Royal College of Music
Prince Consort Road
Kensington and Chelsea
London
SW7 2BS
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Course contact details
Admissions
Email:admissions@rcm.ac.uk
Phone:020 7591 4362
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Graduate Diploma in Vocal Performance (Taught)
- Grad Dip
- 1 Years
- Full-time
- 09/2026
- Postgraduate
- Main Site
- Course scheme
- UCAS Conservatoires
Course summary
During your time on the Graduate Diploma course, you will build or reinforce a solid vocal technique while developing your skills in languages and movement. Singers who demonstrate potential for significant vocal achievement, but who lack formal grounding, will have the opportunity to develop their repertoire knowledge.
By the end of the year, you will have developed a vocal technique suitable for the demands of Masters level study at a conservatoire. You will be familiar with a broad range of vocal repertoire, along with a core of works known in more detail.
You will also gain a strong grasp of the principal European languages of the vocal repertoire, and an informed awareness of style in performance. Your movement skills and knowledge of stagecraft will grow and you will begin to develop the ability to combine these with vocal accomplishment in operatic performance.
Through this year of intensive study, you will find potential routes for further study and/or career development, based on your own critical self-evaluation and an awareness of the demands and opportunities of the profession.
If you achieve a result of 65% or more at the end of the course, you will automatically have the opportunity to progress to RCM Masters study (MMus Perf or MPerf) in vocal performance. This progression route allows you to focus on your technical development during the Graduate Diploma, without interruption for Masters audition preparation.
Course details
Principal study options
During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:
Main specialism
Only one specialism is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.
Instrument/specialisms
For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.
Primary instrument/specialism
- Voice (Alto)
- Voice (Bass-Baritone)
- Voice (Contralto)
- Voice (Counter-Tenor)
- Voice (Mezzo-Soprano)
- Voice (Soprano)
- Voice (Tenor)
Modules
Tuition consists of: practical tuition; repertoire coaching; opera coaching; movement; acting; speech coaching; French, Italian and German language coaching; German Lieder, Italian Song and French Song.
Ways to study this course
Campuses
- Main Site
Study options
- Grad Dip • Full-time • 1 Years
Start dates
- 09/2026
Apply by
2 October
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Application codes
- Course code:
- 420F
- Institution code:
- R56
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus Code:
- -
- Points of Entry:
- Year 1
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Royal College of Music has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
How to apply
If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.
Apply by
2 October
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- 420F
- Institution code:
- R56
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus Code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
The Royal College of Music has a long tradition of welcoming international students from all over the world. Our broad community of staff and students makes the RCM an exciting and diverse hub of musical activity. Almost half of our students are from outside the UK, studying at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The application process is the same for students of all nationalities. Different application deadlines may apply for some of our overseas audition venues, please see our website for details.
Entry requirements
Applicants require an undergraduate degree or equivalent international qualification in any subject, or equivalent experience.
Additional entry requirements
- Audition
- Details of audition requirements are available at http://www.rcm.ac.uk/apply/auditions/
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 5.5 | Score above refers to overall score. Additionally, a score of 5.5 is required in all components. Results must be within 2 years of course start date in order to be valid. |
| PTE Academic | 59 | Score above refers to overall score. Additionally, a score of 59 is required in all components. Results must be within 2 years of course start date in order to be valid. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Level B2 | Overall score of 160-179 and no less than 160 in any component. |
| Trinity ISE | Pass | Trinity ISE II certificate. Must include a pass in all components. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 72 | Overall score of 72, with minimum component scores of: Reading -18, Listening -17, Speaking -20, Writing -17 |
Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UK Home Office) do not need to sit an English test if you can provide a valid passport from an English speaking country. Some other exceptions apply - please consult our website for details.
The RCM's English Language Requirements are available in full at this link: http://www.rcm.ac.uk/apply/englishlanguagerequirements/
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Additional fee information
Full details of the tuition fees for the 2026-2027 academic year will be available at www.rcm.ac.uk/apply/feesandfunding/ once published.
Sponsorship information
The RCM is able to support many students with scholarships thanks to the generosity of charitable trusts, companies, businesses, individual members of the public and legacies. Any student who auditions in person, or by video will automatically be considered for a scholarship or study award. There is no separate application process. Scholarships are awarded on merit based on performance at audition.
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