Paying your fees

When you are offered a place of study on one of our courses and accept your place, you will be asked to make arrangements for payment of your fees.

At postgraduate level, students often find there is limited financial support available to them. It is therefore important that when applying for study, you consider the availability of finance for both tuition fees and living costs.

The majority of our students pay their tuition fees through one, or a combination of the methods outlined on this page. If you intend to use a source of funding or loan that is not mentioned here, please check with our finance team before you apply, as we may not be able to support the funding application.

Self-funded students

Where course fees are over £650 per year, you will be able to pay your fees by credit/debit card in three equal instalments, which can be set up as part of the online enrolment process.

The first payment will be taken immediately when you set up the instalment plan. 

Instalment dates are as follows:

• first instalment during online enrolment 
• second instalment on 15 December 
• third instalment on 15 March

Students applying for a government postgraduate loan (see below) will be required to pay 1% of their fee and subsequent instalments will be aligned to instalments you will receive from the Student Loans Company. 

Where fees are less than £650, the full fee is due.

Should you wish to withdraw from your place of study, any money paid will be returned in accordance with our refunds policy.  

Please note: the option of paying in instalments is only available for self-funding students.

Sponsored students

Some employers are willing to pay all or part of course fees. This might be through sponsorship or a professional development grant. Some NHS Trusts might be able to get funding through their education and workforce development directorates.

Teachers and social workers may ask for advice from their local authority training officers. Some children’s Trusts have professional development funds. They may also have training priorities and a prescribed list indicating what they will and will not fund. 

If you will be funded by your employer or another external source, the invoice will be sent directly to the sponsoring organisation and payment is due immediately. You must provide details of your sponsorship arrangements when you apply and enroll.

Your sponsor must pay your fees in full at the time of being invoiced, and cannot pay in instalments. If your sponsor fails to settle the invoice, you will be liable for all outstanding fees subject to our refunds policy.

Annual fee increases

You will be charged course fees for each year of your course. If your course is longer than one year, the fees that you will be charged after the first year will be subject to an annual uplift, which is not normally expected to exceed 6% or the Consumer Price Index (as stated on 01 September of that academic year) if higher than 6%. At its discretion and in rare instances, the Trust may determine a figure greater than either, to reflect costs associated with the activity (e.g. assessment, teaching, administration etc.), which shall not exceed 10%.

Please refer to our Terms and Conditions, and Student Fees & Refund Policy for further information.

Postgraduate loans

If you are studying a Master’s or Doctoral level course, you may be eligible for a UK government postgraduate loan. Please check our student loans guidance for eligible courses and criteria.

Recovery of unpaid fees

Please note that we will take all steps to recover fees that are due and unpaid. We may:

• record debtors on our databases
• pass details and information regarding debtors to a debt collection agent
• withhold certificates
• refuse attendance at award ceremonies
• prevent re-enrolment with us until the debt is settled