Specialist University- Music & Performing Arts
Britain’s specialist performing arts institutions provide professional training in music, drama, and dance. These dedicated colleges offer intensive, industry-focused programmes with strong connections to the creative sector. Students train in small cohorts with practising professionals as teachers, accessing performance opportunities and industry networks that larger universities typically cannot provide.
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Sort the table below by badges to find universities that excel in those areas. Each in the table represents a university strength. Hover or click over any badge to see what it means.
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University | Badges | |
|---|---|---|
Guildhall School of Music & Drama | Outstanding Teaching
Criteria: Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Satisfied Students
Criteria: Positive performance above benchmark in National Student Survey (NSS) categories T1 and T2
Research Power
Criteria: Produced 4-star research recognized in REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
Student Favourite
Criteria: 4 percentage points or more above benchmark in NSS categories T1 or T2
Prestigious
Criteria: Ancient universities, Russell Group members, or Specialist Prestigious Institutions
| 8 |
Royal College of Music | Outstanding Teaching
Criteria: Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Satisfied Students
Criteria: Positive performance above benchmark in National Student Survey (NSS) categories T1 and T2
Research Power
Criteria: Produced 4-star research recognized in REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
Prestigious
Criteria: Ancient universities, Russell Group members, or Specialist Prestigious Institutions
| 7 |
Northern School of Contemporary Dance | Outstanding Teaching
Criteria: Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Satisfied Students
Criteria: Positive performance above benchmark in National Student Survey (NSS) categories T1 and T2
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
Student Favourite
Criteria: 4 percentage points or more above benchmark in NSS categories T1 or T2
| 6 |
Royal Academy of Music | Outstanding Teaching
Criteria: Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Research Power
Criteria: Produced 4-star research recognized in REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
Prestigious
Criteria: Ancient universities, Russell Group members, or Specialist Prestigious Institutions
| 6 |
Royal Northern College of Music | Outstanding Teaching
Criteria: Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Research Power
Criteria: Produced 4-star research recognized in REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
Prestigious
Criteria: Ancient universities, Russell Group members, or Specialist Prestigious Institutions
| 6 |
The Royal Central School of Speech And Drama | Outstanding Teaching
Criteria: Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Research Power
Criteria: Produced 4-star research recognized in REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
Prestigious
Criteria: Ancient universities, Russell Group members, or Specialist Prestigious Institutions
| 6 |
Rose Bruford College | High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Satisfied Students
Criteria: Positive performance above benchmark in National Student Survey (NSS) categories T1 and T2
Research Power
Criteria: Produced 4-star research recognized in REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
Student Favourite
Criteria: 4 percentage points or more above benchmark in NSS categories T1 or T2
| 5 |
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland | Research Power
Criteria: Produced 4-star research recognized in REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
Prestigious
Criteria: Ancient universities, Russell Group members, or Specialist Prestigious Institutions
| 4 |
The Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts | Outstanding Teaching
Criteria: Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
| 4 |
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music And Dance Ltd | High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Research Power
Criteria: Produced 4-star research recognized in REF 2021 (Research Excellence Framework)
International Mix
Criteria: 25% or higher international student population
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
| 4 |
Leeds Conservatoire | High Quality Teaching
Criteria: Gold or Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
Satisfied Students
Criteria: Positive performance above benchmark in National Student Survey (NSS) categories T1 and T2
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
| 3 |
Royal Welsh College of Music And Drama Limited | Satisfied Students
Criteria: Positive performance above benchmark in National Student Survey (NSS) categories T1 and T2
Specialist Institution
Criteria: Focused expert teaching in a specific field
| 2 |
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Data Source:
Last Updated: January 2025 | Our Data Sources: TEF, NSS, REF 2021
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