The Department of Music at Royal Holloway is delighted to announce scholarships for students starting our MMus degree in September 2026.

Thanks to the generosity of the Headley Trust, we are able to offer two Headley Trust Scholarships for MMus students starting in September 2026, covering the full fees for UK students. We also are offering the Corky McGuinness Award for musicology MMus students, covering a substantial portion of fees.

The MMus Music at Royal Holloway is an innovative degree designed to meet your needs whether you want to embark on a career in the music industry, prepare yourself for postgraduate research, or gain advanced skills that can be transferred across a wide range of careers. You can choose between pathways in: Composition, Performance, Musicology / Ethnomusicology, Music Management, Film / TV / Game Music, and Collaborative Piano. You can also choose modules that connect between several of these pathways.

Studying at Royal Holloway

Royal Holloway is ranked no.1 in the UK for music research (Complete University Guide 2022–2026) and is placed no.14 in the world for the performing arts by the QS World University Rankings 2024. Our outstanding facilities include professional-level recording studios, four production suites, a world music studio, and unique Victorian performing venues including our chapel and Picture Gallery. As an all-Steinway school, we offer our students exclusive use of Steinway or Steinway-designed pianos for their teaching, practice and performance. Our MMus will also boost your employability with collaborations with industry professionals and opportunities for placements.

Apply now

You can also apply for scholarships including the Corky McGuinness Award and the Headley Trust Scholarship. We advise you to apply for an MMus place by 15 May 2026 to allow time for your application for a place on our course to be processed. Once you have a conditional or unconditional offer of a place, you can apply for scholarships via a separate form on our online application system (deadline 15 June 2026 for scholarship applications). 

Applicants have until 21 August 2026 for international applicants and 28 August 2026 for home applicants to apply for postgraduate study at Royal Holloway. 

International Musician Residencies at Royal Holloway

We also invite applications from international students enrolled on our MMus programme and specialising in world music for our International Musician Residency in 2026-27 (deadline is also 15 June 2026). Please click HERE for more information. To apply for this opportunity on our MMus course, please write to Dr Shzr Ee Tan (shzree.tan@rhul.ac.uk) with the following information by 5.00pm on 15 June 2026:

• a link to a short recording (10-12 minutes) of yourself in performance
• a personal statement of your artistic intent / ethos as a musician (500 words maximum)