junior Conservatoire. The institution collaborates with Scotland's national performing arts companies and has King Charles III as patron. In the QS World University Rankings, it is regularly placed among the top ten institutions for performing arts.

Information for International Students

Overseas applicants and students deal mainly with the International and Student Experience team. It helps offer holders understand the Student visa requirements and prepare and submit their application, and for graduates of eligible courses the conservatoire reports completion to the Home Office, enabling a Graduate Route application. Most programmes select by audition: sessions have taken place in person in countries such as China, South Korea and the USA, and those unable to travel may audition online or by recording. English requirements differ by discipline: at undergraduate level they run from IELTS 5.5 in music and dance to 7.5 in acting and musical theatre, where speaking must also reach 7.5. School of Music applicants can work towards IELTS 6.0 through a six-week pre-sessional course run jointly with Bayswater Education, and English support continues during study.

The conservatoire recommends Base Glasgow, a purpose-built residence for students of the performing and production arts, roughly three minutes on foot from the Renfrew Street campus. Freshers' Week, a welcome event for families and move-in support from the Students' Union help newcomers settle, and international applicants may access scholarships and other funding sources.