Cost of living
Thinking ahead about your finances is critical to the success of your studies. You will need to know that you have sufficient funds to finance yourself to the end of your programme. It is essential that you budget and plan your finances well in advance to cover your study period.
It is difficult to say exactly how much your study period at the Royal Conservatoire will cost, as students budget differently. However, in general we would recommend allowing between approximately £12,000 –£13,500 for an individual student per year.
If you’ve got a place on an MA programme or on the MFA Classical and Contemporary Text course, you’re likely to need closer to £17,000 for living costs. If you’re bringing a partner or child with you then your costs will be considerably higher.
You should also be prepared to budget for one-off costs such as:
- accommodation deposit
- temporary accommodation on arrival in Glasgow
- travel home in the holiday periods
For further details on costs and a breakdown of the approximate cost per month for a single student living in either private rented accommodation (i.e. flat/house-share) or Base Glasgow please see below:
| Base Glasgow (or other student halls of residence) | Flat-share (private sector) | |
| Accommodation | £600 – £800 | £550 |
| Utility bills | N/A | £75 |
| Mobile phone/internet | £40 | £40 |
| Food | £130 | £130 |
| Toiletries and laundry | £30 | £30 |
| Travel | £0 – £70 | £0 – £70 |
| Social | £120 | £120 |
| Contents insurance | £10 | £10 |
| TOTAL | £930 – £1200 / month
(£11,160 – £14,400 / year) |
£1025 / month
(£12,300 / year) |
Currency
Students from outside the UK may not be aware that the currency here is the Pound Sterling (£). One pound (£1) is divided into one hundred pence (100p). Coins issued are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2. You can also get notes to the value of £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100. Scottish banks issue their own notes and these, together with Bank of England notes and notes issued by the banks in Northern Ireland are legal tender in Scotland. For current exchange rates please check www.xe.com.
If you are travelling to the UK from outside the EU and are carrying more than €10,000 with you in cash, cheques or a bankers draft, you must declare this at customs. Please ensure that you have enough currency for your arrival in the UK to pay for travel to Glasgow – and around the city – until you can gain access to other funds.
Your tuition fees and additional programme costs will be in addition to the estimated monthly costs listed above.