This document details Edinburgh College s policy on tuition fees.

Transcription

1 Policy Finance 2 Issue No 2 Issue Date 09/ 2013 Review Date 07/ 2014 EIA Prepared by A Williamson FINANCE POLICY AND PROCEDURES FRAMEWORK TUITION FEES POLICY 1.0 INTRODUCTION This document details Edinburgh College s policy on tuition fees. All fees are payable in advance, unless funded by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) or Student Finance (England, Northern Ireland and Wales), and are non-returnable except in exceptional circumstances and subject to annual revision. Students starting programmes of study should be made aware that tuition fees may increase year on year. The payment of fees is the responsibility of the student, unless funded by SAAS/Student Finance or employer/sponsor where appropriate and in the event of the employer/sponsor defaulting the student will be held personally liable for payment. This tuition fee policy excludes Educational Maintenance Allowances, Bursaries and Child Support policies which are covered by separate policy documents. 2.0 PURPOSE This policy details the College s approach to: - the fee status and determination of students; - concessionary fees and fee waivers; - instalment or payment plans; - refunds, deposits and withdrawals; - international fee charging and collection. 3.0 SCOPE The College must ensure that the policy for tuition fees including refunds, deposits and withdrawals represents fair and reasonable consideration towards students and simultaneously protects the College from financial loss. The refund policy does not apply to fees paid by the Student Awards Agency Scotland, as these refunds are covered under specific terms and conditions. This policy should be read in conjunction with the College s Single Equality and Student Appeal Scheme. 1

2 4.0 TUITION FEES BY CATEGORY 4.1 Fee Status Edinburgh College tuition fees are charged at one of the rates below depending on the student s fee status: - Home Scotland/European Union (EU) States* - Rest of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Wales) RUK non domiciled - International or overseas *As at October 2012 the EU comprises the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland (Eire), Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK There is no difference in the treatment of students from Home Scotland/EU States compared to those from the Rest of UK. The Edinburgh College tuition fee table for 2012/13 is attached at Appendix A. 4.2 Fee status determination The rate students are charged depends on their nationality, immigration status in the UK, where they have been living and what they have been doing prior to the start of their course. The Home - Scotland/EU fee is set by the Scottish Government whereas the rate for students who live in another part of the UK (RUK) outside of Scotland is set by Edinburgh College from 1/10/12 (with effect for academic year 2012/2013). There is no difference in the treatment of students from Home Scotland/EU States compared to those from the Rest of UK. The following table gives a summary of each classification Home Scotland/European Union States Rest of the United Kingdom (RUK) International or Overseas Generally speaking, if the student is a Scottish or EU national and has lived all their life in Scotland or the European Union then the Home/EU fee rates will apply If the student is normally resident in England, Northern Ireland or Wales then the rest of the UK rate will apply and this will be the same as the rate for Home students Where a student is not normally resident in the United Kingdom or European Economic Area, nor an EU national, then the International or Overseas rate will apply. Normally resident means the student must have been ordinarily resident for the three years immediately before the first day of the first academic year of the course. This excludes any previous period of residency for educational reasons. Even if the student has been living in the EU they are unlikely to qualify for fees at the Scottish/EU or Rest of UK rates if they need a time limited visa to live in the United Kingdom. 2

3 5.0 CONCESSIONARY FEES AND FEE WAIVERS This section details Edinburgh College s approach to concessionary fees and fee waivers for learners across all Campuses. Edinburgh College will waive the fees of any student entitled to support under the National Fee Waiver Grant Policy when studying on an eligible course or for internal reasons as per clause below. 5.1 Scope All part-time students will be eligible for fee waiver provided they meet the national criteria Fee waivers are not available to RUK or overseas students In specific circumstances, and for specific part-time courses, fee waivers will be available for registered asylum seekers Candidates will be asked to pay for accommodation fees associated with their course Candidates must pay for any examination fees or external fees associated with the course, i.e. RSA, C&G, SQA, HNC/D unit entry No concessionary rates are available to students Eligible courses are those whose fees are wholly covered by the Fee Waiver Grant available to the College. Where the fees exceed the funding available to the College, fee waivers are not available to students College Fee Waivers also arise where a student is not invoiced for fees for internal reasons such as (1) a staff member attending a course that has been approved by Human Resources as part of their Individual Development Plan or (2) a student repeating a course or module due to a failure by the College. 5.2 Waived Fees Fees waived will be subject to the Fee Waiver Grant Policy supported by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Each claimant (student) must meet the eligibility criteria to render a claim as valid. Please read SFC Policy for further information. 5.3 Fee waiver Compliance Fee waivers can only be offered if candidates provide documentary evidence to prove entitlement to a fee waiver. 6.0 INSTALMENT AND PAYMENT PLANS The College operates a policy whereby students are required to pay course fees upfront. Under specific circumstances, a student may be offered the option to pay fees by instalment. This option is open only to Home/RUK students, and is not available to International students who must pay all fees upfront. 3

4 A payment plan must be arranged within 2 weeks prior to the commencement of a course or notification from SAAS of confirmed funding for a student. The payment plan will be as follows: Total Fees Due No of Instalments Further details on methods of payment are available from the Finance Department. 7.0 REFUNDS, DEPOSITS AND WITHDRAWALS 7.1 Refunds Tuition fees are non-refundable unless a written request is received for exceptional circumstances and if the student had not started the course. Exceptional circumstances would include for example an International student being refused a visa, and ill-health reasons of a student if supported by a GP letter. In either event, a 10% administration fee would be levied, with a minimum charge of 50 being applicable. A full refund (100%) will be offered if a course in cancelled by the College. The Head of Centre must inform the Head of Finance and MIS within the Finance Department and provide the relevant course and student details. Refunds are not granted where a student remains on a course but claims a refund on the basis of a change in circumstances. 7.2 Deposits Home and RUK students may pay a deposit to help towards securing a place. International students must pay a minimum deposit of 50% of fees due, although 100% of fees are preferable to secure a place prior to the College issuing a CAS notice (Certificate for Acceptance of Study). Full payment of fees will be required prior to the commencement of the course. 7.3 Withdrawals In exceptional circumstances, such as for ill-health reasons and supported by a GP Letter, a refund may be payable if a student has started a course. This will be subject to an administration fee as outlined above. Where a student withdraws from a course prior to paying the fees due, an invoice will be issued. Where an ILA is in place the student then becomes liable for the full course fees as ILA will not pay for a course where the ILA token has not been claimed. Where a student has paid for course fees and does not turn up, fees are nonrefundable. 4

5 8.0 PROCEDURES These will be outlined in a separate departmental document. 9.0 RESPONSIBILITY 9.1 The Director of Finance, in conjunction with the Head of Finance and MIS is responsible for managing this policy. 9.2 Appropriate members of Finance staff are responsible for the effective operation of this Policy and Procedures DISCRETIONARY ARRANGEMENTS In exceptional circumstances, normally on the advice of the Director of Finance, these policies can be overridden at the discretion of the Principal APPEALS Students have the ability to appeal in accordance with the Student Appeals Policy and Procedures REVIEW This policy will be reviewed every year well in advance of the start of the new academic term. Appendices: Appendix A: Tuition fee table 2013/14 5

6 APPENDIX A TUITION FEES Home/EU/ Nondomiciled International Full-time Advanced (HNC/HND) 1,285 7,000 (SAAS/Self Paying/Sponsored) Non Advanced (FE) 1,008 6,600 (Waiver/Self Paying/ Sponsored) Degree 1,820 7,200 International Foundation Studies - 7,200 General English (ESOL) - 6,200 Part-time NQ Higher (Day or Evening) NQ Higher/Intermediate Exam only 62 - Per Credit Per Half Credit Higher Fee International - 62 General English (ESOL) 3,200 Non Unit (per hour) 3.35* - Part-time FE Fee per SUM 59.75* - Part-time HE Fee per SUM 80.00* - Resits (without tuition) 46 - Resits (with tuition) 92 - September