The Glasgow-based Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) has been named in prestigious global rankings released this week as one of the world’s top three destinations to study the performing arts.

Scotland’s national conservatoire is ranked at number three in the 2021 QS World University Rankings for Performing Arts.

“RCS sits in the top three alongside New York’s Juilliard School and the Royal College of Music in London,” said the RCS.

“Other institutions in the top ten include the Conservatoire de Paris, University of the Arts Helsinki and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

“It’s the fifth time since the ranking was established in 2016 that the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland has been placed in the top ten in what is considered to be the world’s most-consulted university ranking, which captures academic standing, research performance and graduate employability as metrics of institutional performance.”

Partners of the RCS include the BBC, National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Ballet, RSNO, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Scottish Opera.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: “It is especially gratifying to achieve this recognition at a time of great challenge to the arts in a global pandemic.

“It is a tribute to the entire RCS community of students and staff who continue to show such creativity and determination to keep the arts flourishing and developing.

“This exciting news demonstrates that our wider community places faith and trust in our conservatoire to be a place where the arts will continue to tell our shared stories and help rebuild our bonds of society.”

Established in 1847, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland offers specialist tuition across music, drama, dance, production, film and education at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels – one of the only institutions in Europe to teach such a wide variety of performing arts on one campus.

It also teaches children, young people and adults through the Junior Conservatoire, short courses departments and Fair Access programmes.