Royal Northern College of Music

The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a world-renowned specialist music conservatoire founded in 1973 through the merger of the Royal Manchester College of Music and the Northern School of Music. Located in the heart of Manchester at 124 Oxford Road, the RNCM is home to over 900 students from more than 60 countries and is continually recognised as one of the world's most forward-thinking conservatoires.

The RNCM offers a comprehensive range of programmes across its Undergraduate School, Graduate School, and Research Degree Programme. Undergraduate offerings include the Bachelor of Music with Honours (4-year and 3-year direct entry pathways), the Bachelor of Music with Honours in Popular Music (the UK's first four-year degree in this subject), the Bachelor of Arts Education with Honours in Inclusive Music Education, and the Graduate Diploma of the RNCM (in partnership with The University of Manchester). The Graduate School provides advanced studies in performance, conducting, composition, musicology, music psychology, and music education. The PhD Research Degree Programme offers five specialist pathways: Performance, Composition, Musicology, Music Psychology, and Music Education.

All teaching is conducted in English. The RNCM has been rated Gold in all areas of the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework and is ranked No 5 for music in the 2025 QS World University Subject Rankings. It has received multiple Times Higher Education Awards and holds two registered charitable trusts (Nos 504949 and 504948).

The RNCM is home to a fully-equipped Theatre and Concert Hall and is one of the UK's busiest live music venues. Students benefit from exceptional performance opportunities, professional partnerships with orchestras and ensembles worldwide, and a vibrant campus community. On-campus accommodation is available at Sir Charles Groves Hall of Residence, located adjacent to the College. The RNCM provides over £3 million in scholarships and bursaries each year.