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Music

  • BMus (Hon)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-time
  • 14 September 2026
  • Undergraduate
Central area campus
More about The University of Edinburgh

Course options

2026-20272027-2028
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Course summary

This is the programme for you if you are:

  • passionate and curious about music

  • fascinated by the role that music plays in our lives and how it interconnects with other fields, disciplines and technologies

We are open to students who have not had an opportunity to study music as a subject at school and offer a Year 1 course (Fundamentals of Music Theory) which supports new students to develop their musical literacy if required.

A flexible programme

The BMus programme is flexible and welcomes students from different backgrounds and musical experiences. It is designed so that you can tailor a pathway that best suits your musical interests and strengths.

For example, you can decide to:

  • focus on the cultural, sociological, and historical contexts of music

  • specialise in composition and/or performance

  • focus entirely on studying music courses

  • study a mix of music courses and courses from subjects outside of music

As a student in the Reid School of Music, you will be part of a vibrant musical community. You will study with scholars, composers, and performers known internationally who are passionate about teaching.

Programme benefits

  • Our programme will provide you with an enjoyable, rewarding, and rigorous engagement with music and music-making.

  • On completion, this degree places you in a very strong position for a high-level career in the music industry, in many fields related to music and beyond.

  • This degree will provide you with an opportunity to learn valuable transferable skills and abilities as part of an arts and humanities degree from a world-leading, research-intensive University that opens doors to graduate jobs and opportunities beyond music.

  • We offer a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm for the subject area, led by scholars who can help you discover new insights, areas of interest, and ideas within the discipline of music.

  • You will be part of a rich community of practising musicians in the School of Music and of creative artists, designers, filmmakers, animators, and others in the wider Edinburgh College of Art.

This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Central area campus

Study options

  • BMus (Hon) • Full-time • 4 Years

Start dates

  • 14 September 2026

Apply by
14 January

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:
W302
Institution code:
E56
Campus name:
Central area campus
Campus Code:
-
Points of Entry:
Year 1

How to apply

This course has limited vacancies, and is no longer accepting applications from some students. See the list below for where you normally live, to check if you're eligible to apply.
  • EU
  • Wales
  • England
  • International
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Republic of Ireland

Apply by
14 January

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:
W302
Institution code:
E56
Campus name:
Central area campus
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

UCAS Tariff
Not accepted

A level
AAB - ABB

AAB - ABB. Required subjects: A levels: no specific A level subjects required. GCSEs: English at C or 4.

Scottish Higher
AAAB

AAAB by end of S5 or AAAA by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: no specific Higher subjects required. National 5s: English at C.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
36 - 34 points

from 36 points with 665 at HL to 34 points with 655 at HL. Required subjects: HL: no specific subjects required. SL: English at 5.

You must have a demonstrable commitment to music. You will not be interviewed. You are required to enrol in the 'Fundamentals of Music Theory' course unless you have an A in Advanced Higher or A level Music, or IB HL Music at 6.

If you wish to study Performance 1:

If you are an offer holder, and wish to study the Performance 1 course, you need to have achieved Grade 8 (ABRSM or Trinity) or equivalent in your main performance specialism (instrument or voice).

If you choose to accept your offer you should email a copy of your Grade 8 certificate(s) to the Music Office no later than 30 August.

music@ed.ac.uk

If you do not hold formal performance qualifications:

If you are an offer holder, and do not hold formal performance qualifications but are confident in your ability, you should record an audition video of no more than ten minutes in duration.

If you choose to accept your offer you should email your video to the Music Office no later than 30 August. The video should contain scales in two different keys across the full range of your instrument or voice and two contrasting pieces of music at Grade 8 (ABRSM or Trinity) standard.

music@ed.ac.uk

If you are unfamiliar with Grade 8 standards:

If you are unfamiliar with Grade 8 standards, you should consult the ABRSM and Trinity grade syllabi for your chosen performance specialism. This will help you familiarise yourself with the required level of technical and musical skills.

https://gb.abrsm.org/en/our-exams

https://www.trinitycollege.com/qualifications/music/grade-exams

We do not offer advanced entry for this degree programme. All applicants will be considered for year one entry only, unless you are transferring from a degree at another University.

Detailed entry requirements, including typical offer levels, and information about other qualifications we accept, are available on the University of Edinburgh’s website. You’ll also find important information on how to apply. You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes details of the qualifications you are taking, including full predicted grades for qualifications not yet completed, your personal statement and your reference.

Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

UCAS Tariff Not accepted

A level ABB

ABB. Required subjects: A levels: no specific A level subjects required. GCSEs: English at C or 4.

Scottish Higher ABBB

ABBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: no specific Higher subjects required. National 5s: English at C.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme 34 points

34 points with 655 at HL. Required subjects: HL: no specific subjects required. SL: English at 5.

Find out more about minimum qualification requirements for this course.

Additional entry requirements

Interview
The Reid School of Music does not interview or hold auditions. We scrutinise your application and request further performance background information if we require it. This process ensures that we offer places to students who show the ability to meet our high standards, and that applicants from all backgrounds have the same opportunity to demonstrate their potential.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5total 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
TOEFL (iBT)92total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
Cambridge English Advancedtotal 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Cambridge English Proficiencytotal 176 with at least 162 in each component.
Trinity ISEISE II with distinctions in all four components.
You must prove that you can read, write, listen and speak in the English language at a level that will allow you to succeed in your studies. This is the case for all applicants, including UK nationals. You can meet our English language requirements with qualifications from school or an English language test. We accept any of the following, at the specified grade or higher: SQA National 5: English at C; GCSE: English at C or 4; Level 2 Certificate: English at C; International Baccalaureate (IB) Standard Level: English at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry). Before you apply, check the required subjects for this programme, as you may need a higher English grade to meet the academic requirements. We also accept other qualifications from around the world. If you don’t have school qualifications that meet our requirements, we accept any of the English language tests, at the specified grade or higher, as detailed above. Qualifications from the following English language tests must be no more than two years old from the start date of your programme, regardless of your nationality: IELTS, TOEFL, Oxford ELLT. All other types of English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of your programme. If you are a national of a majority English-speaking country or region, as defined by UKVI, there is no time limit on how old these other types of English language qualifications can be.

Full details of our English language requirements can be found on our website:https://study.ed.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry-requirements/english-language

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

The University of Edinburgh welcomes students from the UK and all over the world. We accept a wide range of qualifications and our policies support students with diverse backgrounds and experience. UCAS entry grade data is currently not available for our degrees but we publish admissions statistics on our website. We also provide information on widening access offers and entry requirements.

Learn more on the The University of Edinburgh website

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).

It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.

Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not available

Historical entry grades data is not currently available for The University of Edinburgh - we are working with them to try and make it available soon - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear

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

Scottish students must apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for payment of their tuition fees.

England/Wales/Northern Ireland - The Rest of UK (RUK) students commencing or continuing their studies in September 2026, the tuition fees will be £9,790. This is subject to Parliamentary approval and is an increase of £255 on the fee rate for academic year 2025-2026.

EU On 9th July 2020 the decision was made by the Scottish Government to end free university tuition for European Union (EU) students starting in 2021-22. Funding policy for EU nationals and associated groups starting a course of study in academic year 2022-23 or later will be in line with international fees.

Full time international and EU students will pay a fixed annual fee rate for the duration of their programme

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