Tuition Fee Policy 2021/22

Version: 2
Last update: 23 June 2021
Approved by: Finance and Resources Committee
1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………... 2
2 Student Responsibilities…………………………………………………… 2
3 Fee Increases………………………………………………………... 3
4 Currency…………………………………………………. 3
5 Payments and Payment Plans…………………………………………… 3
6 International student assessment………………………………… 4
7 Full-time and Part-time Fees……………………………………………… 4
Undergraduate Students
Postgraduate Students
Sponsored students
Additional Fees
Postgraduate Students Part Time Study
Postgraduate Loan (PGL) - Student Finance England (SFE)
8 Sponsorships…………………………….……….…. 6
Pre-sessional programmes and short courses
Associate and Study Abroad Students
Students on placement
Students on apprenticeship courses
Students on non-apprenticeship courses (Nursing)
Transfer into UEL
Condensed Courses
9 Scholarships………………………………….…... 7
10 Norwegian/Swedish Student Loans……………………………...………. 7
11 American Federal Student Aid.…………………………………… 7
12 Pre-sessional and Short Courses…………………………… 7
13 Condensed Courses………………………………………………. 7
14 Studying Outside the UK……………………………………………. 7
15 Placements……………………………………………………………. 8
16 Apprentices………………………… 8
17 Transfers into UEL…………………………………………………….…. 8
18 Fee Reductions………………………... 8
19 Early Payment Discounts……………………………………………. 8
20 UEL Staff Bursaries……………………………………………………… 9
21 Multiple Awards/Entitlements……………………………………………. 9
21 Deposits……………………………………………………………………. 9
22 Payment Options…………………………………………………………. 9
23 If you cannot pay your fees…………………………………………... 10
24 Deferrals, study breaks (intermitting) and withdrawals………………. 10
Withdrawal and Intermission
Exclusion
Undergraduate students and MArch Architecture (ARB/RIBA part
2), Integrated Masters and PGCE students
Undergraduate Students
PGCE students
Postgraduate students (excluding MArch Architecture (ARB/RIBA
part 2), Integrated Masters and PGCE students)
Full-time Postgraduate Students
Part-time Postgraduate Students
25 Transfer to another university…………………………………………... 13
26 Refunds 13
27 Sharing Information………………………………………………… 13
28 Complaints…………………………………………………………. 13
29 Useful Contacts…………………………………………………… 14
30 Meaning of words used in this policy……………………………… 15

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1. Introduction

1.1. In this policy “we” means the University of East London and “you” means our students.

1.2. We are committed to a fair and transparent policy in respect of charges made to students.

1.3. Our tuition fee charges may differ from one programme of study to another and reflect the
resources required to deliver that programme.

1.4. For UK students, if you withdraw within 14 days from your enrolment you will not have to
pay us any fees and we will refund any advance payment you have made. For International
students, please refer to section 27 on refunds.

1.5. After 14 days all students will be liable for the following amounts of tuition fees in the
event of withdrawal or interruption:

UEL Tuition Fee Liability Points

Undergraduate, including RIBA part 2, Integrated Masters and PGCE programmes

Fee Liability PGCE September Start January start

25% 4 October 2021 4 October 2021 7 February 2022
50% 10 January 2022 10 January 2022 11 April 2022
100% 18 April 2022 18 April 2022 26 September 2022

Nursing

Fee Liability September November January start March start

Start start
25% 11 October TBC TBC
2021
50% 3 January TBC TBC
2022
100% 11 April 2022 TBC TBC

Postgraduate Taught, excluding PGCE, RIBA part 2 and Integrated Masters

Fee Liability September Start January start May start

50% 4 October 2021 7 February 2022 TBC
100% 7 February 2022 26 September 2022 TBC

1.6. Please refer to Schedule 1 for 2021/22 tuition fee rates.

2. Student Responsibilities

2.1. You must enrol for each successive year or other relevant part of your course at
www.uel.ac.uk/ueldirect no later than 14 days after your course start date.

If you do not complete enrolment by the deadline dates you will be withdrawn from your
course. If you are withdrawn your student access card will be de-activated.
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 2.2. To meet the requirements of certain professional bodies, the University may be obligated to
charge students a non-refundable deposit as a condition of the offer of a place. This
information will be available at application stage.

2.3. IMPORTANT: You are legally responsible for payment of your tuition fees yourself,
whether or not you have an SLC loan or a sponsor. If your sponsor does not pay us,
or you find out that you are not eligible for a SLC loan, or you lose your eligibility for
an SLC loan at any after your course starts you will have to pay your own fees for
any period of study which is not been paid for by a sponsor or the SLC. This applies
for all undergraduate and postgraduate fees.

2.4. You are responsible for re-applying annually to the SLC or other student finance
provider each year for your tuition fee loan. To find out how to do this go to
https://www.gov.uk/student-finance.

3. Fee Increases

3.1. If your tuition fees are not regulated by the UK Government we will be entitled to increase
them by up to 5% each year. These are normally undergraduate international students and
postgraduate student fees.

4. Currency

4.1. You must pay your fees in pounds sterling (GBP, £). We will only publish fee information in
alternative currencies where this is a regulatory requirement or is required by external
bodies. Where we publish our fee rates in other currencies, we will use the rate applicable
at the time the amount is calculated based on [insert the exchange rate used]. All fees will
be rounded down to the nearest pound sterling (GBP, £).

5. Payments and Payment Plans

5.1. Enrolment at UEL is the process whereby the University’s registration process is completed
in full and offer holders officially become students of UEL. Your payments / payment plans
must be completed on or before enrolment date for each academic year. Your payments are
complete, and you can proceed to conclude enrolment, when we have received payment of
the cleared funds into our bank account.

5.2. The deadline to enrol is the 14th calendar day after the start date of a course and will be
communicated to offer holders via an email invitation to enrol.

5.3. If you do not enrol by the date by which you are asked to enrol in your admissions letter, we
may not issue your student access card, or if you already have an access cards we will be
entitled to de-activate it.

5.4. Payment in full, or an agreement to pay in instalments, during online enrolment is a

prerequisite of enrolment. Any outstanding debts owing to the University must be cleared in
full before commencement of the enrolment process.

5.5. Failure to complete enrolment by the enrolment deadline date may result in offer holders
losing their place of study at UEL or continuing students being withdrawn from studies.
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 5.6. If you are late applying for SLC funding and you have not received an SLC financial
notification letter by your enrolment deadline, we will classify you as a self-funding student.
As long as you are eligible for SLC funding, we will refund your personal tuition fee payment
after we receive payment from the SLC.

5.7. If you arrange a student loan that only covers part of your tuition fees, you are sponsored
and your sponsor is only paying part of your fees, or you are on a scholarship that covers
only part of your fees, you must pay us the balance before or during enrolment.

5.8. If we delay claiming payment from you of any fees which are payable personally by you until
after enrolment you will still have to pay us when we ask, as long as we give you reasonable
notice of when to pay.

5.9. You may only re-enrol on a further year of study if you have paid tuition and bench fees for
previous years in full.

6. International Student Assessment

6.1. With effect from Jan 2021, following the UK departure from the European Union, all new
students from the EU enrolling to study in the UK from August 2021 will be classified as
International students. All EU students who are returning to continue their studies will be
classified as Home/UK students.

6.2. If you have received an offer that confirms you have been assessed as an international
student for fees purposes, you will be expected to pay that level of tuition fee. You can
appeal against this assessment if you believe it is incorrect. Contact our Applicant Enquiries
Team who can offer advice at [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 8223 3333.

6.3. The Admissions Team is responsible for assessing your fee status. For further details on
how we assess fee status please visit www.uel.ac.uk/Undergraduate/Fees-and-
Funding/Fee-Status-Assessment. Tuition fee assessments are made in line with guidance
from the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) who can offer further
guidance and information on whether you should pay home or international fees.

7. Full-time and Part-time Fees

7.1. Whether you are classified as a part-time or full-time student the amount of fees we charge
you will depend on the number of credits that you will be taking.

7.2 Undergraduate students

7.2.1 If you are registered for more than 90 credits in one year of study, you will be classified
as a full-time student. If you are registered for fewer than 90 credits you will be
classified as a part-time student.

7.2.2 If you are a full-time student your tuition fees will be the same whatever the number of
credits for which you are registered.

7.2.3 If you are a part-time your fee will be charged in proportion to the number of credits for
which you are registered.
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 7.2.4 We will review part-time fees ten weeks after the start date for your course. The
University may vary the modules after you enrol and will recalculate your fees and
inform you of any increase or decrease. Where your fees are increased you will have
the choice to opt out of the additional modules. Students (or sponsors where
applicable) will become immediately liable for any increases in tuition fees following
any fee adjustments. We will refund any decrease in fees. Students’ fees will be
continually and regularly reviewed thereafter and will be adjusted following any
changes to credits registered. Adjustments may apply to fees charged in a previous
term or academic year.

Undergraduate Loan – Student Loan Company (SLC), Student Awards Agency

for Scotland (SAAS), Student Finance Wales (SFW) and Student Finance
Northern Ireland (SFNI)

7.2.5 You are eligible to apply for a tuition fee loan to cover all or part of your tuition fees.

7.2.6 You will need to apply to Student Finance England if you are a Home/UK student
resident in the UK, but please note:

-If you reside in Scotland you will need to apply to Student Awards Agency for Scotland;
-if you reside in Wales you will need to apply to Student Finance Wales;
- if you reside in Northern Ireland you will need to apply to Student Finance Northern
Ireland.

7.2.7 If you have had SLC/SAAS/SFW/SFNI funding for a previous course, or are repeating
studies, you may not be eligible for SLC/SAAS/SFW/SFNI funding. If you have not
received a final assessment from SLC/SAAS/SFW/SFNI confirming your funding, you
should check your eligibility with SLC/SAAS/SFW/SFNI prior to enrolling. Unless you
have confirmation from the SLC/SAAS/SFW/SFNI confirming your eligibility for funding
you will be required to complete enrolment as a self-funding student and will be
personally responsible for the payment of fees.

7.2.8 If you do not have SLC/SAAS/SFW/SFNI funding agreed for the current academic year
and would like to discuss your eligibility for funding, please contact the Student Hub
helpdesk, located at Docklands (East Building) and Stratford (University House) and
ask to speak to a member of SMART (Student Money Advice & Rights Team) who can
discuss eligibility or related queries with you. Alternatively, you can call +44 (0)20 8223
4444 or email [email protected]

7.3 Postgraduate students

7.3.1 If you are registered for 120 credits or more in a single year of study we will normally
classify you as a full-time student.

7.3.2 We will charge you as a full-time student the annual tuition fee stated in Schedule 1
unless you take less credits than the standard total credit value for your course. Then
we will adjust your fees for that year in proportion to the number of credits.

7.3.3 If you fail a module for a second time following reassessment and it is not possible for
you to complete your course without retaking the module in full, we will charge an
additional tuition fee equivalent to the credit value of the module your retake, whether
you retake the module in person or study for it remotely. You can find out how to appeal
by reading Part 7 of our Manual of General Regulations Appeals Against Academci
Assessment Decisions at 7 https://www.uel.ac.uk/about/about-
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 uel/governance/policies-regulations-corporate-documents/student-policies/manual-of-
general-regulations.

7.3.4 If you are registered for 60 credits or more in one term only and registered for no other
credits for the rest of the year of study, you will normally be classified as a full-time
student.

7.3.5 If you are registered for 60 credits for all three academic years and for a 60-credit
module in your final term we will classify you as a part-time student for your final term
of study.

7.3.6 If you are registered for less than 120 credits in a single year of study, you will normally
be classified as a part-time student.

7.3.7 If you are on a master’s degree course and registered for 60 credits in the first year of
study and registered for 120 credits in the second year of study, you will be classified
as a part-time student in both years of study.

7.3.8 Part-time postgraduate students’ tuition fees are calculated at the start of each year of
study using an expected credit load of 90 credits per year. Please note that in
exceptional circumstances some courses’ expected credit loads may differ from the
standard credit load model.

7.3.9 Part-time postgraduate students’ fees will be reviewed 40 weeks after the start date of
the course. Where there is a difference between the expected credit load and number
of credits registered after this 40-week period, a student’s fees will be recalculated
against the actual number of credits registered and adjusted accordingly. Students (or
sponsors where applicable) will become immediately liable for any increases in tuition
fees following any fee adjustments. Students’ fees will be continually and regularly
reviewed thereafter and will be adjusted following any changes to credits registered.
Adjustments may apply to fees charged in a previous term or academic year.

7.3.10 Postgraduate research students, or postgraduate students who are undertaking the
research element of their course (including students on Professional Doctorate and
Master of Research Courses), are charged a flat yearly fee. Part-time research
students are also charged a flat yearly fee which is calculated as a proportion of the
corresponding full-time fee.

7.4 Additional fees

7.4.1 In addition to tuition fees for some courses we charge other fees which you must pay
yourself unless you are a sponsored student and your sponsor is paying:

• bench fees are charged by [insert School list]. The amount depends on your
course of study and is published [add where students can find this information];

• we will endeavour to ensure that field trip fees and other supplementary fees will
be communicated to you in your admissions information and you will be expected
to pay these before or during enrolment.

7.5 Postgraduate students part time study

7.5.1 While you are resident in the UK on a student visa you may only study on a part-
time basis when this is permitted by your visa conditions and with our permission.]
.
7.6 Postgraduate Loan (PGL) - Student Finance England (SFE)
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 7.6.1 You may be eligible for funding for postgraduate study from SFE.

7.6.2 If you are starting a master’s degree on or after 1 August 2019, you could get a
Postgraduate Master’s Loan to help with course fees and living costs. Visit the Student
Finance England website for further details.

7.6.3 This funding is not based on your or your family’s income and it is paid directly to you.
Applications are made directly through the Student Finance England website.]

7.6.4 In order to fully enrol and set up a payment plan with UEL based around your PGL
payment schedule you must have applied for funding to SFE and received a Post
Graduate Loan Summary confirming the agreed loan amount, your course details and
expected payment schedule. If you have not already done so, you should immediately
apply online at www.gov.uk/student-finance.

7.6.5 If you do not have PGL funding agreed for the current academic year and would like to
discuss your eligibility for funding, please contact the Student Hub helpdesk, located at
Docklands (East Building) and Stratford (University House) and ask to speak to a
member of SMART (Student Money Advice & Rights Team) who can discuss eligibility
or related queries with you. Alternatively, you can call +44(0)20 8223 4444 or email
[email protected]].

8. Sponsorships

8.1. If your fees are paid in full or in part by an employer, government agency or official body
such as an international scholarship organisation you are a sponsored student. You must
provide a letter from your sponsor when you enrol and submit details of your sponsor when
you enrol.

8.2. If your course is longer than one year, you must provide a new letter each year when you
re-enrol. The letter should confirm the address to which the invoice should be sent, a contact
name and the amount of the sponsorship. Until you send us this letter, we will treat you as
self-funding. You are responsible for making sure that your sponsor pays their fees within
when we invoice them.

8.3. If your sponsor pays your fees in full before the early payment deadline date, you will qualify
for a fee reduction. We will only issue invoices for fees less the early payment discount after
your sponsor pays and you have enrolled.

8.4. We will invoice your sponsor at the address you give us on enrolment, and you are
responsible for making sure that the details are correct and up to date.

8.5. We normally invoice sponsors with a 30-day payment deadline. If your sponsor cannot pay
this quickly you must inform our Income & Credit Control Team before completing your
enrolment. Contact details are available at www.uel.ac.uk/discover/professional-
services/finance

8.6. If you are a postgraduate student your sponsorship letter should include agreement to pay
any additional fees (see section 7.4). If your sponsor does not pay the additional fees you
will be responsible for paying them yourself. We reserve the right to refuse a company or
organisation as a fee sponsor. Where a sponsor is refused, you will be considered as self-
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 financing for the payment of fees.

9. Scholarships

9.1. You must send your scholarship documents to the Income & Credit Control Team. Where
the scholarship is paying only part of the fees, the student must pay the balance due before
or at enrolment, according to the same arrangements that apply to self-funding students.

10. Norwegian/Swedish Student Loans

10.1. To complete your enrolment, you will be asked to upload proof of your student loan and
details of the loan payment dates to the Income and Credit Control Team. Once received
you will be contacted to arrange a suitable instalment agreement.

11. American Federal Student Aid

11.1. If you are a US student with a Federal student loan you must sign a payment plan to confirm
that your fees will be paid in two equal instalments once you have sent us your award letter.
If your loan does not cover your full fees then you will have to pay the balance yourself (see
section 5.4).

12. Pre-sessional and short courses

12.1. We do not offer refunds in any circumstances once you have started your course.

13. Condensed Courses

13.1. The fees payable for a condensed course programme / module will equate to the amount
charged for the full-time programme / module. For example, should you complete a course
within two years of study that would ordinarily require three years of study you will be
required to pay a fee that equates to three years of study. Further advice can be provided
on application.

14. Studying Outside the UK

14.1. We do not offer fee reductions or refunds for periods of study outside the UK of less than a
full academic year.
14.2. If you study abroad at another institution for one term only and study at UEL for the remaining
term in the same year of study, you will be charged the full tuition fee.
14.3. If you study outside the UK for a full academic year, you will be charged a flat fee but this
fee will depend on whether you are a UK student or an international student.

15. Placements

15.1 Students who undertake a placement for a full year and undertake no other studies on their
course in that year are charged a flat fee. Placement fees are non-refundable.

15.2 Students who are registered for additional modules at the same time as their year-long
placement module will be charged fees proportionate to the credit value of the additional
module(s).
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 15.3 Where a placement forms part of a module(s) taken alongside other modules within the same
year of study, the standard rules regarding tuition fee charges as outlined in section 5 of this
policy will apply.

15.4 Placements must be approved in advance by UEL. Students undertaking placements without
the approval of UEL will be considered to be intermitting and/or may be withdrawn from
studies.

16. Apprentices

16.1. If you are an apprentice, you will not normally pay us any tuition fees while you work for the
employer who was named on your application. If you change employers and your new
employer does not take over as your apprentice employer and will not be paying your fees,
you cannot normally stay on your course. If you switch to a different UEL course you will
become responsible for paying your own fees with or without a student loan or other
alternative source of funding. You must inform our apprenticeships team immediately if you
change employers so that we do not charge your employer by mistake.

17. Transfers into UEL

17.1. If you transfer from another UK university during your studies, this policy will apply to you
from when you start at UEL.

18. Fee Reductions

18.1. All fee reductions are awarded subject to terms and conditions.

18.2. You may apply for as many fee reductions and scholarships as you wish. However, with the
exception of the early payment discount, your entitlement is limited to one fee reduction or
scholarship for each year of study. We will award whichever reduction or scholarship gives
you the greatest financial benefit. If you are eligible for an early payment discount you will
also receive it.

18.3. Students may become ineligible for a fee reduction should they withdraw or intermit from
studies, or be excluded or suspended, as determined by the terms and conditions of their
awarded reduction. A fee reduction may be reversed, and a student’s fee recalculated based
on the full tuition fee amount without the reduction.

18.4. Where eligibility for a fee reduction is not affected by withdrawal, intermission, exclusion or
suspension, a student’s fee reduction will be adjusted in proportion with any adjustments
made to their fees.

18.5. The total amount of reductions and discounts we offer is capped at the level of your total
tuition fees, whether or not they exceed the tuition fees you would be paying without the
reductions.

19. Early Payment Discounts

19.1. If you pay your own fees, we will discount your fees by 5% if you pay them in full by no later
than 14 days before the start date for your course.
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 19.2. If you are awarded a scholarship or a bursary, we will apply your discount to the balance of
your fees after your bursary or scholarships has been applied (See also section 21 for
information on multiple awards and entitlements).

19.3. Short courses including pre-sessional, pre-entry and summer schools are not eligible for
early payment discounts.

20. UEL Staff Bursaries

20.1. As an employee you may be eligible for a UEL staff bursary, which is a tuition fees reduction.

20.2. Your Head of School, Director of Service or other nominated budget holder must approve
your bursary application, which apply for during the online enrolment process. You are
strongly encouraged to seek the approval of their Head of School, Director of Service or
other nominated budget holder before applying to study at UEL.

20.3. UEL staff bursaries are awarded on an annual basis and are valid for one year only, so you
must reapply each year for multi-year courses.

20.4. If your budget holder / Dean of School / Director of Service refuse to authorise a UEL staff
bursary for any reason, at any time, a student will be liable for the payment of any fees.

21. Multiple Awards / Entitlements

21.1. Applications may be made for multiple fee reductions, including scholarships and bursaries,
however students may only be awarded one fee reduction per year.

21.2. Where students may be awarded or entitled to more than one fee reduction per year, the
award/entitlement that provides the highest reduction in fees will be applied to a student’s
account, and all other fee reductions will be disregarded (excluding the early payment discount
which may still be applied).

22. Deposits

22.1. Non-UK resident students who require a Tier 4 study visa must pay a fee deposit, where
required, before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued.

22.2. We will credit your deposit to your account, and you will pay the balance as explained in this
policy.

22.3. We will only refund your deposit where:

• You defer your place no later than two weeks after the start of term and you are not an
international student who has your Tier 4 visa to enter the UK.
• we do not issue a CAS to you
• you are refused a visa or entry clearance to travel to the UK and your appeal fails or if
successful, the appeal outcome is too late for you
• we do not provide the course as advertised
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 • you fail to meet any conditions attached to your offer of a place.

22.4. We will not refund your deposit if you gave us fraudulent or deceptive information in your
application or you are not awarded a visa or fail immigration clearance because you
previously breached immigration conditions, committed a criminal offence or included
fraudulent or deceptive information in your via application.

23. Payment Options

23.1 If you are paying your own fees then you can pay your fees in full or by instalments unless
your offer letter say that you must pay in a single payment.

23.2 If you are a UK resident or a returning international student, you may sign up to an
instalment plan at no additional charge. Payment will be made in three equal termly
instalment or five equal monthly instalments and you must pay the first instalment using a
debit or credit card online. You must then set up a recurring card payment schedule. This
option will only be available up to the enrolment deadline date.

23.3 If you are a new International student you must make the instalment payments set out in
your offer letter.

23.4 You cannot complete your enrolment until you have a valid recurring card payment
schedule in place.

23.5 If you pay by banker’s draft and your bank returns your payment we will charge you a £25
fee to cover the costs of adminsitration.

23.6 UEL retains the right to impose a late penalty charge of £12 for any fees not paid by the
due date.

24. Failure to Pay Your Fees

24.1. If you fail to pay your fees it is your personal responsibility to contact the Income and Credit
Control team immediately. We will withhold any results, certificates of award or transcripts for
which you may be eligible until all outstanding tuition fees and where relevant, any accrued
recovery costs, have been paid in full.

24.2. You can also contact our Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) at
www.uel.ac.uk/smart for advice on funding and hardship help.

24.3. If you fail to pay in accordance with the Tuition Fee Policy and/or you become a debtor:
• You may not be allowed to enrol in further academic sessions until any outstanding
tuition fees are paid in full
• You will not be allowed to attend any graduation ceremonies
• We will use external agencies to recover debts
• We will charge you £12.00 if your instalment payment is not received by the agreed due
date or your payment is returned or recalled by your bank.
• If you default on an instalment, we reserve the right to terminate an instalment / payment
plan upon which the full account balance will become due.
• If you withdraw or adjust your course, we reserve the right to terminate an instalment /
payment plan
• You may not have access to online material or use of campus facilities

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25. Deferrals, Study Breaks (Intermitting) and Withdrawals

25.1. You may only claim a refund of your deposit or balance of tuition fees if you request your deferral
within two weeks of your course start date.

25.2. If you defer, take a break or withdraw due to extenuating circumstances, which are accepted by
us, then you must provide appropriate documentary evidence to support any such claim [such as
a medical in the event of illness].

25.3. We will not refund your deposit or balance of tuition fees if you are on a Tier 4 visa and you have
entered the UK.

25.4. If you defer before travelling to the UK and your CAS is cancelled by UEL, we will credit your
deposit or tuition fees paid in advance against fees charged when the student enrols in the
following academic year.

25.5. Deferring your studies may adversely affect future funding, the total cost and length of your
studies and/or have a negative impact on your continued study at UEL. For further advice in
regards to financial implications following withdrawal or an intermission, please contact SMART
on 0208 223 4444 or by emailing [email protected].

Withdrawal and intermission

25.6. If you decide to withdraw or take a break from your studies (intermit) you should submit your
request as soon as you can to minimise the amount of fees you are required to pay.

25.7. If we withdraw you for non-attendance, your financial status might be affected.

25.8. If you take a break from your studies, when you return to you will pay fees at the rate for the
academic year when you re-start. For example, if you intermit in 2019/20 and return in 2020/21
you will pay fees at the 2020/21 academic year rate.

25.9. If you withdraw and apply for the same or a different course you will be classed as a new student
for fees purposes.

Exclusion

25.10. You may be excluded from your course as a result of academic misconduct (under part 8 of UEL’s
Manual of General Regulations), student disciplinary (under part 12 of UEL’s Manual of General
Regulations) or due to outstanding tuition fee debt owed to UEL. For further information visit:
www.uel.ac.uk/student-life/discover/governance/policies-regulations- corporate-
documents/student-policies]

25.11. All students become liable to pay their full tuition fees as set out in the tables in paragraph 1.5.

25.12. If any outstanding tuition fee debts remain unpaid and you continue to be excluded from UEL for
more than 12 months, you will be withdrawn from UEL.

25.13. If you withdraw, intermit or are suspended or excluded from studies we will calculate how much
you owe us based on how long you remain enrolled with for that year of study. The liability
periods are used to calculate any payments due or to be refunded should a student withdraw,
12
 intermit or be suspended or excluded from studies.

25.14. If you have an SLC loan or pay your own fees our payment plans allow students to spread their
fee payments.

25.15. If you have an instalment plan we will charge fees in accordance with the liability point at which
you withdraw from your course.

Undergraduate students and MArch Architecture (ARB/RIBA part 2),

Integrated Masters and PGCE students

25.16. If you have an SLC or SAAS award we will inform the SLC/SAAS and we will adjust your fees in
line with their rules.

Undergraduate students

25.17. You will have to pay a percentage of your annual tuition fee where you engage in academic
activities on or after the ‘Point of liability’ dates set out in the tables in paragraph 1.5. Teaching
week and term dates are specified in UEL’s academic calendar at www.uel.ac.uk/student-life/key-
dates. Academic activities include attendance in classes, use of online learning materials,
submission and participating in assessments and use of a campus access card.

PGCE students

25.18. Fee calculations for students on PGCE courses are based on the start date of a course, and
students are charged no more than 100% of one annual tuition fee for the duration of the
course, irrespective of intermission.

Postgraduate students (excluding MArch Architecture (ARB/RIBA part 2),

Integrated Masters and PGCE students)

25.19. All postgraduate students (excluding students on MArch Architecture (ARB/RIBA part 2),
Integrated Masters and PGCE courses) will be liable for the following amounts of tuition fees
in the event of withdrawal, interruption, suspension or exclusion.

Full-time postgraduate students

25.20. Full-time postgraduate students will be liable for a percentage of the annual tuition fees for a
course where they attend or engage with studies on or after the ‘Point of liability’ dates set
out in the tables in paragraph 1.5. Teaching week and term dates are specified in UEL’s
academic calendar at www.uel.ac.uk/student-life/key-dates

25.21. Full-time postgraduate taught students who, after attending or engaging on or after the
second fee liability point, are charged 100% of the annual tuition fee will not be entitled to
any refund or reduction in tuition fee should they intermit or withdraw from studies prior to
undertaking or completing their final dissertation or thesis module.

• Exceptionally, full-time postgraduate taught students who return to studies to undertake

their dissertation or thesis module (on the first attempt) within one year following their
intermission or withdrawal will not be charged an additional tuition fee for the respective
dissertation or thesis module. This does not apply to students retaking a module where
the module was not passed at first assessment or reassessment, under which
circumstances standard tuition fee charges will apply.

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 • Any full-time postgraduate taught students returning to studies later than this one-
year period following intermission or withdrawal will be charged tuition fees for all
modules registered, including dissertation or thesis modules, at the rate for the
academic year in which studies are resumed.

25.22. Should a full-time postgraduate student intermit from studies and be charged for modules not
undertaken, their tuition fees will be retroactively adjusted upon their return to studies to reflect
the actual number of module credits undertaken in the year the intermission took place.

Part-time postgraduate students

25.23 Part-time postgraduate students will be liable for the full cost of all modules attended or
engaged with on or after the first ‘Tuition Fee Liability Points’ set out in the tables in paragraph
1.5. Teaching week and term dates are specified in UEL’s academic calendar at
www.uel.ac.uk/student-life/key- dates.

26. Transfer to another university

26.1. If you transfer to another UK university we will pay your refund to your new university.

27. Refunds

General

27.1 UEL is committed to the fair and transparent application of fees and charges, including the
processing of refunds as follows. You are entitled to request for a refund for the following
reasons:

• overpayment of your tuition fees,

• withdrawal from the programme,
• being funded by SLC or a sponsor
• visa rejection
• not being issued with Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

27.2. Your entitlement to a refund will depend on a number of factors:

• The date which the change in your study commenced,

• Whether you have any outstanding debts with UEL - the amount owed will be deducted from
the refund,
• The date when your payment was received does not exceed 6 years,
• If you have a Tier 4 visa your refund will only be processed once you have confirmed you
have returned to your country of origin and provided proof of your return within six months
(from the start of the term if you have not enrolled, or from the last date of Engagement as
confirmed by your School), failing which, you will forfeit all monies paid to us and these will not
be refunded irrespective of whether an application is made.

27.3. If you are entitled to a refund, the refund will be:

• Processed within 8 weeks (under current circumstances) of receipt of a correctly completed

form (subject to authorisation by UEL) and in accordance with the statutory right to cancel
your registration with us within 14 calendar days from the day after you complete your initial
registration or 14 calendar days from the day after the start of term;

• Made to the original payer;

• Made to the country from which the payment originated;
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 • Paid back to the original debit/credit card used to make the original payment (except when
the original payment was made via PayPal);
• Paid to the original payer’s bank details provided when the original payment was made via
PayPal (please note that we will not be responsible for any exchange rate differences or
service charges that may arise);
• Made in Pounds Sterling and UEL is not responsible for any fluctuation in exchange rates
and bank charges, and;
• Refunds cannot be made by cheque or in cash.

27.4. Refund requests which are based on extenuating circumstances must be accompanied by
documentary evidence, such as a medical or death certificate, or a refusal notice issued by
the UK immigration authorities. If the request is due to a transfer, a letter confirming
acceptance to another UK university must be submitted.

27.5 In accordance with UK anti-money laundering laws, payments made by anyone other than the
student cannot be refunded to the student, but must be returned to the original payer, except
in the case of payments made by cash or banker’s draft, in which case the refund will be
made by bank transfer. If payment was split between more than one payer, any refund will be
made in the same proportion as the original split. In the case of a student transferring to
another UK university, the refund may be paid directly to the new institution.

27.6 Self-funded students are reminded that payments received by BACS will take longer to be
received than those from Flywire

Compensation

27.7 When the University considers if it is appropriate to compensate you for losses you have
incurred which could be foreseen as a result of non-compliance by us with our obligations to
you, or in circumstances in which we are no longer able to preserve your continuation of
study, we will consider, on a case-by-case basis. This will depend upon:

i. The particular circumstances of the matter;

ii. ii.the nature and reasonableness of the loss which you have incurred (for example, as
relevant, additional costs such as reasonable travel costs or reasonable costs
associated with your transfer to another programme of study or provider or in
connection with a bursary);
iii. the context in which the loss arises (for example, a complaint made by a student that
UEL has not complied with its obligations under the contract or the implementation by
UEL of its student protection plan in circumstances where UEL is no longer able to
preserve continuation of the student’s study);
iv. your financial standing at the University as well insofar as your entitlement to access
services for which you have not paid as required by your terms and conditions.

27.8 You will be required to submit written evidence in support of a request for financial redress.
This should be submitted to an information point in the first instance.

27.9 The University will consider compensation only where there has been a breach of its
obligations to you that have not been remedied by other means to ensure continuity of study.
It is anticipated that if the University identifies any material failure in the delivery of its services
where a remedy has not been identified, an offer of financial compensation will be made to the
student(s) affected without the need to make a claim.

27.10 The University would not usually expect to compensate you where:

i. We have been able to remedy the breach of obligation in such a way as to mitigate the
impact of the breach and therefore to preserve your continuity of study;
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 ii.there has been a change in location – in the unlikely event that the University needs to
change the location of your programme it will take all reasonable steps to maintain our
delivery in the same general area or, if this is not possible, another suitable location.

27.11 There may be circumstances where the University is required to make a material change to
your programme and, in such cases, you will be given details of the changes and how it
affects you as per the Terms and Conditions. If necessary, the University will explore with you
options for transferring to another programme or institution. Changes to your programme will
be made only in accordance with your student contract and/or in accordance with our Student
Protection plan.

27.12 In order for the University to determine if a refund or compensation is the most appropriate
way to address any material failure to deliver the appropriate learning opportunities to you it
will consider:

i. The basis for your request – such as loss of teaching time or material impact on learning
outcomes and prospects;

ii.the individual facts of your circumstances and your case.

27.13 The decision as to whether a refund shall be granted will be determined by the Dean of the
relevant School, or equivalent academic area, and agreed with the Director of Finance or
his/her nominee. All decisions will need to be ratified by a Pro-Vice Chancellor.

27.14 Any appeal against a decision determined under section 27.13 will be referred to Stage 3 of
the Complaints Procedure. Should the appeal not be upheld then a COP will be issued.

27.15 The University will inform you in writing what the outcome is within 15 working days of the
decision to make payment.

27.16 Students will not have to take separate action to request a refund or compensation where this
has been a part of other discussions through other processes such as:

• Maternity and Pregnancy

• Complaints
• Fitness to study
• Conduct
• Professional suitability

In these cases, the teams responsible have the authority to make a recommendation to the Director
of Finance and University Secretary about a refund or compensation confirming that they have
verified the necessary evidence to inform the outcome. This is intended to minimise the need to
share, in the cases of the processes above, sensitive information more widely than necessary.

28. Sharing Information

28.1. If you fall behind with your payments we may share information about you and your debt to our
debt collection agents.

28.2. We include personal information about students who receive SLC loans in our annual report to
the SLC.

29. Complaints

29.1. If you are not satisfied with a decision taken regarding the fees you have been charged, the
arrangements for payment, refunds or any sanctions imposed for non-payment, you may submit
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 a complaint following the Complaints Procedures available at
www.uel.ac.uk/discover/governance/policies-regulations-corporate-documents/student-
policies/student-complaint-procedure

30. Useful contacts

30.1. Please contact the Hub for advice, support and information:

The Hub
Docklands and Stratford
Campus London
Telephone: +44(0)20 8223 4444
Email: [email protected]
Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 7.30am during term time

30.2. If you have questions about payment, payment deadlines and instalment agreements,
please contact:

Income and Credit Control Office

Finance Department
Telephone: +44(0)20 8223 7333
Email: [email protected]
Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm

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31. Meaning of words used in this policy

Associate students Students who study at UEL for a period of time, usually for one term,
but whose home or base institution and awarding body is not UEL
Bursary A sum of money awarded to a student to enable them to study
based on financial criteria or progress. A bursary does not have to
be repaid.
Confirmation of Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) issued to international
Acceptance for Studies applicants and current international students who have fulfilled the
(CAS) necessary requirements for a Tier 4 student visa. CAS reference
number is required for student visa purposes.
Credit load The total number of credits that a student is expected to be registered
for or actually registered for over the course of an academic year or
session. Credit loads are derived from the number and credit-worth of
modules.
Deferral Postponing your place until the next intake point.
Distance Learning Study that requires no attendance at the UEL campuses. Students
Programme
will study from a location of their choice and liaise with tutors and
peers online.
Early Payment Discount A discount applied when the tuition fee is paid in full by the deadline
date and applicable if students are self-financing, paying all or part of
their tuition fees, or, a fee sponsor is paying all or part of a student’s
tuition fees.
Engagement Engagement activities would include attendance in classes, use of
online learning materials, submission or partaking of assessments and
use of a campus access card
Fee Sponsor An organisation or company that that has agreed to pay your tuition
fees (or part of them).
Fee Status Can be either Home or Overseas and refers to the level of fee a
student pays for their course.
Home Office The government department dealing with visa and immigration matters.
Instalment plan The agreed facility to pay fees in five instalments arranged at enrolment.

Intermission Taking an agreed period of time out of study.

Scholarship An award of funding based on a student’s prior academic
achievements and/or potential. It is paid as a deduction of tuition
fees and does not have to be repaid.
Self-funding A self-financing student is a student who pays their own tuition fees
and their tuition fees are not being paid by a sponsor or funding body.

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Student Awards An agency of the Scottish government giving financial support to
Agency for Scotland eligible students doing a course of higher education in the UK.
(SAAS)
Student Loans Company A not for profit company in the UK that provides financial support
(SLC)
to students in universities and colleges in the UK.
Student Finance For the purpose of this document Student Finance England,
Wales or Northern Ireland will be referred to as the Student Loans
Company (SLC).
UEL Direct The platform on which UEL students can access their online student
accounts.
UK Student (Home) Typically, a British citizen or a person who has the right to live in the
UK without restriction and has been living here for 3 years prior to
starting the course. Eligible to apply for full SFE funding.

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