Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

Age: 164

History: Began as the Glasgow Athenaeum in 1847, later morphing into the Scottish National Academy of Music. Acquired the "royal" handle in 1944. The College of Dramatic Art was founded in 1950. Current title dates from 1968. The Academy changes its name to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in September 2011.

Address: Central Glasgow.

Ambience: Moved to purpose-built premises in 1988. Near the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Scottish Opera and the Theatre Royal. Claims to be one of the busiest music and theatre venues in Scotland, with over 400 performances a year attracting 70,000 visitors. A junior academy for music and a drama programme for young people runs at the weekend and attracts children from all over Scotland.

Vital statistics: It's small, but with 836 students it is one of the larger conservatoires. The only conservatoire in the UK offering degrees in music, drama and dance, and is one of four royal schools of music. It awards its own degrees.

Added value: Strong and regular links with professional companies including the BBC, Scottish Opera, RSNO and major theatres. Professionals and alumni give classes and visit to give career advice. Five performance venues within the building. Sleek £5m extension in glass and polished granite houses the Alexander Gibson Opera School, which runs postgraduate opera courses.

Easy to get into? Not really. You need three Highers or two A-levels, and there is a rigorous audition.

Glittering alumni: Actors Robert Carlyle, David Tennant, James McAvoy, Hannah Gordon, Tom Conti and Phyllis Logan; singers Peter Auty and Anthony Michaels-Moore; pianists Yevgeny Morozov and David McGrory.

Transport links: Easy by plane, train or car - and the main bus station is nearby.

Who's the boss? World-famous trumpet player John Wallace CBE.

Teaching: Rated 'excellent' for music and 'highly satisfactory' for drama by the QAA.

Research: 85 per cent of the Academy’s research is classified at a world-leading or internationally excellent level (2008 Research Assessment Exercise).

Nightlife: Theatres and concert venues on site rather than typical student boozers. A summer ball. Hot pub and club scene in Glasgow. Also good restaurants, and a new multiplex cinema across the road.

Any accommodation? Yes, the university has an arrangement with Liberty House, a student halls of residence owned by a private landlord. Rents range from £103 to £160 per week.

Cheap to live there? Yes - private rents begin at just £65 per week.

Fees: Scottish and EU students do not have to pay any fees for undergraduate courses. Students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales are charged a standard Scottish tuition fee, which for 2011/2012 is £1,820 per year. Postgraduate courses start at around £5,000. Fees for 2012/2013 are yet to be decided, but it is expected they will rise by the rate of inflation.

Bursaries: Scholarships are offered on the basis of performance at audition.

Prospectus: 0141 332 4101; www.rsamd.ac.uk ( www.rcs.ac.uk as of September 2011)

CUKAS code: R58 (for music. For drama and dance, students should apply direct)