Audition fee waivers for UK applicants

The Royal College of Music is committed to ensuring fair access to conservatoire education for students who have the talent and potential to benefit from it, regardless of their background. In support of this, audition fee waivers are offered to applicants for whom financial hardship may be a barrier to auditioning.

The purpose of these audition fee waivers is to encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in UK higher education.

Eligibility

To apply for an audition fee waiver you must be:

  • ordinarily resident in the UK, not just for the purpose of education
  • applying for the Bachelor of Music programme

Postgraduate UK applicants are not normally eligible for audition fee waivers. However, an application may be considered where the applicant is financially independent and able to provide evidence of assessment of their household income as outlined on this page in their own name.

Audition fee waivers are not available for international applicants.

Applicants in receipt of Free School Meals

If you have receive means-tested Free School Meals (FSM) or have received Free School Meals during the last six years up until the end of your final year of school or college, you will be eligible for a waiver for both the UCAS Conservatoires application fee and the RCM's audition fee. Make sure you choose the option to indicate this in your UCAS Conservatoires application form. UCAS will then send an e-mail to you to explain how to submit your application form without being charged.  

It is not necessary to submit the RCM Audition Fee Waiver Request Form.

Other applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds

To be considered for an audition fee waiver you must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • The household where you have permanent residence has an income of £35,000 or less per year. You must provide documentary evidence that clearly demonstrates your household income. Examples of acceptable documents include, but are not limited to, assessments for:
    • Jobseekers’ allowance
    • Income support
    • Working Tax Credits, Child Tax Credit or Universal credit
    • Housing benefit
    • Personal Independence Payments (PIPs)
    • Full-time Carers’ allowance
    • 16-19 Bursary Fund or Education Maintenance Allowance
  • You are in residential care, a recent care leaver or estranged from your family. You will be required to submit evidence such as documentation from your local authority confirming your status.
  • You are an asylum seeker or hold refugee or humanitarian protection status in the UK. You will be required to submit evidence such as a valid Asylum Registration Card or UK residence permit. Applications will also be considered if you hold UK immigration permission in one of the Ukraine or Afghan visa schemes.

Applications through UCAS Conservatoires are subject to a £28.50 application charge. This is retained by UCAS and cannot be waived.

How to request a waiver 

  1. Check that you meet the criteria listed above.
  2. Complete the UCAS Conservatoires application and pay the UCAS application charge, but do not pay the RCM audition fee at this point. Without payment of the UCAS charge, the application will not be visible to RCM staff and we cannot process your request. Once you reach the payment stage of your application, select the option to 'Pay using a different method' and then 'Confirm payment method'. This will submit your application without taking payment. Further guidance on payments is available on the UCAS website.
  3. Please complete our Audition Fee Waiver application form.
  4. Attach evidence of your status. Information provided will be treated in confidence and only viewed by staff processing the request. It will not be seen by the audition panel.
  5. The Admissions team will refer the evidence submitted to a designated member of the Student Services team for assessment. You will be notified of the decision as soon as possible. If a fee waiver is granted, this will be processed on UCAS Conservatoires. Requests will normally be processed within 14 days of receipt.

 

Please note that we cannot consider requests received after an audition has taken place.

Back to top