Interested in joining us? This page contains practical information on how to apply to the Academy.
Applications for all courses are made through UCAS Conservatoires, with the exception of exchange and study abroad placements.
Simply register for an online account to begin your application. Your application does not have to be completed all at once – you can save it and return at a later time. Please refer to the UCAS Conservatoires handy step-by-step guide for further assistance.
UCAS ID
Our UCAS Conservatoires ID is R53
In most cases, you will only have to submit one application.
If you would like to be considered for different courses in the same specialism, for example MMus piano and MA piano, please apply for the higher-level course via UCAS. We can adjust your course choice at a later date if necessary. If you have any questions about this, please contact the Admissions Team.
Please note, you will need two application choices in your UCAS profile and your Acceptd account if you want to be considered for:
- A different specialism (for example, both violin and viola)
- A Research degree (MPhil/PhD) and also a taught course (for example, a Master's degree or post-Master's diploma)
- The Opera department and also the Vocal Studies department
For most courses, the closing date for submitting your application in UCAS Conservatoires is 2 October 2023, 18:00 (UTC). There are exceptions to this, with all deadlines are shown in the table below.
For Academy deadlines after 2 October, please disregard the default 2 October UCAS deadline seen in UCAS Conservatoires.
Please note - these details are for students applying to start their studies at the Academy in September 2024. Applications for 2023 entry are now closed.
Application | Deadline |
---|---|
UCAS Conservatoires Application | 2 October 2023, 18:00 (UTC) |
Composition portfolio submission | 2 October 2023, 18:00 (UTC) |
Acceptd profile with referee contact details submission (London in-person candidates) | 27 October 2023 We recommend uploading early in the day, before the site gets busy |
Audition video recordings Does not include round one recordings for Musical Theatre, Musical Direction and Coaching, Orchestral Conducting, Choral Conducting, CPD or Repetiteur - see below. | 27 October 2023 We recommend uploading early in the day, before the site gets busy. When your file upload is shown as 'processing', it's in the Acceptd system and you can exit the page or add another file. |
Musical Theatre, Musical Direction and Coaching, Orchestral Conducting (Masters and CPD) | 1 November 2023 |
Musical Direction and Coaching | 1 November 2023 |
Orchestral Conducting (Masters and CPD) - Video submission deadline | 15 November 2023 |
Musical Theatre - Video submission deadline | 23 November 2023, 18:00 UK time |
Choral Conducting | 8 January 2024, 12:00 midday UK time |
New York, Buenos Aires and São Paulo in-person auditions | 8 January 2024, 12:00 midday UK time |
Research Degree / Continuing and Professional Development Diploma (except Conducting) / Répétiteur | 12 January 2024, 12:00 midday UK time |
CPD Diploma (except Conducting) Répétiteur | 19 January 2024, 12:00 midday UK time |
Bursary Research degree | 31 January 2024 |
Study Abroad | 15 March 2024 |
International candidates are welcome to audition either in London or by video. We also offer in-person auditions for most principal studies/specialisms in New York, Buenos Aires and São Paulo. Please see the section above for application deadlines.
For more information about New York, Buenos Aires and São Paulo, see International Auditions.
If you have missed the deadline specified for your course, please contact our admissions team before submitting a late application.
There is no separate application process for entrance scholarships. These are awarded on merit, after audition (or composition interview).
For more details, see Fees, Scholarships and Bursaries.
Payment
- The Academy assessment fee payable directly to UCAS Conservatoires is £100 and you also will need to pay the £27.50 UCAS Conservatoires registration fee. Payment is made online to UCAS when you submit the application.
- Assessment fees do not apply to Répétiteur candidates
- Fees are payable by credit/debit card in the UCAS Conservatoires online payment system when submitting your application.
- If you experience problems with the payment system please contact UCAS directly for assistance and guidance about other possible payment methods.
Refunds
- If you withdraw your Academy application before your entrance assessment, you won’t be entitled to a refund of the Academy fee unless you withdraw within 14 days of submitting the application to UCAS; the Academy will notify UCAS and you should receive the Academy fee from UCAS Conservatoires.
- If you completely withdraw your whole UCAS Conservatoires application within 14 days of submitting it, UCAS Conservatoires will refund your payment directly to you, including the UCAS registration fee.
Please note, the UCAS Conservatoires £27.50 registration fee cannot be waived.
Application fee waivers may be granted for candidates (or their parent or legal guardian if the candidate is under 28) in receipt of the following UK government benefits:
- 16-19 Bursary Fund
- EMA
- Disabled Students Allowance
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Job Seeker’s Allowance
- Tax Credits
Please submit up-to-date documentary evidence of the benefit (scanned and attached to an email) to admissions@ram.ac.uk, quoting your UCAS Conservatoires personal ID number. If the benefit recipient is your parent or legal guardian, please also send a document confirming their relationship to you (e.g. a scan of your longform birth certificate including parent names). Please do not send bank statements.
You will need to start your UCAS Conservatoires application in order to generate your ID number, however it is important to wait until your waiver has been agreed before submitting the finished application.
Please allow at least five working days for your request to be processed. We regret that assessments for our application fee waivers cannot be made after the panel assessment has taken place.
More information can be found on the UCAS website here.
The Academy will be pleased to support audition travel costs for students receiving the application fee waiver. This is available for UK domiciled students under 27 years old up to the cost of £100 for one person’s standard-class public transport return travel, from their home to the Academy.
Guidelines for new candidates
- Put your referee details (including their email address) into your Acceptd profile. Acceptd will contact them directly requesting a reference document, or they can type the reference directly into the Acceptd system
- You will need two references, each from a separate referee
- Referees cannot be family, relatives or close friends
- Referees should not send references by email or post to the Academy (please only use the Acceptd portal)
- See the UCAS Conservatoires guidance for information on suitable referees, and the contents of a reference.
- Because we use Acceptd for your references, you do not need to have the references in your UCAS Conservatoires application. However, if your referees have put references into UCAS Conservatoires, they can write "In UCAS" when they get the Acceptd request.
Guidelines for existing Academy students (excluding exchange and study abroad students)
If you are currently enrolled at the Academy and are applying for a new course with the same principal study (specialism):
- You will need one academic reference from either your current academic tutor (postgraduates) or Head of Year (undergraduates) - please refer to your course handbook. The referee should not be your Head of Department.
- Input your academic referee's details into both of the fields in Acceptd.
- You do not need a practical reference from your Principal Study teacher,
- If you are a Postgraduate Vocal Studies student at the Academy applying for Royal Academy Opera we do not require a reference.
We expect to publish audition and interview date notifications by email at the following times, please check your junk mailbox in case the message is caught in your spam filter:
Audition notification / Interview notification | Expected Publication Date |
London | Early November |
Musical Theatre (London recalls) | Spring term |
Orchestral Conducting | Mid-January |
Choral Conducting, Répétiteur, Continuing Professional Development | Mid-January |
New York, Buenos Aires and São Paulo | Late January |
Research Degree (first stage) | February |
Results will be issued through your UCAS Conservatoires Hub after the Academy’s Selection Board has finalised their decision. For most studies, this is usually before Christmas in December.
Results for Exchange/Study Abroad applications are usually issued in May via your coordinator.
Read What happens next for more information.
Open Days
Open Days are the perfect way to discover more about the Academy and whether it’s the right place for you.
Find out practical information about the application process, finances and career development on the Open Days Home Page.
