I think there may be some confusion about the different levels of qualifications offered by music colleges.
There are graded examinations for performance on various instruments, and these are taken at centres around the country. Some of us may have taken these as children, or later in life. At a higher level there are Diplomas, Associates, Licentiates and Fellows: the relevant page on the LCM website (
http://www.uwl.ac.uk/academic-schools/music/lcm-exams/exam-levels) says that an Associate is equivalent to the second year of an undergraduate degree course. (Other colleges may vary - the equivalent page for Trinity College of Music links the performance standard to the first year of a degree.)
I would think it highly likely that to attain that level of qualification would require full-time residential study rather than anything part time or at a remote location. I guess the LCM/University of West London would be able to comment on this, but in the meantime this brief history may be of interest:
https://lcm.uwl.ac.uk/en/lcm-history.htmlArthur
