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Guide to student living costs
It is impossible to put an exact figure on the amount of money you will need while you are studying at the Royal College of Music; much will depend on your individual preferences and lifestyle. The figures given below reflect a range of essential and non essential expenditure that you might be likely to incur. Don’t forget to budget for the duration of your course.
| Outgoings |
Per Week |
Per Year (x36 Weeks) |
| Rent: Privately rented accommodation | £95-130 | £3,705-5,070 |
| Plus utility bills (gas, electricity, water rates) | £9-15 | £351-585 |
| College Hall accommodation (includes utility bills) | £82-114 |
£3,526-6,192 (43 week contract) |
| Food/housekeeping | £35-45 | £1,260-1,620 |
| Telephone (mobile/landline) | £10-20 | £390-780 |
| Travel (Zones 1 and 2 Travelcard with student discount) | £19.30 | £752.70 |
| Course costs (eg books, CDs, strings, reeds etc | £5-15 | £180-540 |
| Insurance (Instrumental, personal belongings) | £2-5 | £78-195 |
| Laundry/dry cleaning | £2-5 | £78-195 |
|
Toiletries/makeup/hairdressing |
£5-10 | £195-390 |
| Clothing/footwear | £5-10 | £195-390 |
|
Socialising/alcohol/cigarettes |
£20-50 | £780-1,950 |
|
Weekly/annual total |
||
|
Privately rented accommodation |
£207.30 - £324.30 | £8,084.70 - £12,647.70 |
|
College Hall accommodation |
£185.30 - £323.30 | £7,226.70 - £12,608.70 |
The RCM has a valuable collection of instruments (mainly stringed instruments) available for students to use. These will be explicitly targeted for both UK and overseas students who cannot afford a quality instrument, with priority given to RCM bursary holders
The RCM, through its alumni association has a fund to make interest – free financial loans to assist students and recent graduates to buy their own instruments. If demand for loans exceed the funds, priority will be given to RCM bursary holders, subject to the terms and conditions of the loan agreement.
