Course contact details
Admissions
Email:admissions@rcm.ac.uk
Phone:020 7591 4362
Royal College of Music
Prince Consort Road
Kensington and Chelsea
London
SW7 2BS
Graduate Diploma in Vocal Performance
- Graduate Diploma
- 1 Years
- Full-Time
- September 2027
- Undergraduate
- 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:
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
Course 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.
This course is not accepting applications for deferred entry.
Ways to study this course
Campuses
- Main Site
Study options
- Graduate Diploma • Full-Time • 1 Years
Start dates
- September 2027
Apply by
1 October 2026
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
- 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
1 October 2026
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
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
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) | 4 | Overall score of 4.0, with at least 4.0 in all four components (If taken before 21 January 2026: Overall score of 72, with minimum component scores of: Reading-I 8, 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.http://www.rcm.ac.uk/apply/englishlanguagerequirements/
Assessment locations
In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.
Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.
Single specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| London | £115 |
| Recorded Audition | £115 |
| USA (New York City) | £115 |
| Bangkok | £115 |
| Singapore | £115 |
| Hong Kong | £115 |
| Beijing | £115 |
| Seoul | £115 |
| Shanghai | £115 |
| Tokyo | £115 |
| Australia: Sydney | £115 |
| Canada: Toronto | £115 |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| London | Not Applicable |
| Recorded Audition | Not Applicable |
| USA (New York City) | Not Applicable |
| Bangkok | Not Applicable |
| Singapore | Not Applicable |
| Hong Kong | Not Applicable |
| Beijing | Not Applicable |
| Seoul | Not Applicable |
| Shanghai | Not Applicable |
| Tokyo | Not Applicable |
| Australia: Sydney | Not Applicable |
| Canada: Toronto | Not Applicable |
Additional Information
Auditions for all principal studies are available in London and by recorded audition. Our main audition period runs from mid-November to late-December. Application deadlines, application fees and audition dates vary between venues, and some overseas venues have an initial pre-screening process; please see http://www.rcm.ac.uk/apply/auditions/auditionlocation/ for details.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Per year tuition fees
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Republic of Ireland, EU & International | TBC |
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 2027-2028 academic year will be available at www.rcm.ac.uk/apply/feesandfunding/ once published.
Sponsorship information
Scholarships and bursaries
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 for a place at the RCM will automatically be considered for a scholarship or study award, whether you have applied by video or attended an audition or interview in person. There is no separate application process. Scholarships are awarded on merit based on performance at audition.
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At Royal College of Music
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