Frequently Asked Questions

What does an average week look like at Abbey Road Institute?

Our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering is an intensive, full-time programme. You will have a daily timetable of lectures with faculty as well as weekly lectures with industry experts. Classes usually take place Monday to Thursday with Friday’s dedicated to workshops, masterclasses and other complimentary classes.

The campus is open 7 days a week, and we encourage you to use the studios and equipment as much as possible to make the most of your time at Abbey Road Institute Mumbai. This means you can be working and recording during the evenings and weekends in addition to your timetabled lectures and workshops, subject to the studios being available.

What is the relationship between Abbey Road Studios and Abbey Road Institute Mumbai & Bay Owl Studios?

Abbey Road Institute is an educational initiative born out of the expertise and skills developed at Abbey Road Studios over the past 90 years. The school, our ethos and our approach to delivering the highest quality of education have been created through a partnership between the world’s most famous recording studio and Universal Music Group. Being part of the Abbey Road and Universal Music Group family means that we have a close relationship with the Studio, which leads to collaborations and opportunities for our students that aren’t available anywhere else.

Abbey Road Institute Mumbai is the newest member of the global Abbey Road Institute Family. Officially licensed to offer the same programmes as the other international schools, our Mumbai Institute is the first Abbey Road Institute in Asia and aims to provide a world-class curriculum at an affordable rate for aspiring Indian musicians, producers, and engineers.

Abbey Road Institute Mumbai’s campus is inside one of India’s premier recording facilities, Bay Owl Studios. Facilitating the programme from within the Bay Owl ecosystem means that our students split their time between five studios, four production suites – two being Dolby Atmos enabled, an artist lounge and a tech lab. We continue to organise regular recording sessions and workshops in the main commercial Bay Owl Studios as well as masterclasses, events and other opportunities for collaboration and access to the music industry.

Who studies on the Advanced Diploma in music production and sound engineering? Is the course right for me?

Our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering is an industry-standard, professional training course, which gives you the knowledge, skills and access to professional networks that will help you progress in audio production and the music industry. We encourage applications from students from all different backgrounds and musical interests. You will need to demonstrate the required level of skills as detailed in the entry requirements, but we’re not looking for students interested in any specific ‘type’ of music or genre. The course is intensive, and we encourage you to apply if you are passionate about the subject, driven to work hard and want to immerse yourself in a dynamic, professional studio environment.

How do I apply for one of the Advanced Diplomas?

You will need to demonstrate that you meet the entry requirements and upload copies of your qualifications and music portfolio. If you do not have copies of your qualifications or are waiting for your results, you may still submit your application for review by our admissions team.

We will notify you of the outcome of your application within a few days of your interview. If you have any questions or need any support with the online application process, please contact our Admissions team, who will be very happy to help.

The minimum age requirement to join any of our courses is 18.

When do I apply for the Advanced Diploma?

There are currently three intakes per year for our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering, which start in March, August and November. You can apply to the intake start date that suits you best. We advise you to start your application as early as possible to give yourself time to fully prepare your application and interview. Our class sizes are small with a maximum of 24 spaces available for each intake. Our courses are typically in demand in advance of the application deadline and start date, so we recommend applying as soon as you are able to.

We hold interviews on a rolling basis until the course is full or until the month before the course starts. Depending on availability, we may consider later applications.
Currently, we’re offering the full-time Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering. We’ll be adding new courses in the near future.

WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY APPLICATION FOR THE ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN MUSIC PRODUCTION AND SOUND ENGINEErING?

Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate that you meet the entry requirements necessary to study on the course. So that we can assess your suitability for the course and offer you an interview, you will need to include the following documents:

• A Music Portfolio (4 productions in which you demonstrate different roles, such as performer, producer, engineer, writer etc). Please label the portfolio or submit further documentation to explain your role in each production. If you don’t have 4 yet please submit what you can.
• We do not expect to receive high-quality productions but are simply looking for evidence that you have been attempting to create and produce music for a period of time.
• Academic qualifications.
• Music qualifications – if you don’t have a formal music qualification please state your level of music knowledge and experience in your covering letter.
• A cover letter. This is where you can explain your motivation to study, career goals and provide further explanation about your background (recordings, composing, performances etc). You should also explain your musical abilities, eg. which instrument (s) you play, what music theory experience you have and give an indication of your level.
• Your Curriculum Vitae – allowances will be made for applicants with relating “real-world” experience.
• Copy of photographic ID, this is usually a scan of your passport or ID card from your home country. For passports please provide a scan of the front cover and photo page

What are the payment and funding options available?

We offer different payment options to help you fund your studies with us. You can choose to spread the payment throughout your time at Abbey Road Institute Mumbai, or you can pay the full amount upfront and benefit from a reduced fee. These are the fees and payment plans for our Advanced Diploma:

Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering
Fees and payment plans (all amounts ex gst)

Payment Plan A (term-wise installments):
Application Fee – INR 15,000*
Signup (Acceptance) Fee – INR 99,000
30 days Prior to Term 1 – INR 2,50,500
14 days Prior to Term 2 – INR 1,95,000
14 days Prior to Term 3 – INR 1,39,500
Total Course fee INR 6,99,000/- ++

Payment Plan B (monthly installments):
Application Fee – INR 15,000*
Signup (Acceptance) Fee – INR 2,50,000
Monthly installments – INR 29,999 (x12)
Total Course fee INR 6,25,000/- ++

Payment Plan C (Full fee paid up-front):
Application Fee – INR 15,000*
Tuition Fee – INR 5,80,000
Total Course Fee – INR 5,95,000/- ++

*Your Application Fee will count towards your total course fees as per your selected payment plan, and will be fully refunded if your application is unsuccessful.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP PAY FOR YOUR STUDIES?

I’m applying as an International Student, how do I proceed?

Currently, we can only accept students who hold a valid Indian Passport or OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card.
Drop us an email at mumbai@abbeyroadinstitute.com, mentioning your programme of interest so that we can get back to you as soon as we begin accepting international students.

I want to study on the advanced diploma in music production and sound engineering but I’m looking for a degree, what options are available to me?