Scholarships
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RCS Scholarships
The deadline for scholarship applications for 24/25 has now closed.
If you require assistance please contact welfare@rcs.ac.uk
Each year, RCS disburses circa £1.5 million in scholarships to our incoming and continuing undergraduate and postgraduate students from Scotland, the Rest of the UK, the EU and internationally based on merit and financial need.
RCS scholarships vary in amount from a few hundred pounds to several thousand pounds.
We have also established a specific bursary for Rest of the UK students to assist with fees. This is a means-tested bursary and is awarded automatically when applying for a student loan for fees.
Within the School of Music, the majority of scholarship awards are made in January following an audition and offer of a place at the RCS. Scholarships are made based on ability and potential with some for financial need. Many School of Music scholarships are made for the duration of the programme. There is no separate scholarship application for the School of Music as everyone is automatically considered.
School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film scholarships are awarded for a mixture of financial need and merit. Scholarships within the School of DDPF are applied for and awarded on an annual basis. If you are offered a place at the Conservatoire for drama, dance, production or film (DDPF), you will be forwarded the link to Apply for a DDPF Scholarship.
About RCS Scholarships
Scholarships decisions across both schools are made by a scholarship panel in discussion with the students’ Head of Department. Awards made in the second and subsequent years will be subject to the level of future income streams to the RCS Trust and will be confirmed on an annual basis.
The RCS Scholarship Fund is supported by the generosity of many charitable trusts, companies, businesses, bequests and individual members of the public.
If you are successful in being awarded a scholarship that has been donated by a specific trust or donor there may be additional conditions. You may be asked to submit an annual report to your donor/s at least once a year with an update on your progress. Students may also be asked to list the award in their biography and, on occasion, attend events where their donors may be present. Every scholarship student is expected to play a full and active role in the life of the institution, to act as a good role model for other students, and to be an ambassador for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The RCS Scholarship Fund is supported by the generosity of many charitable trusts, companies, businesses, individual members of the public and from bequests, therefore we ask students not to approach these bodies independently:
- ABRSM
- Barcapel
- Cameron Macintosh Foundation
- John Mather Trust
- RCS Trust
- The Leverhulme Trust
- The Wolfson Foundation
- Universal Music UK Sound Foundation
- Inches Carr Trust
- Thomas and Margaret Roddan Trust
We encourage you to utilise other resources in your search for funding, such as The Scholarship Hub which provides a free (and premium) database of scholarships, grants, bursaries and awards for UK undergraduates and postgraduates.
Other Scholarships
In addition to the RCS Scholarships detailed above for the Schools of Music and DDPF, we also offer other specific scholarships both institutionally and through working with external foundations. More information is available on the pages below.
Cello Scholarships
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland recently announced a number of generous scholarships for talented cellists from the US and Canada for entry in 2025.
International Scholarships for Production
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
Music Scholarships
In addition to RCS scholarships, successful International undergraduate and postgraduate applicants will be offered a minimum of £2,500 per annum in certain instruments.
The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation
The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation was set up to enable economically disadvantaged Black African and Caribbean heritage students to attend UK universities. We are proud to be the first arts institution to be joining the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation in supporting the next generation of Black British students.
GREAT Scholarships
In partnership with the British Council and the GREAT Britain Campaign, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is offering 2 scholarships worth £10,000 to students from China (mainland) and Mexico applying for a one-year postgraduate course at RCS.
WM Mann Foundation scholarship for Postgraduate Indonesian Students
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.
Short Courses Financial Support
We want to ensure as many children, young people and adult learners as possible can access the performing and production arts education that is offered through Short Courses at RCS. You can find out information about the scholarships we offer for Short Course students on this page.