APPENDIX
TUITION FEES POLICY 2015/2016
1.
Introduction
1.1
This document provides guidance for students and staff relating to matters
of tuition fees and the impact of funding agency or government policy. It
also aims to determine those instances where a student is not liable to any
fee being charged both in terms of their statutory rights and, where
applicable, College policy.
2.
Tuition Fee Policy Process
2.1
Following recommendation by the Senior Management Team, the overall
level of learner tuition fees at the College is determined by the Corporation
usually following any necessary advice from the Employment Policy and
Finance Committee.
2.2
Each year a review is undertaken which looks at the tuition fees charged for
each individual course. All fees relate to the 2015/16 year only, further fees
are payable in the following year if the course is over one year in length.
2.3
The Fees Policy Document is approved by the College’s Corporation on an
annual basis.
3.
Tuition Fee Income
3.1
The College is funded principally by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and
Education Funding Agency (EFA) (Agencies) through Birmingham City
Council to provide educational and vocational courses for learners in
England from the age of 16.
3.2
For 2015/16 the SFA will continue to fund 50.0% of the un-weighted
national base rate cost of an accredited course for courses up to level 2.
3.3
The business planning process has taken into account what the market will
bear.
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4.
Tuition Fee Remission
4.1
For Learner Responsive funded provision certain categories of learners are
not expected to pay tuition fees. Their full fees are paid for by the Funding
Agencies (i.e. 100% funded and not 50.0% funded as noted in 3.2 above).
These are the fee remission criteria: ( to age 23 means to 23 birthday,
not aged 23)
From 2015/16, only the following learners will be entitled to full fee
remission:

Individuals on Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) or Employment and
Support Allowance in the Work Related Activity Group (ESA (WRAG)).
Fully funded provision for these learners can include units as well as
full qualifications

Learners aged 19-23 studying their first full Level 2 qualification

Entry or Level 1 aims (excluding Basic Skills) where a learner has an
entitlement to a full Level 2 qualification, in that they must have a
highest prior attainment of Level 1 or below, but need a step up from
basic skills in order to progress to a full Level 2 and are aged 19-23
years of age

19-23 year old learners studying their first full Level 3 qualification

19-23 year old Level 4 ‘jumpers’ studying their first full Level 4 or
above without having attained a first full Level 3 qualification

Learners studying aims that are Adult Basic Skills Certificates and
Functional Skills in English and Maths, excluding Adult Basic Skills
certificates in English for Speakers of Other Languages ESOL, new
standalone English and Maths QCF qualifications as they are
approved for funding in 2012 2013 and Trade Union representatives
studying Trades Union Congress (TUC) learning aims
 An individual studying their first full Level 3 qualification that has left
the British Armed Forces after completing 4 or more years of service or
have been medically discharged, due to an injury in active service,
after completing basic training.
 An individual who has not reached GCSE level C or above in English
and Maths undertaking English and Maths
 Unemployed individuals who are in receipt of a state benefit (other
than JSA or ESA (WRAG)), who want to enter employment and need
skills training to do so are, at the discretion of the Provider eligible for
full funding for units and other learning aims that will help the individual
into work or removes a barrier to getting the individual into work.
 Classroom-based ESOL provision will only be fully funded for those
who are on JSA, ESA (WRAG) or unemployed and on a state benefit,
where it is identified as a barrier to employment.
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Changes to eligibility for fee remission will apply from 1 August 2014,
for learners re-taking an aim or existing learner starting a new aim or
programme. This only applies to continuing aims or programmes. It
does not apply to continued learning, where a new aim or programme
is started. A learner progressing from an Intermediate Apprenticeship
to an Advanced Apprenticeship is continued learning and not
continuing and, therefore, the changes would apply to the new
programme.
4.2
For Employer Responsive provision, the following are the Agencies funding
eligibility criteria:
Type of funding
Apprenticeships
16-18 learners
Full Agency funding
19+ learners
Co-funded
Workplace Learning
outside of
Apprenticeships
No Agency funding
(only if learnerresponsive or
Apprenticeship)
Co-funded for Full Level
2 only
Fully funded if Adult Basic
Skills
English and maths
Where provision is co-funded or not funded by the Agencies the College
will apply fees and directly related charges following an assessment of
market conditions and funding priorities, in line with the Agencies’
Guidance.
4.3
Some external grant funding may also be available. In cases such as these
the courses are generally marked as “free” within the College course
brochure.
4.4
Awarding body costs such as exam fees will be charged unless learners
are Fully Funded by the agency in this case they will be eligible for a waiver
to these. Waivers are detailed in a separate schedule at the end of this
policy (Table 1).
4.5
Where a student’s learning aim is a basic skills qualification (Skills for Life)
excluding Skills for Life English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
this automatically attracts full tuition fee remission and is Fully Funded.
Furthermore the Agencies expect that these learners would not be charged
for any other aspect relating to the basic skills learning aim.
4.5
For learners in receipt of an eligible benefit upon enrolment, tuition fee
remission is claimable for the whole of the academic year. Learners are
required to provide original evidence of their eligibility for fee remission at
the time of enrolment or subsequent entitlement.
4.6
For learners who continue with their learning across academic years (a two
year programme typically), evidence of eligibility for fee remission at the
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start of the next academic year must be provided. Without this evidence
the learner will be charged the full fees.
4.8
Bournville College ESOL learners returning to continue study who are still
classified as in receipt of “section 4 support” for funding purposes will be
fee remitted at the discretion of the College.
5.
Awarding Body Costs
5.1
There will be a charge for awarding body costs. All external awarding body
costs incurred by the College, for example, registration fees and
examination fees, will be recharged to the student unless the learners are
under 19 or undertaking a programme which is deemed as Fully Funded as
detailed in Table 1.
whi Fully Funded as detailed in Table 1.
Where learners commence a two year A Level course and are under 19
when they enrol on the AS course then there will be no awarding body fees
charged for year 2 even if they are then aged 19.
5.2
5.3
Where students apply for examination resits then the full awarding body
costs are charged regardless of their age.
6.
International Learners
6.1
There are a range of learners whom the Agencies will fund although they
are, or may be, deemed to be international learners. These are:
a. A person who on the ‘relevant date’ (for 2015/16 this date is the first day
of the individuals teaching) is ‘settled’ in the UK, and who has been
ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (that is including the Channel
Islands and the Isle of Man) for the three years preceding the ‘relevant
date’, and whose main purpose for such residence was not to receive
full-time education during any part of the three-year period. ‘Settled’
means having either indefinite leave to enter or remain (ILE/R) or having
the right of abode in the UK. British citizens and certain other people
have the right of abode in the UK:
o those with European Community–United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland passports;
o British Dependent Territory Citizens (now known as British
Overseas Territory Citizens);
o those whose passports have been endorsed to show they have
right of abode in the UK;
o those who have a certificate of naturalisation or registration as a
British Citizen.
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b. A national of any European Union (EU) country or the spouse or child or
grandchild or dependant parent or grandparent of an EU national, or of
the EU national’s spouse, where the learner has been ordinarily resident
in the European Economic Area (EEA) for the three years preceding the
‘relevant date’
c. An EEA migrant worker or the spouse or child or dependant parent or
grandparent of an EEA migrant worker, or of the EEA migrant worker’s
spouse, where the learner has been ordinarily resident in the EEA for
the three years preceding the ‘relevant date’
d. Anyone who is recognised as a refugee by the UK Government (granted
refugee status) who has remained ordinarily resident in the UK and
Islands since being so recognised, or the spouse or child of such a
refugee.
e. Anyone refused refugee status but who has been granted leave to stay
by the Secretary of State, granted humanitarian protection (HP) or
discretionary leave (DL), or was granted exceptional leave to enter or
remain (ELE/ELR) by the UK Government, and who has remained
ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands since being so recognised, or
the spouse or child of such a person.
f. Learners studying under reciprocal exchange agreements.
g. Learners who are children of Swiss nationals where the learner has
been resident in the EEA for the full three-year period prior to the
commencement of their programme.
h. Learners who are children of Turkish workers where the Turkish worker
has been lawfully employed and resident in the UK at any time in the
past and where the learner has been resident in the EEA and Turkey for
the full three-year period prior to the commencement of their
programme.
i.
The Agency will also treat a non-EEA national who is in the UK with
work-related immigration permission as eligible for funding after
completing three years of residence in the UK with any work-related
permission, or the spouse or child aged under 18 years of such a
person.
j.
People with humanitarian protection (HP) or discretionary leave (DL) or
exceptional leave to enter or remain (ELE/ELR), their spouses and
children.
k. People with recently settled status (this means those having been
granted indefinite leave to enter or remain, right of abode or British
citizenship immediately preceding the start of their learning) who has
been resident in the UK for three years.
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l. The spouse of a person with settled status, where they are not a citizen
of an EEA country, who has been resident in the UK for three years.
m. The spouse of an EEA national living within the UK, where they are not
a citizen of an EEA country and resident in the UK for one year
The Agencies will also consider the following groups of learners to be
eligible for funding:
n. Asylum seekers who have legally been in the UK pending consideration
of their claim by the Home Office for longer than six months and no
decision has been made.
o. Asylum seekers refused asylum but eligible and granted support under
Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
Note
It must be noted by providers that the eligibility of failed asylum seekers
receiving Section 4 support at the time of issuing this document is being
reviewed by the Government.
In addition to the groups above, the Agency will also consider the following
groups of 16–18 year-old learners as eligible for funding:
p. 16-18 year-olds who are accompanying or joining parents who have the
right of abode or leave to enter or remain in the UK (or accompanying or
joining parents who are EEA nationals), or those who are children of
diplomats.
q. 16-18 year-olds who are dependents of teachers coming to the UK on a
teacher-exchange scheme.
r. 16-18 year-olds entering the UK (where not accompanied by their
parents) who are British (or EEA) citizens, or 16-18 year olds whose
passports have been endorsed to show they have the right of abode in
this country.
s. All 16-18 year old asylum seekers
t. All 16-18 year-old learners (including unaccompanied asylum seekers)
who are placed in the care of social services.
In addition to considering learners in the categories listed in paragraphs a-s
above, the College may be able to grant fee remission where it can achieve
funding from the agency on grounds of exceptional circumstances.
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6.2
The Agencies will not fund:
 international learners (who do not qualify under the above criteria)
 visiting learners attending short courses
 persons subject to a Home Office deportation order.
 learners ordinarily resident in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
These learners are treated as international students and the full cost of the
course will be charged.
6.3
International fees are determined on a market economic basis and
require a contribution of 35% to 50% is achieved, as approved by an
SMT member.
7.
Payment of Fees
7.1
Payment of tuition and all awarding body costs, including examination fees,
is due upon enrolment. FE fees are based on £8 per hour of learning,
with an average course fee of £700.
7.2
Learners may pay fees by instalments where the total payment due
exceeds £100 and the course lasts in excess of 15 weeks.
7.3
An administration charge of £15 is made for this service.
7.4
Direct Debit Payment System.
If a learner wishes to pay by instalments a system for payments over 4
months is in operation. This is a bank direct debit system. The first
instalment is payment by cash, debit card or credit card at the time of
enrolment. At the time of enrolment the student completes a direct debit
mandate for the reminder of the course fee over the next three months in
equal instalments. This mandate cannot be cancelled and the student is
liable to full fees even if they withdraw from the course.
7.5
Fees can be invoiced to a learner’s employer only where a suitable letter of
authorisation, or a purchase order, is received from the employer. If an
employer withdraws funding for whatever reason then the liability for
payment passes to the learner. The facility to pay by instalments is not
available to employers.
7.6
In the event of non-payment of course fees the College reserves the right to
ask students to withdraw from the course.
7.7
Where students are enrolled on an Agency funded provision elsewhere
costs are charged at an appropriate level for that part of the
programme/course delivered by the College.
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7.8
The College operates an on line payment system currently restricted to a
limited number of mainly full cost courses. This allows the learner to enrol
directly on line and pay the fees. A system is in place to reconcile fees paid.
The payment system is made through an independent piece of software
licenced to hold credit card and personal information on a secure site. The
college does not have direct access to this information. This system may be
expanded to other courses and used for instalment payments in the future
as the system is embedded and developed.
7.9
Full cost course ( FCR ) are based on £30 to £50 per hour per learner
and are dependant of the demand and number of students and
employer wishes to book onto courses. Discounts may be awarded of
10% to 20% for five or more learners. Course costing forms are
completed by managers concerned and managers can operate within
the fees as stated and within a margin of return to 35% to 45%. Direct
Debits payments are not available for FCR courses.
8.
Refunds
8.1
Learners who enrol on a course and then withdraw before the course starts
will be entitled to a refund of any fees paid. An administration fee of £15
will be deducted from any refund due.
8.2
Learners who enrol on a course and withdraw for any reason after the
course starts will not be entitled to a refund of any fees paid. Students who
have elected to pay by instalments will be expected to pay the full fees.
8.3
Fees cannot be transferred between academic years (i.e. deferred from
one year to the next), accept in exceptional circumstances with the prior
approval of the Director of Finance.
8.4
Where the College has to cancel a course for any reason learners will be
entitled to a full refund of any fees paid.
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Adult FE Student Loans.
9
9.1
From April 2013 a new system for Adult students came into force. For
courses starting from 1 September 2013 students aged 24 and over
studying a level 3 or above course are no longer eligible for Funding
Council Support and therefore the full cost of the course is payable through
a student loan system. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for the loan
and the student is liable for all fees. Exam fees, Registration Fees and
other Awarding Body fees are not covered by the loans and are payable at
the time of enrolment or otherwise as indicated at the time of enrolment.
Loans are repayable directly to the loan company administrators. Details of
these loans and how they operate are available from the Student Services
Department. Policies regarding Student Loans are available directly from
the College.
10
Higher Education Students.
10.1
Students undertaking courses were funding is supported by the Higher
Education funding council are liable for fees in line with the loans system
supporting HE students. This system operates for part time and full time HE
programmes. All fees quoted relate to 2015/16 year only, further fees are
payable in following years. Full time fees are £4,700k per year, unless
otherwise stated. Fee for HE courses offered via other HE institutions
vary from £4,700 to £6,000.
11
11.1
Discounts and Course Fee Offers.
The College may offer discounts for early enrolment or the upfront payment
of all fees, these offers will be advertised as they are applicable in the
circumstances offered and will be time limited. SMT member agreement
must be gained for all offers.
12.
Complaints
12.1
The procedure for complaints regarding the College’s fees policy, including
refunds, is detailed in the student’s handbook.
12.2
Examination Certificates may be withheld if the full payment of any fees are
outstanding.
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12.3
If a student ceases a payment or refused to pay an outstanding course fee,
due to a complaint regarding the course, the fee issue will only be
considered for refund or non-payment if the formal complaint procedure has
been followed prior to the issue regarding fees being raised.
13 TABLE 1
TABLE OF BENEFITS AND WHETHER ALLOWABLE FOR FEE WAIVER
BENEFIT RECEIVED/CATEGORY
TUITION
FEES
Attendance Allowance
No *
Asylum Seeker who is eligible for Agency Funding and in No
receipt of the equivalent of an Income Based Benefit
(Assistance under the terms of the 1999 Immigration and
Asylum Act) and their dependant
Basic Skills (not including ESOL)
Yes
Carer’s Allowance
No *
Child Benefit
No
Child Tax Credit
No *
Council Tax Benefit
No**
Disability Living Allowance
No *
Full time programme (i.e. in excess of 450 glh)
No *
Housing Benefit
No**
Incapacity Benefit
No *
Income Support
No**
Job Seeker’s Allowance
Yes
Those in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance in
the Work Related Activity Group(ESA(WRAG))
Yes
Those in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance
(contribution based)
No**
Entry or Level 1 aims(excluding Skills for Life) where the
Yes
learner has an entitlement to a full Level 2 qualification 1923 yrs only
Level 2: first full course entitlement (per SFA listing) 19-23 Yes
yrs only
Level 3: first full course entitlement (per SFA listing) 19- 23 Yes
only
Level 4 ‘jumpers’ of all ages (those taking a full Level 4 or Yes
above without having attained a full Level 3 qualification)
19-23 yrs only
Category D Offender Learner (serving a sentence in the
No
community) (unless in receipt of an eligible benefit)
Pensions Guarantee Credit
No
Pensions Savings Credit
No
AWARDING
COSTS
No *
No *
Refugees with Exceptional Leave to Enter or Remain
No
No *
Registered Disabled
No *
No *
Yes
No *
No
No *
No **
No *
No *
No **
No *
No **
Yes
Yes
No **
Yes
Yes
Yes
yes
No
No *
No
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Retirement Pension
Severe Disablement Allowance
Under 19 on 31st August 2014
Unwaged dependant of someone within the ‘Yes’
category
Working Tax Credit
No *
No *
Yes
No
No *
No *
Yes
No *
No
No *
13.1 Notes.
No = Not allowable for fee waiver
No * = Not allowable for fee waiver but check with Learner Support Fund for possible
assistance
**= Could be fully funded if Unemployed individuals who are in receipt of a state
benefit (other than JSA or ESA (WRAG)), who want to entre employment and need
skills training to do so are, at the discretion of the Provider eligible for full funding for
units and other learning aims that will help the individual into work or removes a
barrier to getting the individual into work
13.2
Adult students who are not on a recognised benefit but are not in work and are using
study to gain employment may be subject to fee remission, subject to the other fee
and funding rules as set out in the policy and by the Skills Funding Agency. Learners
have to complete a self-declaration form.
13.3
Provisions within this policy may be subject to change if the Skills Funding Agency
issues updates to its guidance after the approval date of this policy.
13.4
All course and fee information advertised on and in documents, on the website
or in leaflets or adverts may be subject to change without notice. Fees
advertised are the Government Support fees, the 24+ loans attract a higher fee
reflecting that this is not Government supported these fees are available of the
loans website or from our Student Services Area. Fees published are
Government subsidised fees, for students that this does not apply to the full
fee is payable and loans are available for this. Fees relate to each individual
year of a course and not the full course. Fees include tuition, registration and
exams where the College is responsible for these. Some students may have
fees remitted if qualifying circumstances are met. Remission does not apply to
Full Cost and Higher Education provision. An agreement to pay the full fee
applicable is made at the time of enrolment by the student and fees are payable
at enrolment or by agreed direct debit systems. Refunds are not provided if the
student withdraws from the course.
All fees relate to the 2015/16 year only, further fees are payable in the following
year if the course is over one year in length.
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Students aged 23 years and over who are studying for a level 3 or above
course are not eligible for fee remission or Government supported fees and
can apply for a 23+ student loan.
All Higher education courses are longer than one year and fees relate to each
year not the total course, fees are also published on the UCAS web site.
Approval Date
May 2015 for the 2015/16 College year.
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