Applications for 2026 entry will open in July 2025.
The Graduate Diploma is a specialist one-year full-time programme tailored to graduates from three-year degree programmes. You will receive a learning experience equivalent to the final year of an undergraduate performance degree at the RCM.
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.
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason in a piano masterclass with Lang Lang
No.1
Global No.1 for Performing Arts. QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024/2023/2022
Gold
Achieved the highest ranking of Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason in a piano masterclass with Lang Lang
Learning & teaching
You will learn through performances, one-to-one tuition, larger group tuition, seminars, faculty and academic classes, directed rehearsals, masterclasses, competitions and supervised study. Rehearsal and performance contact time will vary according to each student’s discipline and chosen study options.
There are also opportunities to apply for the College’s Exchange Programme, available to students who wish to study abroad during the Autumn term of their second year, through an audition process.
Course outline
For the GradDip course overview, please read the information for year four of our BMus course:
One-to-one lessons
One-to-one lessons are at the very heart of every RCM student’s learning experience. The RCM’s impressive list of professors includes renowned instrumental and vocal soloists, distinguished repertoire and operatic coaches, prominent composers and conductors, plus principal players in major London orchestras such as the as the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Royal Opera House Orchestra. Our world-class professors offer students not only first-rate teaching, but also mentorship and networking opportunities.
All principal studies are delivered through a combination of one-to-one tuition complemented by performance classes, workshops, masterclasses, lessons from visiting professors, ensemble activities, seminars and lecture series as appropriate.
Performance is at the heart of RCM life. Our students collaborate with the world's greatest artists and enjoyed unrivalled opportunities in the spotlight.
We continually invest so that all students can experience the cutting edge of sound and music technology.
Creative Careers Centre
Our Creative Careers Centre
Our Creative Careers Centre provides an exceptional service to current and recent alumni. The dedicated team partners with leading consultants, reputable arts organisations and local communities, delivering unique career-building opportunities and a direct route to the music industry.
Tailored career support
The Creative Careers Centre allows students to discover their professional identity, gain hands-on experience and new skills, develop an entrepreneurial mind-set and build a fulfilling professional portfolio.
Our valuable guidance includes CV and biography writing, concert programming, communication skills, project management, marketing and publicity, online promotion, financial matters and how to develop a business idea.
Creative Careers Centre services
RCM Accelerate supports graduating RCM students to kick-start or evolve a creative project, social enterprise, or business idea.
Concert opportunities to perform at a variety of venues, including concert halls, churches, abbeys, museums, galleries and community settings.
Creative Careers Centre services
Professional Engagement Service allows organisations and members of the public to hire RCM musicians to perform at events.
RCM Teaching Service matches members of the public in London and across the globe with student-tutors.
All offers for performers are made on the basis of their performance at audition. Candidates require an undergraduate degree, normally in music, or equivalent experience.
The RCM welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and alternative qualifications may be considered. If your qualifications are not listed here, please contact our Admissions team, who will be happy to discuss your suitability for the programme.
English language requirements
All applicants must be able to demonstrate that their level of English language ability meets the Royal College of Music’s minimum requirements in order for their application to be accepted.
The requirement for this course is to speak English to B2 standard on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in all four components (reading, writing, speaking, listening). This is equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 5.5 in all four components.
If you require a visa to study at the RCM, you must meet the English language requirements before the RCM is permitted to sponsor your visa application.
'I owe such a lot to the RCM, for their lasting support and stage time. The opportunity to perform in the Britten Theatre during my studies was so valuable. I also loved the sense of community and family amongst students and staff.'
'My time at the Royal College of Music was a great foundation that prepared me for the bigger world of opera. I worked with visiting coaches and directors from places like the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera. That, for a young artist, was a dream, and like a sponge I absorbed it all.'
Pumeza Matshikiza (GradDip 2007), Soprano
'I look back with deep gratitude and pride at the formative education I received at the Royal College of Music. The evolving expectations of what artists must be capable of to excel in this industry are high, and that sense of excitement and opportunity to achieve is palpable within these walls...'
Jonathan Lemalu (PGDip 2002),Grammy award-winning bass
Fees & support
A full outline of tuition fees for all our courses, including details of charges for additional one-to-one lessons and reassessment fees, is available for download.
More than 50% of current RCM students receive some financial support, thanks to the generosity of individuals, legators, companies and charitable trusts.
Applications for 2026 entry open in mid-July. The main application deadline for most applications is 2 October 2025, although this may vary for some overseas audition locations. Check your deadline before applying.
Late applications may be considered where places remain. If you miss a deadline contact our Admissions Team to check whether a late application is possible. All applications should be submitted online through the UCAS Conservatoires.
Your audition is your chance to demonstrate your talent and potential. The RCM holds live auditions at our campus in London. Auditions are also available for most principal studies and courses at our overseas audition venues in the USA, Asia and Australia. We recommend auditioning in person if you can, but if you are unable to attend one of our audition venues, there is the option to submit a video audition instead.
Application deadlines, application fees, audition dates, and the availability of RCM accompanists vary between locations.
Most auditions will last approximately 15-20 minutes. Singers auditioning in London may be asked to perform for a second panel later the same day. You should ensure that you are familiar with the Vocal and Opera Faculty audition requirements.
Graduate Diploma in Vocal Performance audition requirements
Applicants should prepare:
Three contrasting pieces including one in English and one in Italian. One piece must be an operatic or oratorio aria (with recitative if possible). Whilst we train singers for the classical repertoire we will accept a maximum of one piece of musical theatre should this offer a particular insight into their potential as performers.
Pieces selected from popular music repertoire would not be considered for the purpose of this audition.
Candidates should choose their first piece, and the audition panel will select any additional work(s). Please note the audition panel may choose to hear only two of the three pieces.
RCM courses are reviewed annually in response to student and external examiner feedback, which sometimes results in minor changes, such as the availability of particular modules. A more thorough review is undertaken every five to six years, after which more substantial changes may be made while maintaining the ethos that underpins the course. Our review process is part of the RCM’s continued commitment to provide the best possible education and music training. The information provided here reflects the official course outline as it currently stands. In the event of alterations following a review, we will update this page as soon as possible.
.jpg)
 6x4.jpg)
.jpg)
