INTERNATIONAL FEE PAYMENT AND REFUND POLICY 2011/2012

Information in this policy applies to persons who have been classified as Tier 4 General students under the UK Border Agency’s Tier 4 of the Points Based System policy. The fees and payment methods have been set in accordance with our duties as Tier 4 Sponsor Licence holders and are non-negotiable.

Full-time Overseas fees 2011/12

English as Foreign Language (EFL) £1420 – 3620
(more information…)

Further Education £5250 per academic year
(minimum NQF level 3)

Higher Education £8250 per academic year
(e.g Bachelor degree courses and above)

Included in the tuition fees:

• Issuing Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies number (CAS) to use for your visa application.
• English language support for students whose second language is English and are studying FE or HE courses; this is organised directly with EFL/ESOL tutor
• Award body fees where collected by Colchester Institute
• Career guidance during and immediately following your course of study to provide advice on further studies and finding part-time work.
• Confirmation letters to support opening bank accounts in the UK
• Use of fitness gym and games room
• All students enrolled onto a HE course have access to use the facilities at the University of Essex campus in Colchester.
• Two day International Orientation programme(includes tour of Colchester, tour of campus and facilities, information on health and safety, information on social activities and student support). 
• Course books for English Language courses, there may be a small charge for books in other course areas.
• Use of Library and IT facilities.
• Automatic membership for the International Student Society giving access to discounted social activities e.g day trips to London, Cambridge, Brighton 

Requirements for Applying

Entry requirements for courses longer than 6 months

 All students applying for a course of study at the Colchester Institute must complete an application form and provide the relevant evidence to confirm they meet the entry requirements (details below for each course level):

Additional evidence to the above will be required for Art and Design, Performing Arts and Music related applications (details below):

 The table below provides information on the minimum entry requirement for English as a Foreign Language courses:

Student visa nationals applying from outside of the United Kingdom are only eligible to apply for full-time English Language programmes, full-time courses at National Qualification Framework level 3 or full-time Bachelor degrees.

Deposits

Students made an ‘Unconditional Offer’ will require a deposit payment to secure their place on the course and also for Colchester Institute to release a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies number to support Tier 4 student visa application.

Further Education course deposit payment is                  £1750

Higher Education course deposit payment is                   £2750

There is no deposit payment option available for English Language courses, all fees must be paid in full before enrolment or before documents are issued to support visa applications.

Payment of fees

Payment option for tuition fees for courses longer than 6 months 

If applicants do not wish to pay the fees in full at enrolment then a two instalment option is available. First payment will be due at the start of the course in September 2011 and second payment in January 2012; there will be a £25 administration charge added to the first instalment payment.

Failure to make instalment payments by the due date may result in Colchester Institute withdrawing their Tier 4 sponsorship duties for the student, student being asked to leave their course and details being reported to the UK Border Agency. Additional costs for administration may apply and in serious cases students will be referred to the debt collection agency.

Tuition fee payment for short English as a Foreign Language courses

For EFL courses the fees are charged per term and are calculated by the number of weeks in each term:

Session 1

September 2011 – February  2012                                 £1900

Session 2

January 2012 – June 2012                                              £2100

Tuition fees must be paid in full

Information on classes and hours:

• 18 hours of taught classes per weekin addition to a possible twelve free hours per term taken with trainee teachers under supervision.
• Levels 3 & 4 may also attend up to 5 hours of additional studies. 

Students continuing their studies

Students continuing their studies will receive an automatic 10% discount if they successfully complete a full-time course of study and decide to continue and progress onto another full-time course at Colchester Institute. This discount only applies to students progressing onto a course that is higher than the level previously completed.

Preventing Hardship

To prevent financial hardship students must not travel to the UK, or begin a course of study, without making sure that they have enough money to cover all tuition fees and living expenses for the duration of their programme.

Under the UK Border Agency Tier 4 of the Points Based System policy guidance all ‘Adult students/General Students’ studying outside of London must show the following financial evidence when applying for their visa:

When providing evidence of finances to either the British Embassy in student’s home country or in the UK, student’s must make sure the bank account is in their name, the required money has been held in the bank account consecutively for 28 days prior to the visa application, the bank statement is no more than one month old from date of issue and date of visa application.

The above guide on financing your studies is the minimum requirement for making your visa application. The guide below is an estimate of the amount you will need to fund the complete course you have chosen, the exact cost will depend on your individual circumstances and your lifestyle.

(The below estimated costs are based on a 42 week academic year)

For information on family members coming to the UK as dependants please visit UK Border Agency Website at:http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/pbs/pbsdependantspolicy1.pdf

Colchester Institute cannot financially support any student or any dependant’s who have been assessed as ‘overseas’ fees.It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they have enough money to pay for their course and the maintenance of themselves and their family.

Dependants of current students at the University of Essex

Dependants of International Students who are paying overseas fees at our partner institution the University of Essex are entitled to a 10% reduction on overseas fees for a course at Colchester Institute, including English as a Foreign Language.

Visa Extensions

You will need to come and speak to a member of our International Admissions Team 3 months before your visa is due to expire. For more details or to make an appointment please call 01206 712150 or e-mail: international@colchester.ac.uk.

Refunds

In cases of proven visa refusal – for example on production of a visa refusal letter from the UK Border Agency – you can apply for a refund of your deposit or tuition fees. Other applications for refunds will be considered individually and will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.

An administration charge of £250 will be retained to cover administration costs for all overseas fee paying students.

Refunds will be made directly to the bank account or to the individual who made the initial deposit/tuition fee payment.

Information published in this policy is correct at the time of printing; Colchester Institute reserves the right to amend information as and when necessary. Colchester Institute will not take responsibility for any changes that may result in students having to cease their studies.

Updated March 2010 KN