FAQs

All students must register with a doctor (General Practitioner/GP) and we recommend that you register with Dr Leslie and Partners within Woodside Health and Care Centre, 891 Garscube Road, Glasgow, G20 7ER.

For most students, Induction Week starts on Monday 21 September 2026. The exceptions are:

• PGDE students who will begin their Term 1 on Monday 17 August 2026.

Induction Week is a conservatoire-wide initiative designed to help ease you into life at RCS. It is an opportunity to find out about the facilities on campus, learn about relevant support services and meet other new students. It is a useful introduction to life in Glasgow and will help you settle into being a student at RCS before you begin your programme of study.

Students can move into Base Glasgow beginning 11 September 2026 for 41-week contracts and 18 September 2026 for 51-week contracts. Staff and current students will be available to assist you with your luggage and to help you settle in.

You must meet the conditions of your offer and send evidence of this to the admissions team by 31 August 2026. You are advised to send evidence as soon as your conditions have been met.

If your conditions include obtaining IELTS (English Language Test), the deadline for this will have been communicated by the RCS admissions team. If you have difficulty accessing an IELTS test, please keep in touch with the admissions office on when you are able to take an IELTS test (or an alternative English Language test) and deadlines will be set/amended on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, matriculation and registering are the same thing. It is sometimes also referred to as enrolment. Matriculation information will be emailed to all new students at the end of August.

PGDE students will receive matriculation information in July.

No, you should attend all the same Induction Week activities as the other students on your programme of study. In addition, you will be invited to a presentation specifically for , International Exchange and Study Abroad students upon your arrival and you may also wish to attend the Induction Week session for international students. We appreciate that you will not be new to higher education in your own country but the offering may be different in Scotland and the activities on offer will help you to settle in to your studies in Glasgow.

If you are a full-time student, you will be entitled to apply for Student Exemption from Council Tax. This exemption only applies from the start of your programme (e.g. Monday 21 September 2026) and runs until the end of your programme (not your graduation date). Therefore if you move into accommodation prior to commencing your programme, you will not be entitled to exemption and will be liable for any charges. You will also be liable after the completion of your studies.

The Conservatoire has a data-sharing agreement with Glasgow City Council and you will be asked to opt into this agreement as part of the matriculation process. If you live outwith Glasgow City Council, please ask for confirmation via counciltax@rcs.ac.uk

Student status letters can be requested after you have matriculated (e.g. after Monday 21 September 2026). We cannot confirm that you are an enrolled student until after your matriculation date. Due to the large number of requests at the start of the academic year, the turn-around time for issuing these letters will be between one and two weeks.

You can request a Student Status letter after you have commenced your studies via the Student Status Letter Request Form.

Most of the banks in the city centre of Glasgow should be willing to offer you a basic bank account (no credit card or overdraft facilities). All banks will require a letter from RCS confirming your status as a student, which can only be given to you once you have matriculated (e.g. after Monday 21 September). Once matriculated, you will be able to fill out the Student Status Letter Request form.

Due to the large number of requests at the start of the academic year, the turn-around time for issue of these letters is between one and two weeks. You should not make an appointment with a bank until you have received your letter.

You need to complete a FAFSA for award year 2026/27. A member of staff will then be in touch with you in May/June to let you know how much you’re eligible to borrow and the steps you need to take in order to ensure that your loan is in place for September 2026. You can find more information on our dedicated US Federal Student Aid page

You will receive your Induction Week timetable at the end of August along with your induction/matriculation pack. You will be shown how to access your class timetable on our ASIMUT system during your IT Induction session in induction week. Your timetable will not be available before you matriculate.

PGDE students will gain access to their timetable through the ASIMUT system in induction week (Monday 17 August)

You will receive your digital programme handbook at either the end of August or the first week of term (Programme dependent). The programme handbook is sometimes referred to as a course catalogue.

PGDE students will receive their programme handbook the week of the 17 August.

Each Programme/Department is supported by a Programme Support Administrator (PSA), they provide students and staff with administrative support in relation to the delivery of the programme. If you have any departmental specific questions, please email: psa@rcs.ac.uk. Information about your specific PSA’s will be given to you as part of the induction meetings.

Matriculation cards are not issued until the start of the academic year on Monday 21 September.

PGDE students will receive their matriculation cards the week of Monday 17 August.

If you have not supplied an image by the deadline advised to you and prior to your matriculation date, there will be a delay in getting your ID card to you. This will affect your building and room booking access, so it’s important you supply a photo as soon as you can. Images can be sent to matriculation@rcs.ac.uk. The same ID photo will be used for the entirety of your studies, and cannot be changed once your programme has started.

You will find out your allocated principal study teacher when you commence your studies at the Conservatoire. If you have any concerns, please contact: psa@rcs.ac.uk

If you would like to get in touch with a current RCS student before you arrive, please email SUAdmin@rcs.ac.uk. By emailing us, please note that you will be consenting to share your email address with that current student.

Working in the UK as a student can be a rewarding experience. It’s important to understand and comply with your immigration rights and restrictions and any limits to working that your institution might have.

There are two main issues to consider; are you legally able to and if you are, will you have enough time to do so given the demands of your course.

Students in the UK on a Student Route visa can work for 20 hours per week during term time and full time during holiday periods. There are some kinds of work that Student Route students must not do:

• self-employment
• work as an entertainer

Any student can take up an unpaid performance provided they are doing so as an amateur and they are not seeking to derive a living from the activity. For more information please email the International Team or go to the UKCISA Website for further advice.

Students on a Visitor visa cannot work at all. As a Visitor, you cannot do any kind of work, work placement or work experience during your studies in the UK.

You should not rely on income from a part-time job to fund or supplement your living costs in Glasgow. Part-time jobs are available in the city but the programmes of study at RCS are intensive and your commitment to study may not afford you much spare time. If you’d like to find out whether you’ll have time to have a part-time job you can ask to be put in touch with your Head of Department/Programme.

RCS does not offer Work-Study as happens in the USA.

You can find out more about our support services, including about our disability advisor, welfare team and counselling service on our Supporting You page.