Institution Details

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire (place of study for the arts) of music theatre and dance based in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded from the 1845 Glasgow Educational Association, it became the first conservatoire in the UK to be granted degree-awarding powers in 1993. Today, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland, with almost 1,000 students enrolled from over 50 different countries.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland maintains a close relationship with the professions, which helps to ensure the continued vocational relevance of courses. Significantly, the Conservatoire employs a proportionately very high number of part-time teachers who are also active in the professions, thereby providing students with a direct and live link to those professions. In addition to the professional activities of part-time staff, many of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's full-time staff are also distinguished practitioners in their own professional areas of expertise.

Situated on the banks of the River Clyde, Glasgow is Scotland's largest city. It is a hub for music and theatre, within five minutes walking distance of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (home of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and visited by major international orchestras) and the Theatre Royal (home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet). There are 12 theatres of varying sizes in Glasgow, including the renowned Citizens Theatre, Tron Theatre, the Arches and The Theatre Royal, leading to a huge number of actors, artists and musicians to take up residence in the city.

Glasgow is home to more than 35 museums and galleries, which include the Burrell Collection, the Hunterian, the Art Gallery & Museum at Kelvingrove, the People's Palace and the McLellan Galleries, while the city's Mitchell Library is the largest public reference library in Europe. Edinburgh is only 45 minutes away by train and London around five hours by train or an hour by air.   Find on Map 

The Conservatoire has Effective Learning Tutors who can assist students with language issues in their studies, as well as providing general study advice. More general student support is also available from the Student Union, who organise several activities for international students at the beginning of the year.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland has an arrangement with Liberty House student accommodation that gives new students the opportunity to be accommodated in student accommodation in Glasgow, within walking distance of the Conservatoire. Non-studio apartment rooms are arranged in groups of 9 per flat with a shared kitchen.

Music, Drama, Film

James McAvoy (Actor)
Ian Richardson (Actor)
Jack Bruce (Cream)
John Hannah (Actor)
David Tennant (Actor)

(1) Scholarship Name International Scholarships for Production
Scholarship amount - £2,500
Successful International applicants will be offered a minimum of £2,500 per annum when studying either of our Production programmes: BA Production Arts & Design or BA Production Technology & Management.

(2) Scholarship Name Viola Scholarships
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland recently announced several generous scholarships for talented viola players from North America for entry in 2024.

The RCS is internationally renowned with students from 60 countries. In addition to a world-class teaching faculty, the RCS offers in-depth partnerships with Scotland’s leading orchestras (the RSNO, BBC Scottish Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra), the innovative Scottish Ensemble and contemporary music group Red Note, and the award-winning early music group the Dunedin Consort.

With collaboration at its core, there are numerous opportunities for creative projects, including with artists across the acting and dance departments. RCS is one of the most innovative performing arts institutions in the world and is renowned for its opportunities to broaden into different styles of playing, including early music, Scottish Trad, folk music, jazz, and improvisation.

Situated in the vibrant cultural city of Glasgow, with quick access to both Edinburgh and the glorious Scottish Highlands, the RCS offers a student experience that is bespoke and truly unique.

RCS is consistently recognised as one of the world’s top 10 performing arts education institutions. In 2023 RCS was ranked 6th in the prestigious QS World University Rankings for performing arts, placing it alongside London’s Royal College of Music, MDW in Vienna, Juilliard in New York and the Paris Conservatoire

(3) Scholarship Name WM Mann Scholarship for Postgraduate Indonesian Students
Scholarship amount - 75% of international postgraduate fees
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is pleased to be working in partnership with the WM Mann Foundation and the Foundation’s Indonesia-based Trustee Ainsley Mann to offer scholarship and accommodation support for exceptional Indonesian postgraduate students.

Application Criteria
To be considered for this incredible opportunity, students must show outstanding aptitude in their field and be prepared to enhance the performing arts in Indonesia. Specifically, students must be able to articulate how they plan to share the skills and knowledge they have learned at RCS with the performing arts community in Indonesia during and after their studies. They must also be interested in actively fostering collaboration with Glasgow and Scotland and Indonesia within their chosen discipline and outline how this will be achieved.

Award Information
In return, the WM Mann Foundation will donate 75% of international postgraduate fees (the remaining 25% will be covered by RCS) and will also cover the cost of one year’s accommodation at BASE, the award-winning student accommodation which is a five-minute walk from the main RCS campus. The Foundation will also be a continuing point of contact throughout your studies and will work closely with staff at RCS to ensure you have everything you need to make the most of your studies.