TOP Universities for Performing Arts in Europe according to the QS World University Rankings offer undergraduate and graduate programs for international students.
Studying in Europe is a great opportunity for those who specialize in the performing arts. Students can take inspiration from Shakespeare, attend performances at the National Theater in London, or travel to Ireland.

Theater Study Programs allow you to study screenwriting, directing, staging, stage effects, costumes, theater culture. This type of training can offer many benefits to those looking to pursue a career in the theater or entertainment industry.
Best Performing Arts universities in Europe 2026 - QS World University rankings
1 | Royal College of Music |
2 | Royal Academy of Music |
3 | Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP) |
4 | Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien |
5 | Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
6 | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland |
7 | Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) |
8 | Gnesin Russian Academy of Music |
9 | Moscow State Conservatory P. I. Tchaikovsky |
10 | Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki |
11 | Royal Holloway University of London |
12 | St. Petersburg Conservatory |
13 | The Royal Danish Academy of Music |
14 | University of Cambridge |
15 | University of Oxford |
16 | Norwegian Academy of Music |
17 | The Liszt Academy of Music |
18 | Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon |
19 | Hochschule fr Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Leipzig |
20 | Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance |
21 | King's College London |
22 | University of Huddersfield |
23 | University Mozarteum Salzburg |
24 | Zurich University of the Arts |
25 | Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin |
26 | The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
27 | Royal College of Music in Stockholm |
28 | Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin |
29 | Chopin University of Music |
30 | Goldsmiths, University of London |
31 | University of Birmingham |
32 | Academy of Performing Arts in Prague |
33 | Haute école de musique de Genève |
34 | Conservatorio Santa Cecilia |
35 | Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln |
36 | Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg |
37 | Hochschule für Musik und Theater München |
38 | Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre |
39 | Queen Mary University of London |
40 | Queen's University Belfast |
41 | Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus |
42 | Royal Irish Academy of Music |
43 | Sorbonne University |
44 | Russian Institute of Theatre Arts — GITIS |
45 | The University of Edinburgh |
46 | The University of Manchester |
47 | The University of Warwick |
48 | University College Cork |
49 | University College Dublin |
50 | University of Basel |