Guide to the Royal Northern College of Music

The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a global leader of education in music and one of the world’s most progressive conservatoires, committed to excellence and powering the music of tomorrow. Located in the heart of Manchester, UK, we are an anchor institution for music in the North and an engine room for originality, experimentation, and innovation across classical, popular, and contemporary music. Our students are an inclusive global community of musicians, creative practitioners, researchers, and radical music thinkers who excel artistically, personally, and professionally and are encouraged to make noise, take risks, drive change, and reimagine what music can be. 

We provide 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 performance venue, we offer unparalleled opportunities for students to perform to discerning audiences and to work alongside a huge array of professional musicians and visiting artists – including the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (in residence), ensemble Manchester Collective (in residence), Manchester Camerata, and the Hallé. We are dedicated to creating space for our students to develop the skills they need to become the artistic leaders of the global music industry. 

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 around 1,000 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, a catch up, and to connect at our concerts and events.

The RNCM is proud to be positioned in the Top 10 for music in the QS World University Rankings. We were rated Gold in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework, and we’re recognised as one of the UK’s leading conservatoires for research with OfS degree awarding powers up to Level 8. Since 2010, the RNCM has implemented tangible environmental sustainability measures across its estate and continues to place climate change and environmental sustainability at the heart of its management. We have been the recipient of six 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, Outstanding Entrepreneurial University, and Outstanding Library Team), two Greater China Awards, a Global Teaching Excellence Spotlight Award, and two Heist Awards.