Paying Your Tuition Fees

Finance

There are 3 main ways students usually pay for their tuition fees which include:

1. A tuition fee loan from Student Finance England (sfe)
2. Their employers fund their course
3. Students pay for their own tuition fees

Please see the information below for further details in regards to these payment methods.

Tuition fee loan from Student Finance England

Tuition fee loans will be available to cover the full cost of tuition, regardless of household income, and this will be paid directly to the College by the Student Loans Company. As a part-time student you are also eligible for a tuition fee loan.

Full-time students will not start repaying their loan until the April after you leave us once you're earning over £27,295. This earning threshold may be adjusted annually in line with average earnings by the government.

Your Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Loan are added together to make one borrowed amount. You don't start paying it back until you've left university and are earning over £27,295 per year. This figure is updated in April every year. You pay back 9% of everything you earn above the £27,295 threshold. For example:

• a person with an income of £30,000 per year will pay £20.29 per month
• a person with a salary of £40,000 a year will pay £95.29 a month.
• If you haven't repaid the loan 30 years after you have left university, then any remaining debt will be written off.

More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance.

For the most recent information relating to fees please see the Higher Education Fees & Refund Policy.

The online application for full undergraduate finance will open in February/March and the part time application opens nearer to the summer. The Student Loans Company (SLC) usually announces a deadline in May by which you should submit your application to have it in place before you start your course in September 2023. Please see gov.uk and slc.co.uk for further details.

When applying for funding please remember to select the following details:

Academic year - 2023/24

Institution - Luminate Education Group

You can still make an application for your finance whilst your application for the course is being processed. You can cancel your application for finance at any time before the start of the course and if you change your mind in regards to the course you wish to study and the institution at which you wish to study, you can amend the details submitted on your finance application.

Student Finance England consider a Top Up (Level 6) to be a separate course from a Foundation Degree/HND and therefore you should say you are in year 1. However, you should also indicate that you are a continuing student in undergraduate study.

Working Out Your Budget

You can get an estimate of the amount of student finance you would be entitled to, before you actually apply, by using the Student Finance calculator at https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator.

Money Saving Expert's guide to student finance including how to apply, tips and extra money you might be entitled to.

The Money Advice Service 'What you need to know' article

Funded by your employer

If your employer will be paying your fees, we require a letter upon enrolment (on company letterhead) requesting an invoice for your fees with a purchase order number. This letter needs to state your name and the course fee. Our finance office can then raise an invoice from our finance system.

Self-funding your course

If you intend to pay the tuition fees yourself, we require 25% of the year’s tuition fees at enrolment in September. Payments can be made online and we require you to specify how you plan to pay at the start of your course:

1. Enter 25% of the course value and select the Pay now payment method to pay your deposit by credit/debit card
2. Enter 75% of the course value and select the Recurring card payment payment method to pay your balance over 6 recurring card payments