Fees
Application fee: £95 (or £105 if received after the advertised closing date).
Application fee for auditions in North America: £150 sterling.
Application fee for auditions in Asia: Refer to the local audition co-ordinator.
The Academy accepts payments by sterling cheque, UK postal order, bank transfer or credit/debit card. If you withdraw before attending the audition, you will not be entitled to a refund. Applications sent after the advertised deadline must include the late fee and may be placed on a waiting list for an audition.
Annual fees for full-time programmes for the 2011–2012 academic year will be:
| Programme | UK/EU fees | International/ELQ fees |
| BMus | £3,375 | £18,100 |
| MA | £8,500 | £18,750 |
| MMus | £9,500 | £19,300 |
| MMus intensive 1-year | £11,150 | £21,600 |
| MPhil/PhD | £5,000 | £11,200 |
| Year-In | £9,100 | £18,750 |
| Year Abroad | £9,100 | £9,100 |
| Organ Foundation | £9,100 | £18,750 |
| Musical Theatre | £12,100 | £12,100 |
| Musical Direction & Coaching | £6,400 | £6,400 |
| Advanced Diploma | £13,000 | £13,000 |
Annual fees for full-time programmes for the 2012–2013 academic year will be:
| Programme | UK/EU fees | International/ELQ fees |
| BMus | £9,000 | £18,600 |
| MA | £10,000 | £19,400 |
| MMus (2-year) | £10,200 | £19,800 |
| MMus (1-year) | £12,000 | £22,000 |
| MPhil/PhD | £5,500 | £12,000 |
| Year Abroad | £10,000 | £10,000 |
| Organ Foundation and Gap Year | £10,000 | £19,000 |
| Musical Theatre | £12,500 | £12,500 |
| Musical Direction & Coaching | £6,600 | £6,600 |
| Advanced Diploma (Royal Academy Opera) | £14,000 | £14,000 |
These fee levels increase each year. Invoices are issued by the Finance Department during the Spring to notify you of payment details and deadlines. Please be aware that the rates for Year Abroad are pro-rata for part-year attendance.
The Academy estimates that average living costs for one academic year will come to around £11,000.
From 2012–13 the Academy will charge new increased fees in response to recent significant changes in British government policy (see www.bis.gov.uk/studentfinance). These changes will enable the Academy to offer significant new scholarships and bursary assistance, including our participation in the National Scholarship Programme. This enhanced financial assistance goes hand-in-hand with further expansion of the Academy’s longstanding and successful outreach activities — including major new initiatives in Open Academy and Junior Academy.
Most European Union students will be entitled to pay fees at the ‘home’ rate provided they have not already gained a qualification at the same level as the programme they are joining, and meet certain conditions which are detailed on our Payment webpage, on www.ukcisa.org.uk and in the notes we provide when you make your entry application. Annual fees are normally payable in advance with a 25% deposit due in the Spring (31st January for candidates auditioned in Asia in November) and the balance due by the middle of August.
Entrance scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit to selected candidates following audition. The Academy prides itself on being able to accept students purely on the basis of their potential and talent, and will therefore try to help deserving candidates as much as possible. The amount available for scholarships varies from year to year, with some funding coming from the Academy’s own endowments and the rest secured through the generosity of individuals, companies, trusts and foundations.
Each year the Academy offers to international students one Undergraduate and one Postgraduate Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Scholarship, covering fees and part-maintenance for the duration of undergraduate programmes, and for one or two years for postgraduate programmes.
The Academy may be able to assist some students (normally postgraduates and full-fee paying international students) towards the costs of their fees and living expenses. Details will be sent with your offer letter. Enrolled students who experience difficulties with living costs may also seek assistance from the Academy’s ‘Hardship’ funds.
Candidates with UK or EU fee status who are applying for the BMus programme should visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance to be assessed for a tuition fee loan before their audition. UK-fee candidates can also be assessed for maintenance awards. These awards are administered through the Student Loans Company. Similar arrangements exist for EU (non-UK) students, who can apply for a tuition fees loan through www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance. (Maintenance awards are available only to UK students).
The AHRC has awarded the Royal Academy of Music a Block Grant Partnership. AHRC funding for postgraduate study provides a significant contribution towards tuition fees and support for living expenses. Please see www.ram.ac.uk/scholarships for details.
If you accept a place you must sign a written assurance, countersigned by a Guarantor, that you will pay the appropriate fees and have sufficient financial resources to cover living costs for your entire programme of study.
Withdrawal of funding for equivalent or lower qualifications (ELQs).
If you are eligible for UK/EU fees according to the regulations stated above, and if you join a study programme for an “ELQ” – a qualification that is equivalent to, or lower than, a qualification that you have already been awarded – Government funding support (which allows lower fees to be charged) is no longer available. For example, if you already have a Bachelor Degree or a postgraduate qualification and wish to join our BMus programme, you would not be eligible to be supported with Government funding and so the lower UK/EU fee rate would not be applicable for your studies. Please contact admissions@ram.ac.uk if you have any queries about this.
