Guide to the Royal Northern College of Music

The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is one of the world’s most progressive conservatoires and an engine room for the creation of original work and new approaches – a place where ideas are taught, created, explored, and realised. Located in the heart of Manchester, UK, the RNCM lives and breathes music, bringing students together with a huge array of musicians and artists to push musical boundaries and reimagine what music can be. 

We’re dedicated to providing an outstanding education that propels students into careers as inspiring and versatile musicians, fully equipped for exciting futures both on and off stage. As a world-class public performance venue, we offer unparalleled opportunities for students to perform to discerning audiences and to work alongside professional musicians and visiting artists. We are committed to creating space for our students to develop the skills they need to drive forward our industry and to be the musical leaders of the future. 

Founded in 1973 through the merger of the Royal Manchester College of Music and Northern School of Music, the RNCM was first awarded Royal Patronage in October of its opening year by Her Majesty The late Queen. It is now home to over 950 students from more than 60 countries and enjoys the Royal Patronage of His Majesty The King. Elite but not elitist, and proud to be a cornerstone in Manchester’s rich music story, the RNCM is also a place where everyone is welcome, where the local community is supported to create and perform impactful productions, and where friends come to meet for a coffee, catch up, and concert.

In 2024 and 2025, we have been positioned number five in the QS World University Rankings for music, and we’re currently ranked number 10 globally for performing arts. We were rated Gold in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework, and we’re recognised as one of the UK’s leading conservatoires for research. Since 2010, the RNCM has implemented tangible environmental sustainability measures across its estate and, in 2023/24, we placed climate change and environmental sustainability at the heart of our creative and operational activity, engaging audiences with the subject and positioning ourselves as a leader in integrating sustainability into the arts – reflected by our nomination for a 2024 Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership. We have been the recipient of five Times Higher Education Awards (Excellence and Innovation in the Arts, Outstanding International Student Strategy, Widening Participation and Outreach Initiative of the Year, Technological and Digital Innovation of the Year, and Outstanding Entrepreneurial University), two Greater China Awards, a Global Teaching Excellence Spotlight Award, and two Heist Awards.