Student Fees

You become personally liable for tuition fees when you complete enrolment as a new or continuing student.

This means you may still be responsible for paying fees if:

• Your Student Finance application is refused
• Your Student Finance funding is delayed
• Your sponsor, employer or third party does not pay
• You expected funding but were not eligible because of previous study
• You changed your mode of study or registered for extra credits

If you are relying on Student Finance, SAAS, a sponsor or employer, check your funding position as early as possible.

Yes. Previous higher education study can affect whether you are eligible for further Student Finance funding.

Previous study can include time spent on a full-time higher education course or another publicly funded higher education course, whether this was in the UK or elsewhere.

If Student Finance refuses funding because of previous study, you may need to self-fund. Get advice quickly from Student Finance and the University before enrolling or continuing.

If you decide to withdraw permanently or apply for an authorised interruption of studies, you must follow the University's formal process.

Your fee liability will usually continue until your withdrawal or interruption has been formally recorded. Telling a tutor, stopping attendance, or not submitting work may not be enough.

Act quickly if you are thinking about leaving or taking time out. The date used by the University can affect how much tuition fee you owe.

For most undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, withdrawal or authorised interruption fee liability is based on when you leave or interrupt.

Some third-party costs paid by the University on your behalf may still be payable in full. Examples may include field trips, residential fees, professional registration fees or placement fees.

Courses with different intakes or term structures may apply the same principles using the relevant course dates.

There are some exceptions and special rules.

• For short courses lasting under one term, full fees are usually payable if you withdraw or interrupt more than 14 days after the programme start date.
• If you start a placement year or study abroad exchange and engage for more than 14 days, you may incur fees even if the placement or exchange begins before the academic year starts.
• Apprenticeship fee liability may depend on the commercial contract.
• SAAS funded students have specific rules linked to the 1 December liability date.
• Unauthorised interruption does not stop fee liability.
• Retrospective interruptions are not normally permitted.

Ask for advice before relying on an exception. The details matter.

For postgraduate research students, withdrawal fee liability is usually calculated by months from the programme start date.

If a postgraduate research student is granted an authorised interruption, fee liability is reduced pro-rata. When they return, fee liability starts again.

Full-time students in the lapse year may not receive a fee reduction for non-completion.

The University may contact you if there is an outstanding tuition fee balance. This can happen even where a sponsor or third party was expected to pay.

The University says it will take a supportive approach to fee collection and may provide reasonable assistance to help students meet financial obligations. This does not normally mean the University will provide financial assistance unless specifically agreed.

If you receive emails or letters about unpaid fees, respond quickly. Keep copies of your funding letters, sponsor letters, payment receipts and any correspondence.

If you cannot pay your tuition fees, contact the University's Customer Accounts team as soon as possible. They may be able to discuss whether an instalment plan is possible. You should be aware that an instalment plan may include an administration fee.

If tuition fees are not paid, the University may apply one or more sanctions.

These may include:

• Suspension from study
• Withdrawal of access to University library and computing facilities
• Termination of enrolment and withdrawal from the University
• Withholding certified transcripts
• Refusal to allow re-enrolment
• Withholding a final award certificate
• Refusal to allow attendance at awards ceremonies
• Refusal to issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, known as a CAS
• Including relevant details in a reference provided to a third party

The University may also pursue unpaid tuition fees through the courts or refer unpaid accounts to an external debt collection agency. If this happens, extra collection charges may be added to the debt.

Seek advice quickly if you have been threatened with suspension, withdrawal, refusal to re-enrol, debt collection or court action.

New international students on full-time programmes usually need to pay a tuition fee deposit before the University will issue a CAS for a Student visa application.

The policy says:

• Most new international students must pay a deposit of 50% of the tuition fee before a CAS is issued.
• The remaining 50% is paid at the start of the second semester, using the published payment timelines.
• Students on some courses, including MBBS, Dentistry and Veterinary courses, pay a 30% deposit before CAS and the remaining 70% in two instalments in the second semester.
• Pre-sessional programme students must usually pay tuition fees in full before a CAS is issued.
• Students progressing from the University or Cambridge Education Group to a further course may need to pay a £2,500 tuition fee deposit.

The deposit requirement should be explained in the conditional offer letter.

Subject to statutory cancellation rights, the policy says an international tuition fee deposit is only repayable in certain circumstances.

These include:

• The University's entry requirements are not met
• A visa refusal causes the application to be withdrawn
• Visa process delays in the student's home country prevent arrival by the last enrolment date
• Exceptional circumstances, where reasonable evidence is provided

Evidence will usually be needed. The University may retain a £250 administrative fee from the deposit in these circumstances.

Ask for advice if you are refused a deposit refund or if you are unsure what evidence to provide.

The policy lists some tuition fee reductions and discounts.

Examples include:

• A 50% reduction for part-time students receiving a state retirement pension
• A 50% reduction for eligible University or partner institution staff where the course forms part of an approved personal and professional development plan
• A 50% reduction for retired University staff who are members of the Alumni Association
• A 100% reduction for academic staff required to complete the PG Cert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and the Teaching Toolkit as a condition of employment
• A 20% discount for UCLan award holders studying a postgraduate taught course or postgraduate research degree, subject to exclusions

Only one listed reduction may be granted in any academic year. Reductions usually apply to tuition fees only.

Some students and courses are excluded from discounts, including Higher and Degree Apprenticeship students and some Postgraduate Dental Education students.

Some postgraduate research, doctoral and Masters students may be charged bench fees in addition to tuition fees.

Bench fees cover specific extra costs linked to laboratory or field work that forms part of the research proposal. This could include specialist consumables, technical support, off-site testing, data processing, or essential travel to other laboratories or field sites.

Your offer letter should specify the total annual fee due, including tuition fees and bench fees where these apply.

If exceptional circumstances forced you to withdraw from your course, and those circumstances were unknown when you enrolled, you may be able to ask the University to review the tuition fee charged.

The University may ask for evidence so it can consider the request.

Former students may appeal within a reasonable time period, normally within 3 calendar months of leaving the University.

A fee review request should usually explain:

• What fee decision or charge you are challenging
• When you enrolled, withdrew or interrupted
• What exceptional circumstances affected you
• Why those circumstances were unknown or unavoidable at enrolment
• What evidence supports your request
• What outcome you are asking for

The evidence needed will depend on the issue.

Useful evidence may include:

• Your offer letter
• Student Finance or SAAS letters
• Sponsor or employer funding letters
• Payment receipts or bank records
• Emails about fees, enrolment, withdrawal or interruption
• Withdrawal or interruption confirmation
• Medical or professional evidence if exceptional circumstances affected your studies
• Visa refusal evidence or visa delay evidence for international deposit issues
• Evidence of when you last attended, engaged or submitted work, if relevant

Keep everything. Fee cases often turn on dates, documents and tiny bits of admin that suddenly become important.

You may need to use the Student Complaints Procedure if your concern is about how the University handled the matter.

This may include concerns about:

• Incorrect or unclear information about fees
• Delay or poor communication
• A failure to explain additional costs
• A failure to process withdrawal or interruption correctly
• A refusal to consider relevant evidence
• Unreasonable handling of debt or sanctions

A complaint should explain what happened, what evidence supports your account, what impact it had, and what outcome you want.

Possible outcomes might include correction of the record, reconsideration of the fee liability, refund, apology, compensation for distress or inconvenience, or action to prevent the same issue happening again.

The Advice Service can help you:

• Understand what the Tuition Fee Policy says
• Check what fee liability period may apply to you
• Think through the fee implications of withdrawal or interruption
• Identify what evidence may be relevant
• Prepare questions for the University
• Review a fee review request before you submit it
• Understand when a complaint may be appropriate
• Review a complaint before you submit it
• Help you think about what outcome you are asking for

Contact us as early as possible, especially if you are considering withdrawing or interrupting, have received a debt letter, have been told you cannot re-enrol, or are at risk of being withdrawn because of unpaid fees.