A Guide to UK Music Admissions Dates for September 2027 Entry
Inchwise Research · Conservatoire Admissions Unit
Data current to 11 October 2026. Records what each institution publishes about entry in September 2027 (the 2027-28 academic year).
In brief
This guide records what fourteen UK institutions publish on their own websites about applications for September 2027 entry, as read on 11 October 2026. Where a date is not published, that is stated rather than estimated. Dates published for an earlier entry year are recorded as belonging to that year and are not carried over.
One institution publishes an opening date in the weeks ahead: the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior Conservatoire states that its 2027/28 application form will be available from Tuesday 27 October 2026.
Junior Guildhall is the only junior department with a full published 2027 cycle: applications open in January 2027 and close on 1 March 2027, with auditions in March and April.
At the undergraduate conservatoires the 1 October 2026 application deadline for 2027 entry has passed. Recording deadlines of 23 and 26 October 2026 remain, as do overseas audition rounds from late October 2026 to January 2027.
Five institutions publish nothing at all for 2027-28: the Yehudi Menuhin School, Chetham’s, Wells Cathedral School, Junior RNCM and Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Three publish only a statement that information is still to come: The Purcell School, the RCM Junior Department and the RAM Junior Academy.
01 How to Read This Guide
Each entry below lists five things, in the same order, for one institution: when applications open, when they close, when auditions are held, any deadline for a recording or pre-screening submission, and the application and audition fees. Each line reports only what the institution publishes on its own website.
Three distinctions are kept throughout. A date published without an entry year attached is recorded as such. A date published for an earlier entry year is recorded as belonging to that year. A general pattern (“auditions are held each March and April”) is not the same as a published date, and is marked as a pattern.
Fees are recorded where the institution publishes an amount. An amount published without an entry year is recorded without one.
02 Dates Falling Between 11 October and 31 December 2026
The following are the dates in this period that the institutions themselves publish for 2027 entry.
23 October 2026 — Guildhall School: deadline to upload audition videos for recorded and overseas auditions in bowed strings, harp and guitar.
26 October 2026 — Royal College of Music: deadline for video submissions for performance degree video auditions.
27 October 2026 — Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior Conservatoire: the 2027/28 application form becomes available.
30 and 31 October 2026 — Royal College of Music: Shanghai auditions, published as expected dates.
1 November 2026 — Royal College of Music: application and pre-screening deadline for the Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, New York and Toronto audition centres.
2, 3 and 4 November 2026 — Royal Academy of Music: Qingdao auditions.
3 and 4 November 2026 — Royal College of Music: Beijing and Sydney auditions, published as expected dates.
5 and 6 November 2026 — Royal Academy of Music: Hong Kong auditions.
6 November 2026 — Royal College of Music: Seoul auditions, published as an expected date.
9 November 2026 — Guildhall School: harp live auditions, published as an expected date. Royal College of Music: Tokyo auditions, published as an expected date.
9 and 10 November 2026 — Royal Academy of Music: Brisbane auditions.
12 and 13 November 2026 — Royal Academy of Music: Sydney auditions.
mid-November to mid-December 2026 — Royal College of Music: London audition period. Specific dates are not published; the College states that candidates are told their date a few weeks after the application deadline.
7 to 18 December 2026 — Royal Academy of Music: main London audition period.
Two taster events published by schools in this period are not described by the schools as auditions: Wells Cathedral School lists “Be a Specialist Musician for a Day” on 4 November 2026 and an Open Morning on 14 November 2026. The Yehudi Menuhin School lists an Open Day on 9 October 2026, with the next on 5 February 2027.
03 Specialist Music Schools
The Yehudi Menuhin School. Applications open: not published. Applications close: not published — the school publishes no deadline. Auditions: not published. Recording deadline: not published. Application fee: amount not published; the school states that the form “should be accompanied by a non-refundable application fee”. Audition fee: amount not published; the school states there is “a further cost for the full audition which is payable in advance” and that the Registrar provides the amount with the application form. Fees for 2027-28 are not published; the published annual fees are for 2026-27.
The Purcell School. Applications open: no date; the school publishes the general rule “Applications open in September, one academic year before entry”. Applications close: none; the school states “There is no deadline for application” and, elsewhere, “While there is no formal deadline”. Auditions: no dates; the school states that auditions “take place during term time from the autumn term onwards” and “continue until the School has reached full capacity”. Recording deadline: not published — the required recordings are listed without a submission date. Application fee: £120, non-refundable, no entry year attached. Audition fee: £120, payable in advance by applicants invited to audition, no entry year attached.
Chetham’s School of Music. Applications open: not published. Applications close: no date; the school publishes the recommendation “We recommend applying by December for entry the following September”, with no year attached. Auditions: not published. Recording deadline: not published. Fees: the school publishes two different sets on two pages, neither naming an entry year — an advice audition at £60 with an application fee of £150 on one page, and an advice audition at £90 with a main audition fee of £162 on the other. Tuition fees for 2027-28 are not published.
Wells Cathedral School. Applications open: no date; the school states “We accept applications year-round for entrance when space permits”. Applications close: not published. Auditions: no dates for 2027-28; the school states “We normally hold a series of three audition weekends throughout the year”. The school’s music auditions page carries dates from an earlier cycle, including a February 2023 event. Recording deadline: not published. Application fee: not published. Audition fee: not published. Tuition fees for 2027-28: not published; the school states that fees for 2027-2028 “will be published in April 2027”.
04 Conservatoire Junior Departments
Royal College of Music Junior Department. Applications open: no date; the department states “Information about applications for September 2027 will be available from this page in January 2027”. Applications close: not published. Auditions: no dates; the department states that entry is “by audition in March/April for entry in September the same year” and that this is its only audition period. Recording deadline: not published for 2027 entry; the published submission deadline of 6 March 2026 applies to 2026 entry. Application fee: not published. Audition fee: not published. Tuition fees for 2027-28: not published; the published amounts are for 2026-27.
Junior Guildhall. Applications open: January 2027; the department states that applications for September 2027 entry “will open in January” and, elsewhere, “during the first week of January”. No day of the month is published. Applications close: 1 March 2027, published also as “Monday 1 March 2027” and as closing at 11.59pm. Auditions: March to April 2027 as a published period; specific dates are not published. Recording deadline: not published; composition and electronic and produced music applicants are asked to send three recent compositions, without a published deadline. Application fee: not published. Audition fee: not published. An optional pre-audition advice session is published at £80 an hour. Tuition fees for 2027-28: not published; the published amounts are headed 2026/27.
Junior Trinity. Applications open: no date; the department states that applications for 2027 entry “will open in early Autumn”. Applications close: not published for 2027 entry; the application deadline shown on the page, 28 February 2026, belongs to the 2026 cycle. Auditions: the department states that auditions for 2027 entry “will take place in-person during March and April”; specific dates are not published. Recording deadline: not published. Application fee: not published. Audition fee: £35, non-refundable, published in the 2027-entry context; the department states that audition fees are waived for income-related bursary holders applying from Junior Trinity.
Royal Academy of Music Junior Academy. Applications open: no date; the page states “Please check back here soon for information about 2027 entry”. Applications close: not published for 2027; the page records that the deadline for September 2026 entry has passed. Auditions: no dates; the page states “We are not able to accept requests for specific audition dates”. Recording deadline: not published. Application fee: none; the page states “There is no fee to apply”. Audition fee: £45, charged if the applicant is invited to a live audition, no entry year attached. A Discovery Event is published for January 2027, not described as an entry step.
Junior RNCM. Applications open: not published for 2027-28; the published window, 30 January to 6 March 2026, applies to September 2026 entry. Applications close: not published for 2027-28. Auditions: no dates; the department states that selection follows “auditions held each March and April for entry in September”. Recording deadline: not published. Application fee: not published. Audition fee: £30, described as a one-off fee, no entry year attached.
Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Applications open: not published. Applications close: no date; the department states that closing dates “can be obtained from the Junior Conservatoire”. Auditions: no dates and no entry year; the department states “The main session of auditions is held during April and May”. Recording deadline: not published. Application fee: not published. Audition fee: not published. The audition-fee table on the Conservatoire’s main auditions page belongs to its degree-level admissions, not to the Junior Conservatoire.
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Junior Conservatoire. Applications open: the Conservatoire states that “The application form for session 2027/28 will be available on the RCS website from Tuesday, 27 October 2026”. Applications close: not published for 2027/28; the deadline shown on the page, 9 February 2026, belongs to the 2026/27 session, recorded there as closed. Auditions: the Conservatoire states “with auditions commencing in March 2027” and, as a general pattern, that initial auditions are scheduled “between late February and early April each year”. Specific dates are not published. Recording deadline: not published. Application fee: none published separately; the Conservatoire states that applications are completed online and “there is an audition fee of £45.00”.
05 Undergraduate Conservatoires
Royal College of Music. Applications open: no date; the College states “Applications are now open for September 2027 intake”. Applications close: 1 October 2026 for most programmes, published under the heading “Applications for 2027 entry”; 1 November 2026 for the Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, New York and Toronto centres. The College adds that late applications may be accepted. Auditions: London, mid-November to mid-December 2026, with a few late auditions possible in February 2027 if places remain; overseas dates are published as expected — Shanghai 30 and 31 October 2026, Beijing and Sydney 3 and 4 November 2026, Seoul 6 November 2026, Tokyo 9 November 2026, Singapore 10 January 2027, Hong Kong 13 January 2027, Bangkok 18 January 2027; New York and Toronto dates are recorded as being confirmed. Recording deadline: 26 October 2026 for London video auditions; for overseas centres the pre-screening video is due by that centre’s application deadline. Application fee: £34.50, published as the UCAS Conservatoires application fee for 2027 entry. Assessment fees: £115 for performance and composition courses with a single principal study, £165 for joint principal study, no entry year attached.
Royal Academy of Music. Applications open: not published. Applications close: 1 October 2026 for most courses, published without an entry year on the how-to-apply page; 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time for candidates auditioning in New York. The Academy states that the UCAS Conservatoires and Acceptd deadlines are the same. Auditions: main London period Monday 7 December to Friday 18 December 2026; Qingdao 2, 3 and 4 November 2026; Hong Kong 5 and 6 November 2026; Brisbane 9 and 10 November 2026; Sydney 12 and 13 November 2026; New York early March 2027. Recording deadline: 1 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time for Brisbane, Sydney, Hong Kong and Qingdao; 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time for New York; not published for London. Application fee: £100, published as the Academy assessment fee paid via UCAS Conservatoires, with the UCAS registration fee added on submission. No separate audition fee is published.
Guildhall School. Application route: the School states that UCAS and UCAS Conservatoires are “not suitable for applications in all these areas” and that applicants use the School’s own eGo portal, so no UCAS Conservatoires deadline is published for its undergraduate music programmes. Applications open: not published. Applications close: 1 October 2026 for the BMus, published as “Apply by: 1 October 2026 for entry in September 2027”; the School notes that electronic and produced music and overseas audition candidates have separate deadlines on their own pages. All closing deadlines are published as falling at 4.30pm UK time. Auditions: harp live auditions are published as expected on Monday 9 November 2026; dates for bowed strings and guitar are not published; candidates who pass a recorded audition are invited to online interviews in November. Recording deadline: Friday 23 October 2026 for uploaded audition videos in bowed strings, harp and guitar. Application fee: £129, or free for eligible undergraduate applicants through the Supported Application Scheme; application fees are non-refundable. No separate undergraduate audition fee is published.
06 What Is Not Published
Five institutions publish nothing for 2027-28 entry — no opening date, no closing date, no audition dates and no recording deadline:
The Yehudi Menuhin School
Chetham’s School of Music
Wells Cathedral School
Junior RNCM
Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Three publish only a general rule or a statement that information is still to come:
The Purcell School — the rule that applications open in September, one academic year before entry, with no formal deadline and no audition dates.
Royal College of Music Junior Department — that information about September 2027 applications will appear on its page in January 2027.
Royal Academy of Music Junior Academy — that information about 2027 entry is to come.
Separately, no 2027-28 tuition fees are published by the Yehudi Menuhin School, Chetham’s, Wells Cathedral School, the RCM Junior Department or Junior Guildhall. Wells states that its 2027-2028 fees will be published in April 2027.
Where a decision depends on a date this guide records as not published, the institution’s own admissions office is the only source that can confirm it.
Sources
The Yehudi Menuhin School, how to apply: https://www.menuhinschool.co.uk/how-to-apply-2
The Yehudi Menuhin School, audition process: https://www.menuhinschool.co.uk/school/admissions/audition-process
The Purcell School, how to apply: https://www.purcell-school.org/admissions/how-to-apply/
The Purcell School, auditions: https://www.purcell-school.org/admissions/auditions/
Chetham's School of Music, apply: https://chethamsschoolofmusic.com/apply/
Chetham's School of Music, applications: https://chethamsschoolofmusic.com/apply/applications/
Wells Cathedral School, application process: https://wells.cathedral.school/application-process/
Wells Cathedral School, fees: https://wells.cathedral.school/fees/
Wells Cathedral School, open days list: https://wells.cathedral.school/opendays/list/
Royal College of Music Junior Department, apply: https://www.rcm.ac.uk/junior/rcmjdapply/
Royal College of Music Junior Department, fees and funding: https://www.rcm.ac.uk/junior/rcmjdapply/rcmjdfeesandfunding/
Junior Guildhall, how to apply: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/youth_adult_learning/junior_guildhall/how_to_apply/
Junior Guildhall, fees: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/junior-guildhall-fees
Junior Trinity: https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/courses/junior-trinity-ages-10-19/
Royal Academy of Music Junior Academy: https://www.ram.ac.uk/courses/junior-academy-course
Junior RNCM, how to apply and fees: https://www.rncm.ac.uk/study-here/junior-rncm/how-to-apply-and-fees/
Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, how to apply: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/music/juniors/how-to-apply
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Juniors classical music: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/juniors-classical-music/
Royal College of Music, apply: https://www.rcm.ac.uk/apply/
Royal College of Music, audition locations: https://www.rcm.ac.uk/apply/auditions/auditionlocation/
Royal Academy of Music, how to apply: https://www.ram.ac.uk/apply/how-to-apply
Royal Academy of Music, auditions: https://www.ram.ac.uk/apply/auditions
Guildhall School, apply: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/apply-to-guildhall
Guildhall School, BMus: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/music/bmus-bachelor-of-music-honours-degree
Guildhall School, strings, harp and guitar auditions: https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/study-with-guildhall/music/music-auditions-interviews/strings-harp-guitar-auditions
About This Guide
Inchwise is a London education consultancy working with families whose children study music seriously. This guide records what each institution publishes, and the date each fact was retrieved. Inchwise is not affiliated with any of these institutions and does not predict admission outcomes.
Where a decision depends on a date this guide records as not published, that institution’s own admissions office is the only source that can confirm it.