Tuition Fee Liability and Credit Control policy (Overseas students)

It is important that you read this policy in full, particularly in reference to any changes in your circumstances. It explains how and when you will be liable for your tuition fees and the sanctions that we may take against you if you fail to pay. Key points include:

• Fee Liability Start Date: You are liable for tuition fees from your course start date, not the enrolment date.
• The University will ultimately always seek to recover fees directly from students.
• Sponsorship: If you don't qualify for sponsorship, you must pay the fees yourself. The University will seek payment directly from you if your sponsor fails to pay.
• Invoices, and credit notes will be sent to your university and (where supplied at enrolment) your personal email account.
• Any changes in your circumstances must be notified immediately to us via your e:Vision
• All fees are subject to liability points, and your financial liability increases during the year.
• Unpaid tuition fee debt may result in withdrawal of VISA sponsorship and your course, or graduating and receiving your certificates (including confirmation of your completion for the purposes of post-study work VISA application)

The University of Wolverhampton is committed to a fair and transparent policy in respect of charges made to students. By enrolling, you agree to the terms of this policy. Understanding your financial obligations and payment options is essential.

You will be asked to agree to be bound by the terms of this policy as part of the enrolment process at the start of each year of study. It is therefore important that you understand what is expected in regard to payment of fees owed and the options open to you to meet your financial obligations.

This policy sets out the tuition fee charging and debt control principles of the University of Wolverhampton.

1.1      What are Tuition Fees?

You are required to pay the tuition fees applicable to your course. Your fees will be based on your fee status and the fee regime in force at the time you started your course. Your course-specific annual fee information will be presented to you through both the application and enrolment stages.

1.2      What is my fee status?

Your fee status determines the amount of tuition fee you will need to pay and any financial support you may be eligible for.

The University will assess your fee status as either “Home” or “Overseas” through the application process. In reaching this decision the following will be considered:

• set criteria provided by the Government for each of the four countries of the UK: England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.
• your immigration status and residence

You may be asked to provide additional information to help us assess your fee status as part of the application process.

Confirmation of your fee status will be included in the “offer letter”. You will be required to check and agree to your fee status during the enrolment process. It is therefore important that you understand your fee status before you accept an offer or enrol on the course.

If you feel you have been incorrectly assessed, or if you have any queries please contact our Admissions Team by logging an e:Vision Helpdesk call or call Tel: +44 (0) 1902 323 505. You may be asked to complete a fee assessment form and provide information and evidence of your status, circumstances and reasons why you feel that you have been wrongly assessed.

You are personally liable for the payment of fees throughout your course, even where there is a sponsorship agreement in place. This means that if the sponsor fails to pay, the University will seek to recover the fees from you.

All invoices are payable within 28 days of the invoice date. This applies even if you take a break in study or withdraw from the University.

2.1  Sponsored Students

If an employer or other organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fee the University will refer to them as a “sponsor”.

When you enrol, it will be your responsibility to provide the university with written confirmation from a sponsor, on a company letter head, uploaded during enrolment or via the e:Vision Helpdesk which states the following:

• Your full name (and University ID number if known)
• The amount of contribution to be paid by the sponsor towards the tuition fee
• The academic year for which sponsorship applies
• The name of the person, organisation and full address of where the invoice should be sent
• A purchase order number from the organisation
• Signature of an authorised person

The University will invoice sponsors directly for the appropriate amount and will expect payment within 28 days of the date the invoice was raised.

If for any reason your sponsor does not pay you will be required to pay any outstanding tuition fee yourself. This includes payment of any cancellation fee levied by the sponsor where a student is deemed to have not met the requirements of the sponsorship agreement.

You are responsible for informing the University of any changes in employment that could have an impact on your sponsorship.

2.2  Self-funding Students

You will be classed as self-funding if you will be paying your own tuition fees directly to the University. You are required to confirm your intention to self-fund your studies during online enrolment and in doing so acknowledge your liability and your commitment to pay.

Overseas students can pay fees using one of the following:

• Convera (recommended)
• Bank transfer
• Instalments –

If you are paying the fees to the University yourself, then you can pay by 3 instalments - made on dates specified by the University for no extra charge.

Instalment payments (paid in three equal instalments) are made via a bank transfer, or Convera. Please contact the Finance Department by emailing incomesection@wlv.ac.uk to discuss instalment options.

Cash payments are not permitted as the University requires a clear audit trail of payments to comply with anti-money laundering legislation. Bank transfers should only be made directly to the University bank account.

International students, those who have been assessed as requiring a Student Visa or who will be charged the overseas fee, will normally be required to pay a minimum deposit as confirmed in your offer to join the University. The minimum deposit amount is dependent upon country of origin, and is payable before your confirmation of acceptance (CAS) is issued. Where a CAS is not required, the minimum deposit is payable prior to the enrolment on the course.

The deposit is refundable in most circumstances, with the following exceptions:

• Where you have provided fraudulent information or documents to gain your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
• Where you have received your visa and enrolled with the University
• Where you have received your visa, travelled to the UK but failed to complete your enrolment with the University

3.1 New Entry Full-time Undergraduate and Postgraduate

As a new entrant you will be required to pay your tuition fees through up to three separate payments. It should be noted that the number of payment points will depend on your country of origin. Your fee liability aligns to the structure of your tuition fee payments.

*unless the criteria for a refund is met

Category A countries are those included in appendix A

Category B countries are all others not specified within category A.

3.2 Continuing Full-time Undergraduate and Postgraduate

3.3 New Full-time Postgraduate Research

Annual tuition fees are based on 12 months of study in one academic year.

3.4 Continuing Full-time Postgraduate Research

The University recognises that there may be changes in a student’s circumstances which could affect their study. These include (but are not limited to) the following:

• a withdrawal
• a Leave of Absence (LOA)/Break in Study

It is your responsibility to formally notify any such changes in your circumstances as soon as you are aware of them via your e:Vision portal.

The University will only process requests for Withdrawal or Leave of Absence/Break in Study at the time that they are received but will not back-date any requests.

It is essential that you notify the University of any changes at the earliest possible opportunity, as these dates will affect the amount of tuition fees that you will be charged or refunded and your student loan entitlement (if you have one).

4.1  Withdrawal

We understand that making the decision to withdraw from your course is not easy. It is very important you seek support and advice early. There may be financial implications that you need to be aware of before making your decision. The date that you withdraw affects the amount of tuition fees that you will be charged or refunded and your student loan entitlement (if you have one). The date of withdrawal will be the date at which you submit your e:Vision request to withdraw.

4.2  Suspending your studies - Leave of Absence (LOA)/Break in Study

If you take a leave of absence/break in study, your tuition fees will be adjusted so that you are charged only for the fee liability period that you were registered on before you left.

4.3 Return from a Leave of Absence/Break in Study

When you return to study your tuition fee liability will be calculated from to the point at which study is resumed. You will be charged for that academic session (which may extend to the full academic year and include an increase from the year in which study commenced).

4.4  Repeating all or part of a year – retaking and/or mitigated modules

You will be charged tuition fees for any modules that you are retaking.

You will be charged for modules that are being repeated due to approved extenuating circumstances (mitigated) claims where you have more than 40 credits of modules outstanding that were not passed in the previous year.

If you are a full-time student and are required to repeat part of the year (up to 90 credits) you will be charged fees as a part-time student.

If you will be studying 90 or more repeat credits (including both retake and mitigated) you will be charged as a full-time student.

4.5 Repetition as a Deferred Student

If you're repeating a year as a deferred student (40 credits or less of mitigated credits from the previous year) i.e. you have outstanding assessments to complete but are not accessing full teaching/tuition, you will be required to return 

The University is committed to the operation of transparent procedures in relation to financial transactions with students through the open publication of fees and charges and specific information provided during the admissions process and at enrolment. Further details are available in Transparent Fee Information.

If you are experiencing financial difficulty in paying fees or any charges due to the University you should seek help at the earliest opportunity.

5.1  Payment of Fees

The University will issue you with an invoice. The University offers instalment arrangements to allow students who pay their own fees the facility to pay over 3 instalments. These dates are specified by the University. You will be able to access your account details via the student portal (e:Vision).

5.2  Reminders and Sanctions

The University finance team will send you reminders if you have not paid your fees in line with the due dates on the invoice or instalment plan. Three reminder letters are produced and sent followed by a sanction against the following timeline:

1. An automatically generated letter, sent 7 days after the payment becomes due
2. An automatically generated letter, sent 14 days after the payment becomes due
3. An automatically generated letter, sent 28 days after the payment becomes due. This letter will trigger the provisional withdrawal of you from your course.
4. On the 28^th day from when the invoice was due the University will provisionally withdraw you from your course. You will have a further 14 days to either make payment of the outstanding tuition fees or have an agreed payment plan in place with the University. Failure to do one of these by the 42^nd day from the invoice due date will result in the University confirming your withdrawal from your course.

Where you are having difficulties making payment, or need to discuss payment plan options, you should contact the University's Finance Office at incomesection@wlv.ac.uk.

5.4  Disputes

If you wish to dispute the amount of fees you have been charged or your fee liability, you should raise a helpdesk call within e:Vision. This will enable the Income Section to flag the transaction as in need of intervention and resolution.

5.5  Hardship

If you are experiencing financial hardship you are advised to discuss this with the Student Union Advice Centre. You may also find helpful information on the webpages. Instalment dates may be extended in exceptional circumstances where you can demonstrate that this would enable you to make the payment and continue your studies.

5.6  Debt Collection

Where we have been unable to collect any outstanding fees from students and as a last resort, the matter will be passed on to an external debt collector for recovery. This action is normally taken at the end of an academic year. In these circumstances students will be contacted directly by the debt collector. This will follow the process laid out below:

1. Attempt to Collect Outstanding Fees: The University has made every effort to collect outstanding fees from students through its internal procedures.
2. Last Resort: External Debt Collection: If internal efforts fail and the fees remain unpaid, the matter is escalated to an external debt collector. This is considered a last resort before taking further legal action.
3. Timing of External Action: This action is taken at the end of an academic year.
4. Direct Contact by Debt Collector: Once the matter is handed over to the external debt collector, students will be contacted directly by them. The debt collector will manage the collection process according to their own procedures and legal requirements.

Key Considerations for the University:

• Communication: It's important the University communicates clearly with students about the potential consequences of unpaid fees, including the involvement of external debt collectors.
• Legal Compliance: The University’s debt collection practices comply with relevant laws and regulations governing debt collection.
• Student Notification: Students should be informed about the possibility of external debt collection in advance, ideally as part of the fee liability policy.
• Resolution and Consequences: The goal of debt collection is to recover outstanding fees owed to the institution. Students may face consequences such as holds on academic records or other privileges until the debt is resolved.

This process aims to ensure financial accountability among students while balancing the University’s need to manage its financial operations effectively. It is designed to encourage timely payment of fees and provide a structured process for handling unpaid debts when necessary.

Refunds on Deposits:

The University complies with the following requirements in relation to deposits.

6.1 Calculation of a deposit: Where an applicant is required to pay a deposit to secure a place on their programme, the amount of the deposit will be deducted from the total tuition fee payable for the academic year.

6.2 Cancellation by the student: Students have a legal right of cancellation as set out in the student’s offer letter (the cancellation period). If a student cancels acceptance of their place within the cancellation period, the University will refund any deposit paid. If a student cancels acceptance of their place outside that cancellation period, the University will not normally refund the deposit paid other than in the following circumstances:

• the requirements for the conditional offer have not been met by the applicant. Evidence will be required to prove that a genuine attempt had been made to meet the conditional offer. –
• where the applicant is an overseas student and the application for entry clearance is refused (documentary evidence of refusal will be required). No refund will apply where entry clearance is refused due to submission of fraudulent documents/deception or any act of omission by the applicant in connection with such visa application; and
• in cases of exceptional mitigating circumstances (documentary evidence will be required).

Mitigating Circumstances Specifically Relating to Tuition Fee Deposits:

1. Case-by-Case Evaluation: The University evaluates each request for consideration of mitigating circumstances individually.
2. Approval Authority: Requests for consideration must be submitted to the Pro Vice Chancellor Academic Leadership and Student Experience.
3. Acceptable and Non-Acceptable Reasons: The University has provided a list of acceptable and non-acceptable mitigating circumstances.

• Acceptable Circumstances
• Medical emergencies or serious illness affecting the student.
• Bereavement or significant personal/family crisis.
• Unexpected financial hardship or loss of income affecting the student or their immediate family.
• Serious academic issues impacting the student's ability to continue their studies.
• Significant changes in personal circumstances that affect the student's ability to attend or continue with their studies.
• Non-Acceptable Circumstances
• General academic difficulties or challenges.
• Financial difficulties that are not unexpected or significant.
• Changes in personal circumstances that do not directly impact the student's ability to participate in or complete their studies.

The University will refund any overpayment made upon receipt of a written request to the University's Finance Office at incomesection@wlv.ac.uk.

If a third party pays your fees on your behalf, we will pay any refund directly to that third party.

If you are an applicant and cancel your contract with the University prior to commencement of your course you will be entitled to a full refund of any course fees and additional charges you may have already paid (if any).

You will be allowed a 14-day cooling-off period from the start date of your course. If you decide to end your studies and withdraw or transfer to another institution during this period, you will be entitled to a refund of any directly pre-paid course fees.

The amount of any refund will be calculated taking account of the relevant circumstances at the time the contract is terminated and will be subject to the terms in this policy.

In the unlikely event that we are unable to provide continuation of study, the University will consider a full refund.

Agency Fee Refund Any refunds made will not include a refund of any agency fee paid by the applicant to an agent.

If you are not satisfied with a decision taken regarding the fees you have been charged, the arrangements for payment, refunds or any sanctions imposed for non-payment, you can submit a complaint following the Student Complaints Procedure.