North American Students
Established in 1847, RCS is a dynamic international community of artists. Here you’ll develop your craft, create new work, and collaborate across art forms in one of the finest multi-disciplinary environments in the world.
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About RCS
Established in 1847, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a global leader in performing arts education and one of only a few institutions worldwide to offer degree programmes across all the performing and production arts. We offer undergraduate degree programmes across Drama, Dance, Production, Film, Music, Education, and Community Arts.
Our distinctive learning environment, student performance opportunities and global reputation consistently place us among the world’s top ten performing arts education institutions.
Students at RCS train and work alongside award-winning faculty – made up of 1000+ tutors, lecturers, artists, technical and support staff – and visiting artists. We have partnerships at local, national and international levels that advance the experience and knowledge of students including with the BBC, all of Scotland’s national performing arts companies (such as the RSNO and National Theatre of Scotland), and Shakespeare’s Globe.
And when they graduate, our students make their mark all over the globe. Hollywood stars, cultural leaders, arts advocates, and so much more – RCS alumni can be found on cinema and TV screens, in concert halls and classrooms, and everywhere in between.
Students from across the globe are valued members of the RCS community and we welcome and encourage applicants from all throughout the world. Around one in three of our students originally come from outside the UK (31.37%, as of April 2022). Between them, they represent over 60 different nationalities and add a rich multicultural diversity to RCS.
Why RCS?
We are the only place in Europe where you can study all of the performing arts on the one campus. There is a distinctive creative energy at RCS and you’ll be made to feel part of our inclusive and diverse environment from the very beginning of your studies.
Our graduates are resourceful, highly employable and members of a dynamic community of artists who make a significant impact across the globe.
At RCS, students develop not just their art but their power to use it.
World Top Ten
We were voted one of the world’s Top Ten destinations to study both music and the performing arts (QS Rankings) in 2026, the 10th time we have been placed in the top ten since the ranking was established in 2016.
Perform & Collaborate
Our curriculum is built around performance and collaboration and we hold professional partnerships with all of Scotland’s National Companies. Join forces across artforms and be part of the 500+ performances we give each year.
Outstanding Alumni
Our graduates are employed across the world and we take pride in the impact they have on their art forms. We’ll equip you with the skills to thrive as a professional and join their ranks.
Learn from the Best
More than 1,000 lecturers, tutors, artists, technicians, co-ordinators and support staff work at RCS across all our art forms. Study with some of the finest educators and performing and production artists in the UK.
A Campus Built for You
Our facilities are world-class. From rehearsal rooms and recording studios to our five professional performance venues, we have a campus to showcase and develop emerging artists to the highest standards.
North American Auditions 2026
We are offering auditions in North America across our School of Music and School of Stage & Screen programmes for September 2026 entry:
BA Acting
We will be holding open auditions for the BA Acting programme in New York, 24 & 25 January 2026 at Studio 310, Ripley Grier Studios, 305 West 38th St, New York, NY 10018
Applicants are welcome to come along on the day, or if you would like to guarantee a slot you can email usaauditions@rcs.ac.uk in advance. You do not need to have submitted your UCAS application before this, although please note the deadline for UCAS is 30 January 2026.
BA Musical Theatre
We will be holding auditions for the BA Musical Theatre programme in Chicago, 4 & 5 February 2026 at Madison Room, Palmer House Hotel, 17 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603
Please email usaaudition@rcs.ac.uk for more information.
MA/MFA Acting/Directing Classical and Contemporary Text
We will be hosting open auditions for Acting Pathway Applicants in Philadelphia, 9-11 January 2026 at: Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square, Pollock Room, 1800 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Applicants auditioning in this way will not be required to submit a round 1 recording.
Applicants are welcome to come along on the day, or if you would like to guarantee a slot you can email usaauditions@rcs.ac.uk in advance. You do not need to have submitted your UCAS application before this, although please note the deadline for UCAS is 31 March 2025.
School of Music Performance Programmes
We will be holding auditions for School of Music applicants in the following North American locations/dates:
- Los Angeles, 24 & 25 January 2026, Location TBC
- Chicago, 27 & 28 January 2026, Location TBC
- New York, 30 & 31 January 2026, Location TBC
- Toronto, January 2026, Location TBC (specific audition dates to be confirmed)
Our overseas auditions will consist of one panel member and will also be recorded for review by the relevant department. Please note for live overseas auditions, we cannot guarantee that a member of our teaching staff for your specific discipline will be on the panel.
All applicants will need to provide their own instruments (except piano). All applicants will need to provide their own pianist for overseas auditions.
Opera
We will be holding auditions for Advanced Artist Diploma in Opera applicants in New York, Chicago and LA in the USA.
Exact dates and locations are still TBC but will be updated on the programme page when available.
Please note, we are operating a pre-screening process for all audition locations for the Opera programme, more details are available on the programme page.
Hear from Our North American Students
“It’s a very warm community and Glaswegians are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”
— Devon Martirez y McFarland, BA Modern Ballet student from California
Applying to RCS
Academic Entry Requirements - International Equivalences
Our Alumni
James McAvoy
Golden Globe-nominated actor and star of Atonement, Split and the X-Men franchise
Alan Cumming
Emmy and Tony award-winning actor, writer and presenter
Patrick Doyle
Oscar-nominated film composer, scored Hamlet, Sense & Sensibility and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Ncuti Gatwa
BAFTA award-winning star of Sex Education and Barbie and Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who
David Tennant
BAFTA and Emmy-winning actor, Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who
Karen Cargill
Award-winning Mezzo-soprano and world-renowned opera star
Sam Heughan
Actor, producer, author, and entrepreneur, star of Outlander
Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Oscar-nominated screenwriter of 1917 and Last Night in Soho
Jack Lowden
Emmy & Golden Globe-nominated theatre and screen actor, starred in Dunkirk, Mary Queen of Scots and Slow Horses
Catriona Morrison
Mezzo-soprano and first ever British winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition
Richard Madden
Golden Globe-winning star of Bodyguard, Game of Thrones and Marvel’s Eternals
Fergus McCreadie
Mercury Prize-nominated Jazz Pianist and Composer
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