Your Offer: International (+EU) Applicant Guide
Congratulations on your offer of a place to study at the RNCM.
Below is important information outlining the next steps required to accept and confirm your place. Please take a moment to read this carefully and don’t hesitate to email [email protected] quoting your UCAS Conservatoires ID if you’re unsure of anything.
We look forward to welcoming you in September!
Your Offer and Associated Conditions
Please check your offer letter carefully and let our Admissions Team know as soon as possible if you think any of the information included, such as course details, are incorrect.
Your offer letter may also include details of any other criteria you are required to meet, and any scholarships you have been awarded.
It’s important to note that unless otherwise specified, scholarships are for your first year of study only, and any continuing awards will only be renewed providing your studentship remains in good standing in terms of attendance, engagement, and commitment to activities within your School of Study and the College.
If you haven’t already done so, it’s essential that you reply to your offer using your UCAS Hub by the relevant deadline, where you’ll also find full details of any associated conditions. For a full list of key dates, please see below.
Submit Supporting Documents
After you’ve accepted your offer, please submit any outstanding supporting documentation to our Admissions Team by email to [email protected] remembering to include your UCAS ID in any correspondence.
Attend Offer Holders’ Events and Activities (January and February 2025)
Each January and February we look forward to welcoming Offer Holders to the College for a range of in-person activities, designed to help you make an informed choice on whether the RNCM is right for you.
Events are School or instrument specific and provide a great opportunity to meet staff, students and future classmates. We understand that as an International Offer Holder you may not be able to attend in person. If this is the case, please don’t worry as there will be opportunities to join us online. To see what’s on and to sign up, click here.
Accommodation
Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence
All new students can choose to live in Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence, and you’re automatically allocated a room if you accept your offer by 7 February (please note that late applicants are not guaranteed an allocation). We’ll be in touch with eligible offer holders in February/March 2025 with more information on how to confirm your booking.
The Hall is situated right next door to the RNCM and is owned and managed by Unite Students. They will contact you in Spring to ask if you’d like to accept your room and to advise on what to do next if you do. If you know in advance that you don’t wish to live onsite – and to ensure that your room is not reserved unnecessarily – please email [email protected].
Private Accommodation
Alternatively, you may wish to rent a flat or share a house privately. Manchester has a huge selection of affordable accommodation within easy distance of the RNCM. There are lots of areas close by and if you’re curious to learn more, you might find these website useful:
Tuition Fees
By accepting a place at the RNCM, you’re guaranteeing to undertake, and be responsible for, your tuition fees and living costs for the duration of your course. Our fees for 2025/26 can be found here and payment details will be provided with your registration information. (Please note that fees quoted are for the academic year stated and are subject to annual review and change.)
Further information about fees, funding and financial support can be found here on our website, and don’t forget that in addition to your tuition fees, you’ll also need funds for living costs.
Important information: To determine the status of undergraduate students for fee purposes, we follow regulations issued by the UK Government. If you don’t qualify for Home status, you’ll be enrolled as an International student.
The UK Government announced in June 2020 that EU students applying to study in the UK from September 2021 onwards will no longer be eligible for Home fee status or undergraduate, postgraduate and advanced learner financial support from Student Finance England. The change to tuition fees and student finance will not affect those EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from Citizens’ Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively. It will also not apply to Irish nationals living in the UK and Ireland whose right to study and to access benefits and services will be preserved on a reciprocal basis under the Common Travel Area arrangement.
Fee status is based on a number of factors, including nationality and residency. Initial fee status for RNCM Offer Holders is based on information provided within UCAS Conservatoires applications. If you think this is incorrect, please contact [email protected] and we would be happy to undertake a full fee assessment with you.
Visas for Studying in the UK
Most international (+EU) students will require a visa to study in the UK. You can check this by visiting the Government’s website.
If you need a visa, our Admissions Team will be in touch in May with the latest information on the Student Visa requirements and the steps you need to take to obtain a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) and start your visa application. In the meantime, you can visit our visa and immigration advice to know more.
English Language Requirement
If your first language isn’t English, you must be able to demonstrate that your level of English language meets the necessary entrance requirements for your chosen programme. Please refer to our advice here for a list of acceptable evidence. You need to provide suitable evidence, such as an Academic IETLS certificate, to our Admissions Team by 1 May.
If your level of English falls marginally below the level required for your course, you may need to attend a Pre-Sessional English Language Course. The RNCM runs one of these each summer; more details will be announced in February.
You can find the minimum IELTS requirements for each RNCM course on our website.
Certificate of Good Conduct (MPerf Only)
The MPerf programme requires you to participate in the Practical Pedagogy module which involves one-to-one teaching, often with children and/or vulnerable adults. Before starting your studies with us, you need to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct from your local police authority. This must be translated into English and any fees for either the certificate or the translation is your responsibility.
Guidance on how to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website. If the country you have lived in is not listed, you should contact the relevant Embassy or High Commission of that country in the UK for advice.
If you don’t provide a Certificate of Good Conduct at registration, it may restrict your learning experience while you’re at the RNCM as you won’t be allowed to work with children or vulnerable adults until you produce the relevant evidence.
Please note that offer holders from Hong Kong should follow a different process. For guidance on this, please email Louise Rogers, our Head of Programme Administration, at [email protected].
Key Dates
January and February | Attend online and in-person Offer Holders’ activities (further information to follow via email). |
By 7 February | If you have received all of your decisions by 8 January, accept your offer through your UCAS Hub and submit any outstanding supporting documentation (e.g. references and certificates) by email to [email protected] as soon as possible. |
February | Applications to the RNCM Pre-Sessional English Language Course open. |
March – May | If you have accepted your offer by the relevant deadline, you’ll be contacted by Unite Students regarding accommodation in Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence. If you would prefer to organise private accommodation, please visit the websites within the accommodation section above. |
By 9 April | If you have received all of your decisions by 12 March, accept your offer through your UCAS Hub. |
April – May | Postgraduate School of Vocal Studies and Opera offer holders will receive an email about auditions for the RNCM’s December opera production (usually held in June). |
1 May | You must provide suitable evidence to meet the English Language requirements for your course. |
May | International students will receive information about how to request a CAS and start your visa application. |
By 4 June | If you have received all of your decisions by 14 May, accept your offer through your UCAS Hub. |
By 30 July | If you have received all of your decisions by 9 July, accept your offer through your UCAS Hub. |
By 31 August | Deadline for meeting all offer conditions. |
August – Start of Academic Year | You’ll receive notification of your Principal Study Tutor (date varies per instrument). |
Summer | Keep an eye out for messages from our Students’ Union about our Freshers’ activities. |
September | You’ll receive your RNCM IT account details via email. |
September | You’ll receive an email outlining online registration and tuition fee payment. |
By 10 September | If you have received all of your decisions by 1 August, accept your offer through your UCAS Hub. |
15 – 19 September | Enrolment and Welcome Week (compulsory for all students) |
22 September | Start of Academic Year |
Next Steps
It’s important that you read and understand the information outlined above so that you know what to expect before you start.
For now, the key thing to remember is that if you have received all of your offers by 8 January, you need to accept by 7 February. For offers received after this date, please refer to the deadline listed on your UCAS Conservatories application.