International study

Students come from all over the world to study in the unique atmosphere offered by UK conservatoires, with the aim of taking the skills they have learned into the wider professional world. UK conservatoire graduates have an outstanding record of employment in the music profession and, for the international student, study at a UK conservatoire provides the opportunity to hone artistic skills, to benefit from the underlying professional values of conservatoire programmes, and to understand the professional environment of the musician. Alongside professional development, study abroad brings with it enormous opportunities for personal development.

Conservatoires' musical environments benefit from the widest possible range of students and so international students are warmly welcomed at all UK conservatoires, both as undergraduate or postgraduate degree students and through ERASMUS and other exchange programmes. Please note that while applications for degree courses can be made through CUKAS, applications for exchange study should be made directly to the Exchange Co-ordinator at the destination conservatoire. Although international students are entirely integrated into conservatoires' student populations, additional personal and academic support is available to ease the transition into UK life and study. saxophone and drums

All UK conservatoires are members of the AEC [Association of European Conservatoires], a European cultural and educational network representing the interests of 269 institutions in 55 countries, all of which are concerned with the professional training of musicians.

Many conservatoires hold auditions outside the UK, offering international applicants the chance to talk to conservatoire staff, ask questions about the applications process and audition in person. Information relating to international audition centres is available on this website as part of each conservatoire's institution profile.

Decisions to make and things to know before applying to a conservatoire

Choosing which conservatoire to go to is a life-changing decision and our aim is to make the process as flexible and accessible as possible for our international applicants. You should aim to do as much research as possible so that you choose the right course for the right reasons. There are many benefits to higher education because it can give you important transferable skills that will make you successful in your chosen career.

Once you decide what you want to study and where, you'll need to complete your application online using Apply. We aim to guide you through the choices available to help you make your decisions. The application process itself is simple and we provide help throughout.

Find out more about Apply
An introduction to our online application system, Apply.

Entry requirements
Find out more about the different entry requirements required for each course.

English language proficiency
Get to know the English language tests accepted by conservatoires.

Auditioning
Find out more about the audition process.

Preparation
Preparation which will help you make informed choices.

Documents
Legal documents you will need to study in the UK.

Further information
A wide range of research and reference sources that you should find very useful.

Refugees
Advice for refugees.