Fees Policy
1. Tuition Fees
1.1. Students are liable to ensure payment of all tuition fees for the programme or selected
modules on which they study1. The fees for programmes are set out in the College
Prospectus, on the College webpages and in printed documentation produced by
Schools and Professional Services.
1.2. At enrolment stage, students confirm their intention to study and provide details
including agreement to pay the fee for the modules, credit or programme undertaken.
Students are expected to enrol at the earliest opportunity and within 28 days of the first
day of the term in which the programme/module commences at the latest.
1.3. All fees, refunds and credit notes are quoted and will be calculated in GB pounds
sterling. Any international exchange rate calculation will follow established procedures
in Finance.
1.4. The College sets different fee rates for Home/EU students and International students.
Students are assessed by Registry Services on application for which category of fee
they are liable to pay in line with the Fee Assessment Policy and Procedure.
1.5. Where a student contests the tuition fee they are liable for the Academic Registrar (or
their nominee) will determine the appropriate fee to be paid. Documentary evidence
for any mitigating circumstances may be required. Students have a right of appeal via
the Student Complaints Policy.
2. Government Policy
2.1. The College is not permitted to exceed the maximum regulated undergraduate fee
determined by the government. Where the amount of credit identified to study in an
academic year results in a fee that exceeds the maximum regulated fee the College
reserves the right to set a maximum credit load and/or fee within the law.
2.2. The College may charge different tuition fees for students resident within the European
Economic Area (EEA) and outside it and/or for different modes of study e.g.
undergraduate, postgraduate, full or part-time. This is because the way in which higher
education is funded may be different; the costs of providing education may be
different; or because we provide a different range of services.
2.3. Please note that transitional financial support arrangements are based on the
government’s statutory Student Support Regulations. The College is not responsible
for these arrangements and there is no right of appeal or an exceptions policy.
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Students on a programme of study as part of an apprenticeship programme are not normally liable
for tuition fees, the associated employer is liable for the payment of tuition fees for these programmes.
If a student on an apprenticeship programme leaves their employment with the named employer in
the apprenticeship agreement and then chooses to continue their studies they will become liable for
fees
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3. Ancillary Fees
3.1. Students may be required to pay additional fees for ancillary products or services such
as library use, books, equipment, travel and/or accommodation for field trips. The
College may provide means-tested financial support to eligible students to help provide
financial assistance towards the cost of these. Ancillary services may be provided by
third parties and fees paid direct to them.
4. Annual Increases and Fee Charging by Cohort
4.1. The College reserves the right to set appropriate tuition fees for its programmes and
modules. Any substantial changes to fees will normally come into effect for students
starting a programme. Where fees are changed for programmes or modules, students
continuing on a programme of study will not be subject to the new fee, except where
there are inflationary increases as outlined in 4.2 and 4.3.
4.2. For programme enrolment courses2 students are charged an annual tuition fee in each
year of their programme. Following the first year of study tuition fees may be subject
to annual inflationary increases. Fees for Home/EU undergraduate students are
regulated by the government and annual fee increases will be made up to the
maximum level permissible by government regulation. In all other circumstances for
the duration of their programme students may expect tuition fees to increase annually
in line with inflation up to a maximum of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) +3%.
4.3. For modular enrolment courses as part of a Certificate of Higher Education, students
are charged an annual tuition fee based on the fee(s) for the selected module(s).
Following the first year of study tuition fees may be subject to annual inflationary
increases. Students may expect tuition fees per module to increase annually in line
with inflation up to a maximum of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) +3%. In exceptional
circumstances due to non-inflationary fee setting there may be higher fee increases
per module. Where this is the case students who have begun their studies on a
modular enrolment course will be protected from the higher fees for a maximum period
of 2 years.
4.4. When students enrol on a programme they join a year-group which is known as a
‘cohort’. This is a group of students who commence their studies at the same time, and
same mode of attendance, and would therefore expect to progress through the
curriculum together. A student’s fee is linked to their cohort of study which indicates
when they commenced their programme of study. Students in a particular cohort,
which is linked to a year of study of a programme will pay the same fees as other
students of the same type (e.g. Home or International students) in that cohort.
4.5. If a student interrupts their studies or is required to repeat a year they may then be
considered a part of a new ‘cohort’ for fee purposes and will be charged the appropriate
tuition fee for the programme year of study; this may be a higher fee than the previous
cohort fee if the fee for that programme has changed for a particular cohort. The fee
increase will not be more than 10% more than the equivalent previous cohort fee.
2
Programmes of study that require an application to study; e.g. Prog enrolment Cert HE, UG degree,
PG Degree, PGR degree.
2
When required to retake a year of study or considering taking a break in studies
students are strongly recommended to seek guidance on the implications of doing so
on the tuition fee that may be charged. Once a student is allocated to a new ‘cohort’
they cannot return to the lower fee cohort. The financial support arrangements can be
affected by the cohort to which a student belongs and are subject to government
student funding regulations.
5. Payment Methods
5.1. The College have a number of ways in which students can pay their fees, full details
are available here: www.bbk.ac.uk/student-services/fee-payment
These include:
Full payment upfront
Instalment plans (termly/monthly)
Student Loan, Career Development Loan, US or Canadian Loans
Employer sponsorship, Birkbeck staff study assistance
5.2. Where a student has enrolled on the basis of a payment by a 3rd party, (i.e. employer
sponsor or loan provider) in the event that payment is not received from the identified
sponsor within the expected timeframes the payment of fees will become the student’s
responsibility.
5.3 Some programmes of the College that are extremely popular and have a limited
number of places may require a non-refundable deposit to be paid in order to secure
a place when accepting an offer. Any deposit will be taken as part of the overall course
fee, and not as an additional amount. Where a programme requires a deposit, details
will be provided to prospective students and when an offer is made.
6. Tuition Fee Amendments
6.1. Where a tuition fee must be amended, the correct fee (even if it is higher) will always
be applied and charged to a student to ensure the student record is correct. In such
circumstances and post enrolment, a credit note may be applied to reduce the actual
amount a student would pay. An amendment to an individual student tuition fee cannot
be agreed by an individual member of staff without the written permission of the
Academic Registrar or their nominee. A reduction in tuition fee or tuition fee
amendment (not initiated by a student) can only be requested by a Director of
Operations or their nominee.
6.2. It is important for the College to assess a student’s tuition fees correctly. Students who
have been under or over charged, due to them not providing relevant information to
allow the correct tuition fee to be charged when requested to do so, will automatically
be charged the correct rate of tuition fee as assessed by the College.
6.3. Tuition fees are charged annually at the rate set for each programme for the
appropriate mode of study. In some circumstances the College may agree that a
student can take a non-standard study load and in this situation they may be charged
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a different tuition fee. This tuition fee will normally be pro-rated to the credit being taken
but in certain circumstances, which may relate either to the programme of study or the
student, a different calculation may be required. All non-standard tuition fees are
subject to the agreement of the Academic Registrar (or their nominee).
6.4. If a student’s study load is reduced by recognition of accredited prior learning (APL)
the tuition fee may be adjusted. There is no additional fee chargeable for consideration
of accredited prior credited learning (APCL), a fee may be charged for assessment of
accredited prior experiential learning (APEL). See the Accreditation of Prior Learning
Policy for more information.
7. Changing modes or programme of study
7.1. Students who wish to change programme or mode of study are encouraged only to
do so between academic years. If a student changes mode of study from full-time to
part-time (or vice versa) or transfers to a different programme of study during the
academic year the fee will be re-calculated for the full year of study based on the
mode transferred to.
7.2. Changing mode of study can affect government student funding entitlements and
students receiving tuition fee and/or maintenance loans must take advice on how they
will be affected.
8. Tuition Fee Debt
8.1. Students should not enrol on any programme of study unless they have sufficient funds
or access to funding to pay their fees.
8.2. Students who find themselves in a position where they are unable to pay tuition fees
at any time should contact the College for advice and support. Students should
contact the Income Office in the first instance but may also contact the My Birkbeck
Student Advice Centre.
8.3. A student becomes a debtor to the College when tuition fees remain unpaid (in part
or fully) in the timeframes as requested by the College. If a student is in debt to the
College they will only be permitted to undertake further study if the arrears/debt are
settled.
8.4. Students are expected to respond to all communication from the College or its agents
relating to the payment and/or non-payment of fees and acknowledge receipt of them
when requested to do so.
8.5. Students experiencing financial hardship may be able to apply to Birkbeck financial
support for assistance with course costs and, in some circumstances, tuition fees.
However, support towards fees is very limited and can be no more than a partial
contribution.
8.6. For students who are in debt to the College for tuition fees the following will apply:
they will not be permitted to renew enrolment whilst any tuition fee debt remains
outstanding.
failure to pay outstanding debts following written reminders will result in
termination of enrolment.
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Non-academic services such as access to the Birkbeck library and computer
facilities may also be withheld. This is not an exhaustive list of services that
may be withheld.
Educational services may be withheld including; access to tuition, access to
learning resources, assessment and examination results3, and graduation.
A tuition fee debtor may not be awarded any qualification of the College while
their debt remains outstanding.
8.7. The College reserves the right to pursue student debtors for any fees they owe the
College. This includes transferring the debt to legal or other agents to pursue.
8.8. Non-tuition fee debts will not prevent a student progressing in their studies or
graduating. The College reserves the right to pursue (or via agents) such debts and to
recover any costs incurred.
8.9. The College reserves the right to make students a debtor where they have enrolled on
the basis of applying for a Tuition Fee Loan or Tuition Fee Grant from the Student
Loans Company or its regional agencies (Student Finance England, Student Finance
Wales, Student Finance Northern Ireland, or the Student Awards Agency for Scotland)
and that fee Loan or fee Grant is not paid to Birkbeck when the student’s study
commences.
8.10. If a student is in dispute with a third party sponsor such as Student Finance England,
the student must provide the College with the authority to speak to the third party
sponsor on their behalf. This is known as Consent to Share Information agreement. If
consent is not given the College reserves the right to refuse enrolment, terminate
study and/or withdraw services.
8.11. If the third party sponsor confirms a student is ineligible for funding (e.g. a student
loan), the College reserves the right to request that the student sets up a new payment
method. If the fee is not paid the student will become a tuition fee debtor to the College.
8.12. Any dispute about the nature of a debt recorded by the College should be dealt with
under the College’s Student Complaints Policy (see here for details of College policies)
9. Financial Support
9.1. The College provides a range of financial support options. If a student withdraws,
interrupts study or does not attend to the satisfaction of the Academic Registrar (or
their nominee), the College reserves the right to withhold the payment of financial
support. Where an overpayment of financial support is identified, the College reserves
the right to request repayment of any overpayment. If the repayment is not made the
College reserves the right to create a student debt on the sum outstanding.
3
Where the College is legally obliged to disclose assessment results to a student debtor, the
communicated results (mark, grade or award) will not constitute an official transcript and the student
debtor will not be able to declare to e.g. employers or other educational organisations that they have
achieved that award. The results will also be communicated in a medium that does not associate
them with the College.
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10. Tier 4 students
10.1. Overseas students who require a UK Tier 4 visa to study and are not funded by a
scholarship or studentship are required to pay a deposit when accepting an offer to
secure their place.
10.2. Details of the deposit scheme and terms and conditions are available here:
www.bbk.ac.uk/international/visa/deposit
10.3. Students are issued a Tier 4 Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS) on condition
that they have sufficient financial resources to cover tuition fees and living costs in the
United Kingdom. Students are required to provide evidence of this if requested.
10.4. Non-payment of fees may result in the withdrawal of Tier 4 sponsorship.
10.5. Students with a Tier 4 visa who are finding it difficult to pay their fees must contact the
Income Office without delay.
10.6. Refunds or credit notes for students with Tier 4 sponsorship will be made to the country
of origin and only processed once the student has provided confirmation that they have
left the United Kingdom in accordance with the terms of their visa.
11. Research Students
11.1. Students who have been examined for a doctoral programme of study are liable to pay
a fee for each re-assessment of their dissertation, thesis or equivalent. The fee
charged is available on the My Birkbeck website.
11.2. Students fully enrolled as research students will be charged the appropriate full PhD
programme fee. Students on writing up status will be charged a lower ‘writing up’ fee.
Any variation to the relevant fee will be agreed by the Academic Registrar (or their
nominee) in consultation with the School Director of Operations (or their nominee).
12. Cancellation
12.1. Students who choose not to begin their studies may cancel their intention to study
without financial liability until 14 days into the first term that the programme begins.
12.2. In order to cancel students must inform the College of their decision to cancel by
following the instructions on their My Birkbeck profile or in writing which must include
details of their College student number and the name or code for the programme of
study or module.
12.3. For students who cancel their studies within the 14 days period their tuition fee liability
will be reduced to 0% and any sums paid to the College to enrol on a programme or
certificate/short course module(s) will be reimbursed if paid in advance and the sum is
requested by the student to be refunded.
13. Withdrawal and Break in Studies
13.1. Withdrawal is the process by which students cease studies before achieving their
qualification aim and do not intend to resume studies at a later date. A break in studies
is where students take an approved temporary interruption from their enrolment on
their programme or modules. A withdrawal or break in study may take place between
or during an academic year. If a student is considering withdrawing or taking a break
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from studying, they must speak to the Programme Director, Personal Tutor or
Programme Administrator (or equivalent) for advice. Students should also familiarise
themselves with the appropriate College policies. Advice on non-academic issues can
be gained from the Student Advice Service.
13.2. A student who withdraws or is withdrawn from study will cease to be a student of the
College. Students may withdraw or be withdrawn at any time in line with the Terms
and Conditions of Study and College Policies. Once a student is withdrawn they will
have no right to access or receive services from the College. A student who withdraws
will be liable to pay fees based on the period of time that they have remained enrolled,
calculated on a termly basis (as per table 1). The calculation of fee liability will be taken
as the day that the College receives in writing (by email or My Birkbeck Profile) a
request for withdrawal or interruption. This will be deemed the last date of attendance.
13.3. The College reserves the right to determine tuition fee liability in relation to the last
date of attendance where, in the opinion of the College, there is evidence that the
student has engaged with studies and/or when this is different from the notified last
date of attendance. This includes attendance at a lecture, seminar, lab session or
examination, a research student attending a one to one session with a supervisor, or
submission of coursework.
13.4. If a student interrupts their academic studies and takes a break in study, for fee
purposes the break in study will commence from the first day of the next term. For
example, if a student interrupts study during Term 2 they will have their break in study
calculated from the first day of Term 3. Students are recommended to only pursue a
break in studies when they have a clear intent and/or plan to return to study. When a
student returns to study following an approved Break in Studies they will not be
charged again for taking any term of study already part or fully attended that they have
already been charged for. However, if a student changes their mode of study, credit
load or programme following a break in studies this may affect their fees as outlined in
this Fees Policy. When a student returns to study after having a break in study, they
will be liable to pay the relevant tuition fee for the cohort they are returning to at the
time of re-enrolment. This may result in the student paying a higher or lower fee as
result of any changes to fee tiers for their programme of study. (For more information
see section 4)
13.5. The options for withdrawing and/or taking a break in study can have a number of
significant financial and academic implications and students must be aware of these
in order to make an informed decision. The reduction in liability for tuition fees will be
calculated using the calculations in Table 1 (Programme Enrolment) or Table 2
(Modular Enrolment). The fee liability for students on modular enrolment programmes
will be dependent on the number of modules and the amount of credit studied.
13.6. Students who withdraw or take a break in studies within the first 14 days of the first
day of each term will not be liable for fees for that term. Students who withdraw before
the end of the third term and have not paid the full programme or module fee (even if
teaching has completed) may not be entitled to receive the credit or award.
13.7. If a student withdraws or takes a break in study their tuition fee liability will be
automatically adjusted as outlined in the tables below and the following will apply:
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Students where fees are paid (wholly or in part) by a grant from a UK government or
government agency (or equivalent), or from the College, are not eligible for a refund or
credit for the grant element of the fee.
Where fees are paid using a combination of payment methods, any refunds to which
students are eligible will be applied in proportion to the sums covered by the different
payment methods. This includes if the tuition fee was paid by a third party.
If a discount has been applied to reduce the fee liability, students will not receive a
refund or credit on the portion of the fee that was discounted.
If the student’s course commences in the spring or summer fee liability will be
calculated according to the term of study in which the course started.
13.8. For students who withdraw or take a break in studies from a programme enrolment
programme, student fee liability will be adjusted as follows:
Table 1: Programme Enrolment - Tuition Fee Liability for withdrawal or break in studies.
Other Payment
UG tuition Fee Loan
Termly cut off for calculating the from Student Finance (incl self funding,
change to fee liability government PG
England**
loans)
Up to Day 14 of first term* 0% 0%
Day 15 of first term to Day 14 of second 25% 33.33%(One third)
term
Day 15 of second term to Day 14 of 50% 66.66%(Two thirds)
third term
Day 15 of third term to programme year 100% 100%
end date
After end of programme year 100% 100%
*Or 14 days after enrolment whichever is later
**Fee liability for students funded by undergraduate student loans are prescribed by
government regulation on the basis of liability per term divided by 25%/25%/50%. Liability by
any other payment method is calculated on the basis of equal liability across 3 terms of
33.33%/33.33%/33.33%.
13.9. For students who withdraw or take a break in studies from a modular enrolment
programme, student fee liability will be adjusted for each individual module withdrawn from as
follows:
Table 2: Modular Enrolment - Tuition Fee Liability for withdrawal or break in studies
All payment
methods
One term module Up to day 14 of first term* 0%
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Day 15 of first term to module 100%
end date
Two term module Up to day 14 of first term 0%
Day 15 of first term to day 14 of 50%
second term of module*
Day 15 of second term to 100%
module end date
Three term module Up to day 14 of first term* 0%
Day 15 of first term to day 14 of 33.33%
second term of module
Day 15 of second term to day 66.66%
14 of third term of module
Day 15 of third term to module 100%
end date
*Or 14 days after enrolment whichever is later
14. Mitigating Circumstances and Retakes
14.1. Students who have an accepted academic mitigating circumstance claim and are
then required to retake a module without academic penalty may be permitted to
attend the retake with a reduced fee liability for that module. In circumstances where
a student’s next assessment attempt is required to be a retake following having
accepted mitigating circumstances for the previous attempt, the Academic Registrar
or their nominee may review tuition fee liability on the recommendation of the
Director of Operations in the relevant School.
15. Refunds
15.1. Students who have had their fee liability reduced and payment has already been made
(other than by student loan) that is above the fee liability will have the amount applied
as a credit to their student record. If a student wishes to request the credit to be
refunded they must contact the income office at [email protected].
May 2019
