Course contact details
Composition Administrator
Email:composition@ram.ac.uk
Phone:020 7873 7471
Enquiries
Email:admissions@ram.ac.uk
Phone:020 7873 7373
Royal Academy of Music, University of London
Marylebone Road
Westminster
NW1 5HT
Bachelor of Music (Honours) Composition
- Bachelor of Music (with Honours)
- 4 Years
- Full-Time
- 14 September 2027
- Undergraduate
- Main Site
- Course scheme
- UCAS Conservatoires
- Awarded by:
- University of London
Course summary
Whether your interest lies in concert music, media, TV and film music, composing for staged productions or electronic music, you can study on the Academy’s undergraduate composition course. Composition at the Academy has an international reputation centred on intensive project-based and highly collaborative degree programmes. Our cutting-edge courses are taught by distinguished and prominent composers, and they reflect the realities and challenges for today’s music creator. Academy composers have a wide range of opportunities for performance and recording, and are fully prepared to work in a variety of creative contexts.
Our composition professors are dedicated teachers and active composers with professional musical careers of all kinds. Collectively, they have a wide range of industry knowledge and insight into all aspects of the profession.
This course ensures a strong foundation in compositional techniques which, over four years of study, can be focused to support your individual interests and career ambitions. As a composer in the Academy, you are given unrivalled opportunities to have your music played and recorded in numerous contexts – and to develop your individual compositional style and musical personality within our highly collaborative environment. The deadline for the Academy to receive both your UCAS Conservatoires application and also your portfolio in your Acceptd application profile is 1 October 2026, 18:00 UK time.
https://www.ram.ac.uk/departments/composition-contemporary-music
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
- Composition
Assessment method
Please see the information on https://www.ram.ac.uk/study/about-our-courses
This course is not accepting applications for deferred entry.
Ways to study this course
Campuses
- Main Site
Study options
- Bachelor of Music (with Honours) • Full-Time • 4 Years
Start dates
- 14 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:
- 301F
- Institution code:
- R53
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Points of Entry:
- Year 1, 2, 3
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Royal Academy of Music, University of London 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:
- 301F
- Institution code:
- R53
- Campus name:
- Main Site
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Year 3
Entry requirements
Typical qualification requirements
A levelEE
Passes in two GCE Advanced-level (A2) examinations.
T LevelP
UCAS TariffNot accepted
Scottish HigherDDD
Access to HE Diploma
A Pass for this diploma is accepted.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)PP
International Baccalaureate Diploma ProgrammeOffer: 24
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)PPP
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)H3H5H5H5H5
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - PrincipalP3P3
Passes in two Pre-U certificate examinations.
If you are not taking Music as a subject in your school exams, we recommend gaining knowledge of Music Theory at Grade 6 level (ABRSM or Trinity College London) before you commence your studies with us.
For international qualifications, in general, a secondary school certificate of a sufficiently high level to permit university entry will be acceptable, however applications will be examined on an individual basis by the Admissions Board.
Entry requirements for students joining after Year 1: This will require satisfactory transcripts to show that you have passed Year 1 or Years 1 and 2 of a music degree at another institution, and that you have successfully covered the study areas which you would have to complete at the Academy to progress into Year 2 or Year 3. Please note that it is not possible to transfer into Year 4 of our BMus programme. https://www.ram.ac.uk/study/next-step/entry-requirements
Additional entry requirements
- Interview
- Your portfolio is assessed by the Composition department entry panel. This is the equivalent of the first-round live performance given by an instrumental or vocal candidate to a panel at the Academy. You will be informed around the beginning of November whether you have been selected for interview.
- Portfolio
- Information about what your portfolio should contain is published on https://www.ram.ac.uk/departments/composition-contemporary-music
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 5.5 | Minimum score of 5.5 in every section of the test. Overall score of 6.0 required to join BMus Year 2 or Year 3. |
| PTE Academic | 59 | Minimum score of 59 in every section of the test |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 72 | Minimum scores for Reading: 18, Listening: 17, Speaking: 20, Writing: 17 |
We accept IELTS Academic, IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition. PTE Academic, PTE Academic Online and Cambridge C1 Advanced.https://www.ram.ac.uk/study/entry-requirements
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 |
|---|---|
| Portfolio upload | £100 |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| Portfolio upload | Not Applicable |
Additional Information
Your uploaded portfolio is assessed by the Composition department entry panel, that is the equivalent of the Round 1 live performance given by an instrumental candidate. Interviews for candidates selected for Round 2 will take place in December by video or in-person (London). When you submit the portfolio in Acceptd you will be asked to indicate your preference for the interview. Please see https://www.ram.ac.uk/departments/composition-contemporary-music
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
The tuition fee rates are published on our website's Fees and Funding page.
Sponsorship information
Scholarships and bursaries : Bachelor of Music
Entrance Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit following the entrance assessment during our advertised audition sessions. There is no separate scholarship application process, and entrance scholarship awards are confirmed in candidates' offer details.
The UK Student Finance Company allows eligible students to apply for tuition fee loans to cover the tuition costs, and for maintenance awards to assist with living costs: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
Related courses
At Royal Academy of Music, University of London
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