Royal College of Music achieves outstanding results in National Student Survey
Monday 13 July 2026
The Royal College of Music (RCM) has excelled in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS), surpassing scores across the sector in teaching areas, academic support, wellbeing and resources.
The NSS is an annual student survey, gathering opinions from final-year undergraduate students about what it has been like to study at their university or college. The RCM has received positive feedback in the 2026 survey, reflecting the quality of teaching and resources available to students.
Diana Salazar, Director of Programmes at the Royal College of Music, commented: ‘We’re delighted to see such positive gains across our NSS questions this year, reflecting both marked improvements and areas of outstanding experience for our students. This year’s results are a testament to the dedication of our staff, who go above and beyond every day to support RCM students in reaching their full potential as artists. I’m very proud that our students so clearly value the expertise, communication and care that defines the RCM student experience.’
The RCM performed strongly across teaching and learning, with responses showing 90% positivity towards course teaching and 95% positivity for academic support. The College received the highest scores among UK music conservatoires for learning resources, library resources and ease of contacting staff. Staff explaining subject matter, making the subject engaging and building on previous learning were all valued highly, as was the balance of directed and independent study.
The RCM Library is a rich resource of scores, books and recordings available to students, holding treasured items within its collections, such as the manuscripts of Mozart’s C minor Piano Concerto K491 and Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Its resources achieved an almost perfect score of 97% from students, surpassing average scores in other UK institutions and leading among UK music conservatoires.
Student support and wellbeing are incredibly important to the College, and the NSS results demonstrate that this is recognised by students; communicating information about mental wellbeing support services received a 92% positive score, exceeding averages across all UK institutions and music conservatoires.
These overwhelmingly positive results reflect the quality of teaching and outstanding student experience offered at the Royal College of Music. Ranked the No. 1 conservatoire for Performing Arts in the UK and Europe for the 11th consecutive year in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, the College continues its legacy as a world-leading conservatoire.
