Artist Diploma

The Artist Diploma is intended for advanced students in music on the cusp of a professional career, who are seeking to hone a distinctive musical personality through a year of post-masters study in a conservatoire environment.

In the Principal Project module you will work towards an individually negotiated programme of high-level artistic outputs such as, performances, compositions, recordings, or documented research, according to the discipline. This module is supported by 20.5 hours of one-to-one lessons from a tutor or tutors of your choices.

In the Supporting Project module, you will receive individual support and mentoring from a personal supervisor, who will help you to create an individual portfolio of supplementary activites to complement your main artistic projects. The module culminates in an oral examination that invites you to reflect critically on the artistic intentions of your work through the course of the programme.

This programme will:

• Encourage the development of a distinctive musical personality
• Offer a rich learning environment that nurtures the individual artist in relation to the wider context of their practice
• Provide opportunities for performance and composition, and support students in creating their own opportunities
• Promote professional autonomy and resilience through a confident, reflective and critical approach to their musicianship
• Support students in articulating clearly the questions and insights that form the basis of their artistic practice

Tuition fees for academic year 2020-21

• £5,589 UK/EU students
• £10,872 International students

From the next academic year (21/22) all EU students commencing study in Scotland will pay fees at the International rate.

Scottish/EU students

New Scottish and EU domiciled students may be eligible for a Postgraduate Tuition Fee Loan. All eligible students will be able to apply directly to Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for a non-means tested loan of up to £3,400. See the SAAS website for further details of the PSAS scheme.

Scottish domiciled postgraduate students on eligible courses can also apply for a Postgraduate Living Cost Loan up to £4,500 towards living expenses. This is in addition to the existing loan available towards the cost of their tuition fees.

Scholarships

Any potential student who auditions for a place at the Royal Conservatoire will automatically be considered for a scholarship. They are awarded on a combination of talent, potential and financial need. More information about Scholarships is available on our Fees and Funding page.

Sources of external funding

For more information about alternative funding sources, including external scholarships and bursaries, please visit our Fees and Funding page.

The Conservatoire’s International and Student Experience team are available to advise and assist applicants and current students in respect of queries about funding your studies at the Conservatoire. Please email or telephone +44 (0)141 270 8281/ +44 (0)141 270 8223 for further information.

Apply via UCAS conservatoires

Applications are made through UCAS Conservatoires website. The UCAS Conservatoires application system is separate from the main UCAS undergraduate application system. If you wish to apply to conservatoires and universities within UCAS, you will need to register for both services.

There is a UCAS application fee of £26 to register to use UCAS Conservatoires.

To begin a new UCAS Conservatoires application, you will need to register. You can read the UCAS Conservatoires’ advice on completing the UCAS Conservatoires application.

If you need assistance with your application, you can contact UCAS Conservatoires team by telephoning (Monday to Friday, 8.30 — 18.00). Phone 0371 468 0470 from within the UK or +44 330 3330 232 if you are calling from overseas.

Application deadline date

The deadline dates to apply and submit your audition recording can be found in the table below –

	UCAS Conservatoires Application Deadline	Audition Recording Deadline
Non-USA Applicants	1 October 2020	16 October 2020
USA Applicants	1 December 2020	1 December 2020*

*For USA Applicants, to guarantee consideration for our first round of scholarship awards, you should submit your application and recording by 1 November 2020.

Once you submit your UCAS Conservatoires application, please then upload your audition recording to Acceptd – https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs.

If you submit your application after this date, we cannot guarantee that your audition recording will be reviewed by the audition panel. If you do want to submit a late application, you must contact admissions@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance to check we are accepting late applications. Late applications will be considered on a case by case basis and will not be considered in the first round of scholarship allocation.

We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2022, you must apply next year.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland institution code is R58.

Artist Diploma: 446F

 

Application fee

There is a UCAS Conservatoires application fee of £26. In addition to the application fee, each conservatoire charges an audition fee. For RCS, the audition fee is £65 per programme applied for. Fees are not refundable. The fees are paid via the UCAS Conservatoires website and not directly to RCS.

Audition fee

There is a UCAS Conservatoires application fee of £26. In addition to the application fee, each conservatoire charges an audition assessment administration fee. For RCS, the audition assessment administration fee is £65 per programme applied for. Fees are not refundable. The fees are paid via the UCAS Conservatoires website and not directly to RCS.

Audition Assessment Administration fee

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland charges an audition assessment administration fee of £65 per course.

We recognise that auditioning and interviewing for conservatoires, drama and ballet schools can be costly. The audition assessment administration fee charge allows us to offer a thorough and positive experience to all applicants and we encourage you to get in touch to ask the panel questions and find out more about the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to see if it is the best place for you.

We are committed to ensuring fair access to a conservatoire education for students who have the talent and potential to benefit from it, regardless of their background. In support of this, audition fee waivers are offered to applicants whom financial hardship may be a barrier to auditioning. Please see the audition fee waivers document for more information.

References

It is your responsibility to ask two separate referees to write references and ensure that these are sent to RCS.

The references must be written by two different people and we will not accept references from family, other relatives or close friends. You can submit your UCAS Conservatoires application form and send your references at a later date, but they must be received prior to your audition date.

UCAS Conservatoires provides reference forms for you to download and send to your referees for completion.

Entrance requirements

Our admissions processes are designed to be fair, transparent and efficient. The audition/interview approach serves the dual nature of allowing the panel to assess first-hand an applicant’s suitability for their chosen programme and it also affords the applicant the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the nature of that programme and the opportunities offered by the RCS.

In arriving at its recommendation, the audition/interview panel will take account of all aspects of the applicant’s profile i.e.:

• Performance at audition/interview
• Commitment to the particular programme
• Potential to benefit from the programme
• Academic qualifications
• Personal statement
• Performance qualifications
• Performance/practical experience
• References
• Contextualised data

Academic Entry Requirements

Candidates for both the MMus and MA are normally expected to hold a good honours (at least 2:2) degree, or its overseas equivalent, in a subject area relevant to the demands of the programme.

Language of Study

The language of study is English. Applicants who first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English. We accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Level 6.0 (with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component) is required of applicants to the School of Music.

Direct Entry

Applications for direct entry beyond Year 1 will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Royal Conservatoire’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning policy. If you wish to apply for direct entry, please mark the point of entry on UCAS Conservatoires application as 2.

Non-standard Entry

We welcome applications from individuals whose academic qualifications or English language qualifications do not match (in terms of equivalence) or fall short of the normal entrance requirements, where specified*. Having satisfied the Audition Panel that they meet the selection criteria and demonstrated that they have the capacity to pursue the proposed course of study, such applicants will be considered through examination of contextualised data provided in accordance with the Non-Standard Entry Policy. The appropriate Head of Department/ Programme will make a case in support of the applicant for consideration by the Directors of the Schools and Convener of the Quality and Standards Committee.

*Note that UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) imposes minimum English Language qualifications in respect of international (non-EU) applicants who require a Tier 4 Visa to study in the UK.

Mature Students

RCS welcomes applications from mature students, i.e. students over the age of 21 at entry to the programme. Whilst the selection procedures will still be applied, consideration will be given to appropriate artistic experience not normally expected in school leavers, which is deemed to compensate for any lack of traditional entrance qualifications. Successful mature applicants, as for all other applicants, must convince auditioning panels that they have the ability and potential to cope with the demands of the programme. Their progress, especially in the early stages of the programme, will be closely monitored and appropriate advice and support given.

 

Selection process

Applicants who apply on time invited to upload their audition recording to Acceptd. The deadline dates can be found below –

	UCAS Conservatoires Application Deadline	Audition Recording Deadline
Non-USA Applicants	1 October 2020	16 October 2020
USA Applicants	1 December 2020	1 December 2020*

*For USA Applicants, to guarantee consideration for our first round of scholarship awards, you should submit your application and recording by 1 November 2020.

If you submit your audition recording after this date, we cannot guarantee that your audition recording will be reviewed by the audition panel.

Please note that the Conservatoire is obliged to offer one audition recording per application. If you are unable to submit your audition recording by the deadline date above, you must email us immediately stating the reason. We have a specific period allocation to audition and all on time applications will receive a decision before Christmas (week commencing 14 December). If your audition recording is delayed, there is a risk that places will already have been taken and your application may not be considered in the first round of scholarship allocation.

Applicants are selected first and foremost on the basis of merit and potential. However, due attention is also paid to the range of Principal Studies accepted in order to ensure the optimum experience for each student and to sustain the critical mass required for curricular activities, such as the symphony orchestra and choral activities.

 

Audition

With the safety of our students, applicants and staff as our priority, all School of Music auditions will take place via audition recording. The deadline dates to apply and submit your audition recording can be found in the table below –

	UCAS Conservatoires Application Deadline	Audition Recording Deadline
Non-USA Applicants	1 October 2020	16 October 2020
USA Applicants	1 December 2020	1 December 2020*

*For USA Applicants, to guarantee consideration for our first round of scholarship awards, you should submit your application and recording by 1 November 2020.

Once you submit your UCAS Conservatoires application, please then upload your audition recording to Acceptd – https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs.

Once you submit your audition recording, this may be followed up with an interview. Interviews will take place the week of the 30 November 2020.

All decisions will be posted on UCAS Conservatoires following your audition via UCAS Conservatoires track (you will need your username and password). We aim to post outcomes before Christmas (week commencing 14 December 2020).

Through audition, applicants will be required to demonstrate:

• a high degree of technical competency on the instrument or voice in the service of specific repertoire
• an ability to demonstrate a considerable degree of understanding of the repertoire performed
• an ability to perform specific repertoire convincingly
• a considerable degree of self-confidence and creativity with respect to the repertoire performed
• a degree of self-sufficiency, initiative and independence in selecting, preparing and performing a particular programme
• a developing musical personality

Please see our pages below where there is information on what to prepare for the audition:

• Brass
• Chamber Music
• Composition
• Conducting
• Guitar and Harp
• Historically Informed Performance Practice
• Jazz
• Keyboard
• Opera
• Performance Pedagogy
• Piano Accompaniment
• Piano for Dance
• Repetiteurship
• Scottish Music
• Strings
• Timpani and Percussion
• Vocal Studies
• Woodwind

Following your audition

All decisions will be posted on UCAS Conservatoires following your audition via UCAS Conservatoires Track,  (you will need your username and password). You will also receive notification from UCAS Conservatoires when decisions on all your choices are available.

UCAS Conservatoires Codes

Guaranteed Unconditional (GU) RCS is satisfied from the information you have given, that you have already met the conditions for entry. Unless your application and/or qualification are subsequently shown to be fraudulent, a guaranteed unconditional offer is binding.

Guaranteed Conditional (GC) RCS has made the offer subject to you meeting certain conditions such as examination results. Conditions can be viewed via UCAS Conservatoires Track. Unless your application and/or qualifications are subsequently shown to be fraudulent, the offer is binding if you accept the offer and meet the conditions. You must meet the conditions of the offer by 31 August 2021, unless an earlier date is specified. If your conditions include obtaining IELTS (English Language test), you must meet this condition by 31 May 2021.

Reserve Unconditional (VU) RCS is satisfied from the information you have given, that you have already met the conditions for entry and you have been offered a place on our reserve pool.

Reserve Conditional (VC) RCS has offered a place on its reserve pool subject to you meeting certain conditions such as examination results. Conditions can be viewed via UCAS Conservatoires Track.

Unsuccessful (R) RCS does not wish to offer you any type of a place.

 

Replying to offers

As soon as a decision is made, UCAS Conservatoires will let you know. You must reply online via UCAS Conservatoires Track. Your reply date is displayed on Track. If you do not reply by the date given, your offers will be declined automatically. The reply date may be different to other applicants as it is based on when you receive your last decision.

Last decision by	Your reply date is
4 January 2021	1 February 2021
16 March 2021	13 April 2021
13 July 2021	29 July 2021
4 August 2021	8 September 2021
After 4 August 2021	22 September 2021

Please see the UCAS Conservatoires website for more information on replying to offers. If you make an application through UCAS Conservatoires, UCAS or UCAS Teacher Training, you cannot hold more than one confirmed place. A confirmed place in UCAS Conservatoires is a guaranteed unconditional offer as your first choice (GU1) and in UCAS and UCAS Teacher Training it is an unconditional firm (UF) place. If you receive more than one confirmed place, UCAS will ask you to accept one offer and withdraw from any others.

Policy

We have a number of policies and statements which you should read when applying to study at the Royal Conservatoire.

Please select the links below to read each policy.

• Feedback policy
• Equality and diversity
• Applicants with disabilities
• Guidance for applicants with criminal convictions
• Admissions policy