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1.1 The aim of this policy is to minimise levels of student debt and bad debts in order to allow the University to continue to invest in teaching and research excellence and in its students.
1.2 This policy applies to student debt including but not limited to: Tuition Fees, Project Research Fees, Library Fines and other miscellaneous charges, for both former and current students, and sponsors. NOTE: This policy does not apply to students taking the 100% online courses through Higher Ed Partners UK (HEP UK). The Online Courses Policy can be viewed on the Intranet.
1.3 All sums due to the University in respect of clause 1.2 must be paid to the University in Pounds Sterling (£).
2.1 In applying this policy, the University recognises that in some circumstances, students may face financial hardship which may impact on their ability to pay their debts. The University takes the welfare of its students very seriously and will at all times seek to be sympathetic and understanding of a student’s situation. In the event that any student faces financial difficulty, the University endeavours to offer support and assistance in relation to debt owed to the University. The University cannot advise on debt owed to third parties.
In order to offer these services, it is imperative that the student contacts the appropriate department. The sooner contact is established, the more the University can do to support and assist the student:
Tuition/Project Research Fees finance@abertay.ac.uk
Student Funding (SAAS/SLC/Discretionary/Other) advisory@abertay.ac.uk
Support Enquiry Zone (Including Library Debt) sez@abertay.ac.uk
Student Association Services (Advice and Advocacy) saadvice@abertay.ac.uk
2.2 Action will be taken against all current and former students who:
(i) have failed to engage with the University to find a solution to settle any outstanding debt; or
(ii) have failed to adhere to agreed payment plans.
3.1 The University’s main form of communication with students will be via the student’s University email address. Students are required to check their email messages at regular intervals and respond promptly.
3.2 The University reserves the right to establish contact with the student via
3.3 Students must update their contact details through OASIS whenever there has been any change.
4.1 Unless otherwise stated, the tuition fee quoted by the University will include registration, tuition and examination fees. Other charges, such as repeat tuition/examination fees will be charged for separately each year.
4.2 Students must agree the value of their tuition fees as part of online registration and are given the opportunity to query the amount if required. Once registration is complete, there is a legally binding contract in place between the student and the University in relation to the payment of tuition fees.
4.3 SAAS/SLC: Funding will be confirmed by SAAS/SLC direct to the University. If confirmation has not been received by 1st December (Term 1 starts) or 28 February (Term 2 starts), irrespective of the reason, the student will be regarded as self-funded and must contact Finance to set up a payment plan. Failure to do so will result in one or more sanctions as stated in clause 6.1. Any payments made in respect of tuition fees will be refunded if SAAS/SLC approve funding at a later date. NOTE: SAAS/SLC will only fund 120 credits each year. Students will be self-funded in respect of tuition fees relating to any additional credits taken. See clause 4.5.
4.4 Other Sponsors: If a student is sponsored by another organisation such as an employer, embassy or other funding body, the student must provide evidence of sponsorship to Finance during registration. The sponsor will be invoiced shortly after registration and is required to pay the full invoice within 30 days. Where a sponsor fails to pay an invoice timeously, the student will become liable for payment and advised accordingly.
4.5 Self-Funded Students (UK, Non-Student Visa Holders): If a student is self-funded for all or part of their tuition fees, they are required to make payment arrangements for these fees during registration. Although the fees become due for payment on the date of registration, students can opt to pay fees by recurring instalments via a debit/credit card. See Appendix A for further details on recurring instalment plans (RCP).
4.6 International Students (Student Visa Holders): Students who are made an offer to study are required to pay a minimum deposit of 50% of their tuition fees as a deposit prior to the start of a new course in order to obtain Visa sponsorship through a CAS (Confirmation for Acceptance of Studies). All remaining tuition fees must be paid prior to registration. For the remainder of the course, tuition fees must be paid in full each year prior to or during registration. Please note that on occasion, students from certain countries may be subject to different arrangements which will be communicated as part of the admissions process. All international students must also meet the University’s credibility requirements on Abertay CAS Shield including, where required, a credibility interview. Students who fail the University’s credibility assessment will not be eligible for student visa sponsorship, irrespective of whether they have met any, or all other conditions of their offer to study. If sponsored by a University approved sponsor, clause 4.4 will apply. See Appendix B for further information on approved Sponsors.
5.1. Library users have an obligation to respect the rights of other users by returning Library materials and equipment timeously. Fines will be imposed for late return. If items are not returned, students will be liable for the replacement cost of that item in addition to the standard fines.
6.1 Tuition Fees: Where tuition fee instalments become overdue or where a student fails to set up a payment plan when requested, the student will be subject to one or more of the following sanctions (see Appendix C for full details and timelines):
Late Payment Charges.
Instalment options may be revoked.
Withdrawal from the University, graduation and releasing qualifications obtained to date will be prohibited.
Registering for a further programme of study will be prohibited.
Student Visa Holders may lose the right to remain in the UK (International students only).
Debts will be passed to an external debt collector.
6.2 Library Fines & Charges: If fines or charges become overdue, the student will have an opportunity to bring the account back up to date or agree an alternative payment plan with the Library. If this is not done, the student will be subject to one or more of the sanctions in accordance with Appendix D:
6.3 External Debt Collector: Once a debt has been passed to an external debt collector, legal proceedings may be raised which may result in the student being ordered by the court to pay the court expenses and judicial interest in addition to the debt.
Such action may also have an adverse effect on the student’s credit rating which may prevent the student from obtaining credit in the future. This could include credit cards, all types of loans, mortgages and even mobile phone contracts. Any pronounced court order can also be enforced. Not only will the costs of the enforcement action be added to the debt, but it may result in personal effects being seized and sold at auction, wages arrested or even bankruptcy.
7.1. If a student withdraws or suspends from their course early, they may become personally liable to pay part or all of their tuition fees, even if they were initially funded by SAAS or SLC. See Appendix E for full information.
8.1. Our aim is to resolve issues of dissatisfaction by conducting a thorough and fair investigation. For further information, please view the University’s Complaints Handling Procedure.
Instalment options are available to self-funding UK students and International students that do not require a Student Visa. The payment plan offered will depend on when the student registers and how many terms they register for. The student will be required to register their bank card details on our payment system in order to complete the instalment plan.
|
Month of Registration |
Terms Registering For |
% of Total Tuition Fee |
Date of Payment |
|
September 2023 |
Term 1 Only |
33.4% 33.3% 33.3% |
8October 2023 8November 2023 8 December 2023 |
|
September 2023 |
Term 1 & 2 |
14.2% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% |
8 October 2023 8 November 2023 8 December 2023 8 January 2024 8 February 2024 8 March 2024 8h April 2024 |
|
September 2023 |
Term 1, 2 & 3 |
14.2% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% 14.3% |
8 October 2023 8h November 2023 8 December 2023 8 January 2024 8 February 2024 8 March 2024 8 April 2024 |
|
January 2024 |
Term 2 Only |
33.4% 33.3% 33.3% |
8 February 2024 8 March 2024 8 April 2024 |
|
January 2024 |
Term 2 & 3 |
16.5% 16.7% 16.7% 16.7% 16.7% 16.7% |
8tFebruary 2024 8 March 2024 8 April 2024 8 May 2024 8 June 2024 8 July 2024 |
|
May 2024 |
Term 3 Only |
33.4% 33.3% 33.3% |
8 June 2024 8 July 2024 8 August 2024 |
Please contact the finance department on finance@abertay.ac.uk if you wish to apply for an alternative payment arrangement.
All self-funded international students with an offer to study at Abertay will need to pay a minimum deposit of 50% of the expected tuition fee prior to the commencement of studies in order to receive Visa sponsorship through a CAS (Confirmation for Acceptance of Studies) from the Admissions Office. Any remaining tuition fees must be paid prior to registration. Please note that on occasion, students from certain countries may be subject to different financial arrangements and this will be communicated to you as part of the admissions process. All returning self-funded international students registering for the same course will need to pay their Tuition Fees in full prior to or during online registration each year.
Sponsors of international students who are not on the University’s approved sponsor list (below) are required to pay the student’s tuition fees in accordance with the self-funded section above.
The undernoted sponsors have been approved by the University and therefore, these sponsors are excluded from the above self-funded payment requirement. These sponsors will be invoiced for the full tuition fees by the Finance department in accordance with clause 4.4 of this policy. Where a sponsor fails to make payment of the invoice by the deadline, the student will become liable for payment of the tuition fees and notified accordingly.
Agricultural Research
Development Agency Bahrain
Ministry of Education BP Angola
Brazilian Government – Science without Borders Programme
British Council
Chevening
Ghana Education Trust Fund
Jordanian Ministry of Education
Kurdistan Regional Government – Human Capacity Development Programme
Kuwait Embassy
Kuwait Ministry of Education
MARA Institute of Technology
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Uganda
Ministry of Higher Education – Togo
Nanchang University
National Police Agency of Japan
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF)
PT PLN
Saudi Embassy
The Royal Thai Embassy
Tullow Oil (Ghana)
University of Abuja – Tertiary Education Trust Fund
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Programme, United States
Where a student has already set up an instalment plan, the following sanctions will apply if a payment attempt fails:
Day 1 – An email will be sent to the student advising them of the payment failure. The student has 5 days to rectify any account issues, or apply to the finance team for an alternative payment arrangement
Day 7 – If the second payment attempt fails a late payment charge of £20.00 plus VAT will be applied to the student’s account. The student will be requested to bring the account up to date by the end of that week
Day 14 – The student will be invited to speak with the credit controller to discuss the payment arrears, and where appropriate, make payment
Day 21 – If the payment arrears have not been resolved, the option to pay fees by instalments will be revoked. Full payment of the remaining fees must be paid within 7 days in order to prevent withdrawal
Day 28 – The student will be withdrawn from the University. IT account and Library facilities will be disabled
Day 42 – A demand letter will be sent to the former student asking for payment of all outstanding fees due
Day 63 – This will be the final opportunity to pay all sums due in order to prevent further action being taken
Day 70 - A referral charge of £35.00 plus VAT is applied to the account and the debt passed to an external debt collector where legal proceedings may be initiated.
Where a student is requested to set up a payment plan and fails to do so, the following sanctions will apply:
Day 1 – An email will be sent to the student advising that they are required to set up an instalment plan. The student has 14 days to set this up with the Finance team
Day 14 – If the payment plan has not been set up, a late payment charge of £20.00 plus VAT will be applied to the student’s account. The student will be requested to set the plan up within 14 days in order to prevent withdrawal.
Day 28 – The student will be withdrawn from the University. IT account and Library facilities will be disabled
Day 42 – A demand letter will be sent to the former student asking for payment of all outstanding fees due
Day 63 – This will be the final opportunity to pay all sums due in order to prevent further action being taken
Day 70 - A referral charge of £35.00 plus VAT is applied to the account and the debt passed to an external debt collector where legal proceedings may be initiated.
NOTE: Any student with outstanding tuition fees will not be allowed to register for a new academic session nor be able to graduate at the end of their studies until such time where the debt is cleared in full. Conferment of degrees or certificates attained will be withheld and no certificate will be issued.
If items are not returned on time, fines will be incurred. Fines are dependent upon the loan period, with heavily used or recalled items attracting larger fines, to ensure fair access to materials for all users. Fines are imposed at the same rate for all users: staff, students, external users, alumni etc. Overdue charges and further information can be viewed at: https://intranet.abertay.ac.uk/library/using-the-library/borrowing/
Fines may be waived if the borrower has medical/self-certification evidence that they were off sick when the item was due to be returned.
For items which are lost or not returned, an invoice will be raised. The invoice amount will be based on the current price for the latest edition. Sanctions for Non-Return and/or Non-Payment of Fines and Invoices
Suspension of the University’s Library borrowing facilities
Late Payment Fees being applied
Debt referred to External Debt Collector (if applicable).
Debts above the threshold for debt collection and any Library charges still outstanding when a student leaves the University will be referred to an external debt collector. Books and other items which have been invoiced will be non-refundable once referred. Please refer to clause 6.3 for further information on debt collection.
| ESCALATION OF FINES/CHARGES | DAYS OVERDUE |
| Library Borrowing Suspended | 21 Days Overdue |
| Invoice Issued to replace items | 60 Days Overdue |
| 2nd Invoice Issued | 90 Days Overdue |
| Non-Refundable Fee * | 90 Days Overdue |
| Refer to Debt Collector ** | 98 Days Overdue |
* Late payment charge of £20.00 will be applied to cover the administration costs;
** A referral charge of £35.00 plus VAT will be charged and the debt passed to an external debt collector in accordance with clause 6.3 of this Policy
It is very unfortunate that some students withdraw/suspend from their course before its completion. As it is the student’s sole responsibility to ascertain all academic and financial implications withdrawing/suspending may have, the University strongly recommends that the student speak with one or more of the following services:
Your Curriculum Manager/Programme Tutor – to discuss problems with your course or programme
Student Counselling – to discuss any problems which may be affecting your studies
Careers Service – to discuss your current and future career path
Student Advisory – to discuss withdrawal/suspension implications and funding options
Student Association – for independent support and general advice
Even if a student has SAAS/SLC funding, it may be revoked, leaving the student liable to pay tuition fees. Further information on fee liability is located below, but students are strongly advised to contact us at finance@abertay.ac.uk to establish what their fee liability will be.
For UG Scottish (Home) students who join the university for the first time in September 2023 and fully withdraw prior to and including 3 November 2023, will not be due any tuition fees.
All other students, who withdraw/suspend after completing registration for term 1, but prior to and including 6 October 2023, will be liable to pay 10% of the year’s tuition fee.
Students who register for term 1 and withdraw/suspend after the relevant cut-off date as stated above, but before 8 February 2024, will be liable to pay all term 1 fees.
Students who withdraw/suspend after they have completed registration for term 2, but prior to and including 8 February 2024, will be liable to pay 10% of the year’s tuition fee.
Students who withdraw/suspend after 8 February 2024, will be liable to pay all term 2 fees in addition to term 1 modules (if registered for term 1).
For students who withdraw/suspend prior to and including 7 June 2024, will not incur any fees for term 3 (if studying in term 3), but will still be liable to pay for all term 1 and term 2 modules taken.
Students who withdraw/suspend within 3 weeks of the course start date, will be liable to pay 10% of fees.
Students who withdraw/suspend after 3 weeks, but before 6 months, will be liable to pay 50% of fees.
Students who withdraw/suspend after 6 months, will be liable to pay 100% of fees.
For students who withdraw/suspend on or before 1 December 2023, SAAS will revoke any funding previously approved and the student will be regarded as a self-funding student. Students should refer to the self-funded section above to ascertain what their tuition fee liability will be.
Students who withdraw/suspend after 1 December 2023, SAAS will still pay funding to the University in respect of tuition fees, but this will count as a full year’s funding for that student.
SLC releases funding in 3 stages, 2 payments of 25% in term 1 and 50% in term 2.
Students must be registered as ‘in attendance’ as of 18 September 2023, 22 January 2024 and 15 April 2024 in order for SLC to issue each corresponding instalment.
If a student withdraws/suspends prior to any of these dates, they will become liable for the balance of fees not funded by SLC as per the self-funded section above.
In order to withdraw/suspend, students must contact Student Advisory in the first instance. Students who do not follow the correct withdrawal/suspension process will continue to be classed as a current student and tuition fee liability will continue to accrue until (i) the University takes steps to withdraw them; or (ii) the academic year finishes.
Please note that the tuition fees are based on what modules a student registers for, not on what classes a student has attended. Similarly, the withdrawal date is based on the date that Student Advisory approves the withdrawal/suspension, not on what date a student commences the withdrawal process or last attended classes.
International Students (Student Visa Holders only) – In the event that an International student withdraws, the University will report the withdrawal to the UKVI and the student will be required to leave the UK as the Student Visa will cease to be valid. For further information on Student Visas, please contact the international student advisor.
13. If you want to check that your changes are correct on the webpage itself, save your changes. Then select the Properties tab, which is the very last tab on the top row.