STUDENT RECORDS
Student Status Letters
One you are fully matriculated, the Student Records Team will be able to assist you throughout your studies. In the initial weeks, we will be able to provide you with documentation to confirm that you have commenced your studies – further details below. Please remember, we cannot confirm you are a student until you have commenced your studies and completed the matriculation process.
If you have any questions, the Student Records Team can be contacted via aas@rcs.ac.uk
A Student Status letter provides you with confirmation of your student status. The easiest way to request a Student Status Letter is to complete the online form via the Student Portal (you can access this form within the Forms section of Academic Support on the portal). This link will be accessible to you when you have matriculated onto your course.
These letters take two/three days to complete. As evidence of your student status, students commonly use these to prove their student status to any relevant external funding bodies or any non-RCS scholarships to allow their funding to be released. It should be noted however, that Student Status letters can only be completed after matriculation. Any letters requested before matriculation will only be able to confirm that you are expected to commence your studies or that you currently hold an offer.
When you have commenced your studies, you will have your matriculation card which will also confirm your student status and therefore should not require a letter to claim student discounts (e.g. with gyms).
Although these letters normally take two/three days to complete, please note that there will be a delay at the start of the new academic year due to the volume of requests.
Requests for Completion of Financial Forms
Depending on your funding body, some of the forms you will be asked to complete may have a section that must be completed and stamped by RCS before any funding can be released. We can assist with these after Matriculation. If you request these before Matriculation, we can only complete at that stage if a) you have an unconditional offer, b) you have completed online matriculation, and c) the form is needed to release tuition fee funding. If those conditions do not apply to you before Matriculation, we would only be able to confirm that you are expected to commence studies at that point.
Please also note that it may take up to one week to complete these forms as we may need to seek some details from the Finance department before completion.
Bank Letters
Bank letters will not be provided in advance of you commencing your studies.
If you want to open a student bank account you will need a Bank Letter. This is similar to a student status letter but has to be addressed to a specific bank and branch. Banks won’t accept letters unless they are addressed to them.
A bank letter can be requested via the online Student Status Letter (including for banking purposes) form on the Student Portal. This form will be accessible to you when you have matriculated onto your course.
At the start of the academic year these letters will take around one week to produce (at other times of the year, they will take two/three days).
Do not make an appointment with a bank until you have your letter.
Council Tax
If you are a full-time student, you will be entitled to claim Student Exemption from Council Tax (students on part-time programmes are not eligible for this exemption).
Please remember that you are liable for Council Tax charges prior to commencement and after completion of your studies – exemption only applies during the published term dates.
This means if you move into a property before 23 September 2024, you will not be eligible for exemption until that date. Your exemption will stop on the last day of term – not your date of graduation. If you finish one programme and start another the following year, you do not have Student Exemption over that period.
The Conservatoire has a data sharing agreement with Glasgow City Council. If you opted into this service at matriculation, we will automatically send your details to the Council once you have commenced your studies. As long as you have opted-in, this means that the Council will know you are a student when you apply for your exemption. You still need to apply on-line using this link. Exemption will not be confirmed by the Council until you make your application to Glasgow City Council.
If you live outside the Glasgow City Council area you should ask your local authority for a Council Tax exemption application form. Complete your details and then send this to us by email at counciltax@rcs.ac.uk. We will complete the details about your studies and return this form to you. You should then submit this to your local authority to process your exemption.
Remember, it is your responsibility to ensure you apply for your exemption. If our system shows your old address, you must complete a Change of Contact Details form to ensure that the correct details are submitted to the Council. (See the Change of Contact Details section for how to do this.)
If you are studying at the Conservatoire as part of an exchange programme you will not be automatically eligible for Student Exemption as you may not meet the threshold of the minimum weeks of study and may be liable to pay Council Tax. If you are studying on a full-time course at your home institution (which is in the EU), this might allow you to be awarded exemption – you will need a letter confirming your student status from your home institution. You should contact the Council regarding this, by using this link.
If you have any questions regarding Council Tax exemption, please email counciltax@rcs.ac.uk
Change of Contact Details
Moved address? Make sure we know. It’s really important that you keep your contact details up-to-date. Anything we produce for you will have the address that we hold for you.
If you have moved address (or changed any other contact details), please complete a Change of Contact Details form. The easiest way to submit this is via the Portal once you have matriculated. If you need to get in touch before then, please email aas@rcs.ac.uk).
All sponsored students (under the Student route) must inform the UK Home Office of any changes in address. If you gave a temporary address on your visa application form you should inform UKVI of your permanent Glasgow address at: https://visa-address-update.service.gov.uk/
All sponsored students (under the Student route) must also keep the Conservatoire updated of any changes in their passport or evidence of entitlement to study and the period of leave to remain in the UK. Students should contact the International and Student Experience team with details of any changes as soon as they occur.
If you have a Police Registration Certificate under the Student route you will be required to inform the Police of your change of address within seven days of moving property. Failure to do so could result in a large fine and you would be putting your UK immigration status at risk.
Please remember to keep your personal details up-to-date.
How will you contact me?
This will be via your Conservatoire email address. This is the only account Conservatoire staff will use to contact you, so you need to check it regularly – at least once per day.
If your email address has changed, please make sure that you update your contact details.