The following links take you to the relevant section of this page.
- The standard rate of tuition fees
- Tuition fees we will pay if you study in Scotland
- Tuition fees we will pay if you study in a UK institution outside Scotland
- Tuition fees 'cut-off' date
- Tuition fees that are different from the standard rate
The standard rate of tuition fees
Your application for us to pay the standard tuition fees is only valid for one academic session so you must make sure that you apply every year. The award notice we send you will tell you what fees we will pay. Your institution will ask you to pay the tuition fees straight to them if you have not applied to us to pay them on your behalf. Normally we can only consider an application for tuition fees if we receive it before the closing date (which for most students is 30 June 2009 for courses that start in autumn).
The standard rate of tuition fees at publicly-funded institutions depends on where you are studying and when you entered your course as shown below.
Tuition fees we will pay if you study in Scotland
The standard rate of fees will be set at £1,255.
If you started your course of study in 2005-2006, or earlier, and you are studying an HNC, HND, Degree or equivalent courses we will pay the standard rate of £1,255.
If you start your course of study in 2006-2007 or later, or you are returning after a break in study of a year or more, the rate may be higher than the standard rate. The fees we will pay are shown below.
- HNC, HND, or equivalent £1,255
- Degree or equivalent £1,775
- Medicine course £2,825
Eligible Scottish domiciled students and EU students, studying at an institution in Scotland, are entitled to free tuition. We will not usually pay your tuition fees if you have previously been on a full-time higher education course and had help from public funds to do so (such as those who already have a degree or those who are repeating a period of study). However, if you have had a break in your study of a year or more and your college or university are charging you more than the standard fee of £1,255, you can apply to us to pay the difference between the normal standard tuition fee of £1,255 and the higher tuition fee of £1,775 (£2,825 for medicine). You may not receive the Bursary or the Additional Loan during any session when we do not pay the standard rate of tuition fees.
Tuition fees we pay if you study at a UK institution outside Scotland
If you started your course of study in 2005-2006, or earlier, the standard rate of fees will be set at £1,255. You may have to pay up to this amount towards your tuition fees. The reason for this is because we expect you to make a contribution depending on your own income and that of your parents or your husband, wife, civil partner or partner, as appropriate. Some may have to pay all of their fees, and some may have to pay part (and we will pay the balance, up to £1,255).
If you begin your course of study in 2006-2007, or later, or are returning after a break in study, you may have to pay up to £3,145 towards your fees. You can choose to take out a student loan to pay your fees. The amount of loan you can get does not depend on your own income and that of your parents or your husband, wife, civil partner or partner, as appropriate. If you are not entitled to apply for your tuition fees, for example if you are repeating any period of study, you will not be entitled to apply for a loan to pay them. If you are eligible to apply for a loan to pay your fees, you must apply for your loan before 31 December 2008 if your course starts in the autumn (this will be 31 March 2009 , 30 June 2009 or 31 July 2009 if your course starts later). You may not receive the Bursary or the Additional Loan during any session when you are not eligible to apply for a loan to pay your fees.
Tuition fees 'cut-off' date
We pay tuition fees direct to publicly-funded institutions for all eligible students who are attending their course at a specific 'cut-off' date (for example, 1 December for courses which start in autumn).
Whether or not we pay fees will depend on whether students are attending their course on or after the cut-off date. We will not pay tuition fees for students who withdraw before this date.
The cut-off dates for session 2008-2009 are as follows.
- 1 December 2008 for courses which start between 1 August 2008 and 31 December 2008.
- 1 March 2009 for courses which start between 1 January 2009 and 31 March 2009.
- 1 June 2009 for courses which start between 1 April 2009 and 30 June 2009.
If you transfer to another course or institution, we will pay the fee for the course and institution you are attending on the cut-off date. If your college or university charges a higher rate of fee for your new course, we will not pay the difference. Your college or university may charge you for tuition fees if you are not eligible for us to pay them.
Tuition fees that are different from the standard rate
Sometimes an institution may charge fees that are different from the standard rates. If you are not sure about the fees that your institution will charge, you should check with them before you accept the place they have offered you. The most common are as follows.
- Tuition fees for non publicly-funded institutions
- Tuition fees for students from abroad
- Tuition fees for sandwich courses
- Tuition fees for studying abroad
- Tuition fees for courses intended for graduate entry
Tuition fees for non publicly-funded institutions
The fees are generally higher and we will not pay the full costs. In particular, we will limit the fees for courses which are chosen for support by the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills (DIUS) to £1,175. You will have to pay the difference if your institution charges you more than £1,175. If the non publicly-funded institution is in a UK institution outside Scotland , you can apply for a non income-assessed loan of up to £3,145 if you begin your course of study in 2007-2008, or later.
Tuition fees for students from abroad
Institutions can charge a higher fee to those they consider to be 'overseas' students. This may be a UK national who has been living abroad for a number of years or a national from outside the UK or the rest of the EU who now lives in the UK . They do not base the conditions on nationality only but on the place of ordinary residence on the first day of the first academic year of the course. In order to qualify for fees at the lower 'home' standard rate of tuition fees, students must show a relevant connection with the UK . Tuition fees for overseas students can be around £4,000 to £15,000 a year. If you are not sure about the fees that your institution will charge, you should check with them before you accept the place they have offered you.
Tuition fees for sandwich courses
If your course involves a compulsory sandwich placement period in session 2008-2009, the fee we will pay to your institution will depend on whether your placement lasts for the full year or part of a year.
If you are on a placement for part of the year and are studying at your home institution for the rest of the year, the highest fee that either we or you should pay (whichever applies) is the standard rate for the level of course you are doing.
If you are on a placement for the full year, your institution will charge you and we will pay 50% of the standard rate of fee for the level of course you are doing. Depending on the course and the institution this could be anything from £625 up to £1,570. This is a contribution towards the cost the institution has to pay for administrative and any other arrangements relating to the placement. You will not have to pay the balance up to the standard amount.
Tuition fees for studying abroad
If your course involves a compulsory year of study abroad or you choose to study a year abroad in a country that is not in the EU, your institution will charge you and we will pay them 50% of the standard rate of fee for the level of course you are doing. Depending on the course and your UK institution, this could be anything from £625 up to £1,570. This is a contribution towards the cost the institution has to pay for administrative and any other arrangements relating to your study abroad. In most circumstances, you will not have to pay the balance up to the standard amount but some institutions may have different arrangements. You should therefore check with your institution what fees they are charging you.
If you choose to study abroad for a year as part of an ERASMUS or similar exchange, the appropriate funding council will pay the full tuition fee direct to your home institution on your behalf, however, you should apply to us in the normal way for this.
If you study abroad for part of the year and are studying at your home institution for the rest of the year, the highest that either we or you should pay (whichever applies) is the standard rate for the level of course you are doing.
Tuition fees for courses intended for graduate entry
Tuition fees for these courses may be much higher than the standard rates that we pay. Students who already hold a degree, regardless of whether they received UK public funds to do so, will not receive support for fees for a degree specifically designed for those holding a degree or an equivalent qualification. We can make an exception if you want to train for the ministry, priesthood or dentistry. The highest fee that we can pay in cases like this is the standard rate for the level of course you are studying and we will assess your entitlement to this fee individually.