2012/13 fees and funding FAQs

How much will UWE charge?

The University of the West of England is charging a tuition fee of £9,000 a year for full-time Home/EU undergraduates. Foundation Degrees studied at UWE’s Federation Colleges will cost £7,500 a year, and Hartpury College fees range between £7,250 and £7,450.

The fees for most part-time courses will be pro-rata, depending on your intensity of study. For example, if you take 50% of a standard undergraduate course, the fees will be £4,500.

When will the changes to tuition fees come into effect?

The new fees will be charged from autumn 2012 and will affect UK and EU students beginning undergraduate study from that time onwards.

Will UK and EU students have to pay these tuition fees up front when they begin their studies at UWE?

Eligible students will not have to pay up front for their tuition. The cost of tuition will be covered by a loan, which students will only start to repay once they are earning more than £21,000. See the undergraduate funding pages for further information on funding for fees and living costs.

Will current students already studying at the University be affected?

These changes only apply to students starting their course from September 2012, and includes deferred entrants who applied in 2011 (see information on deferrals below).

How will this affect postgraduate students?

The changes will not apply to postgraduate fees apart from the PGCE courses. The fees for PGCE courses are £9,000 for UK and EU students.

See the postgraduate fees and postgraduate funding pages for further information.

How will this affect international students?

The fee changes will not affect international students outside the EU. See the International student tuition fees pages for more information on 2012/13 fees.

Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish students who decide to study at UWE, receive their financial support from their 'home' devolved administration. Student support information will be available from Student Awards Agency for Scotland, Student Finance Northern Ireland and Student Finance Wales.

Will students who applied for the 2011 cycle but deferred to 2012 entry be affected?

Yes. Students who have deferred entry from 2011 to 2012 will come under the new arrangements in place from September 2012, and will be required to pay the revised tuition fees.

Will students who wish to 'top up' from a Foundation Degree to an Honours Degree be affected?

Students who start their ‘top-up’ year immediately after completing a Foundation Degree, DipHE, Cert HE or HND in 2011/12, will be charged fees and funding under the existing arrangements rather than under the new 2012 scheme.

This means that as long as the only gap between the lower level course and the degree course is the summer vacation, and the mode of attendance remains the same, students will retain the existing student support arrangements that were in place for their lower level course.

Students who do not start their 'top-up' immediately after completing their foundation degree will be subject to the tuition fee charge and student support.

Will students transferring to a new course in 2012 be charged the higher fee?

Students who started a course before September 2012 and now wish to transfer to a new course may be eligible for the lower fees.

If you have withdrawn from your current course, you will be charged the higher fees when you start your new course in September 2012. 

If you suspend from your current course and organise the transfer after 1 September 2012, you will stay on the current funding system and be charged the lower fees as long as your mode of study (ie part-time or full-time) has remain unchanged.

Is there any extra help for living costs?

Yes, eligible English-resident students will be able to apply for a maintenance loan of up to £5,500 if they are living away from home and studying at UWE.

On top of the maintenance loan, students from low income families may be entitled to a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to £3,250 towards living costs such as food, travel and accommodation.

See the undergraduate funding pages for further information on funding for fees and living costs.

How will students from low income families be supported?

The Office for Fair Access has approved UWE’s plans to support English-domiciled students from disadvantaged backgrounds with a package of support that includes pre-entry advice and access to paid internships once studies start.

Does UWE offer any additional scholarships or bursaries to help students?

UWE is providing over 1,000 Bursaries to English-resident undergraduates from lower income families (£25,000 or less). The Bursary will provide £1,000 to full-time students and a pro-rata amount to part-time students based on their intensity of study. For example, if you take 60 credits which is 50% of a full-time course, your bursary will be £500.

In addition, over 500 full-time students who receive a bursary will also receive an accommodation voucher of £2,000.

Priorities for the UWE Bursary are Access Students, Disabled Students, Care Leavers and Refugees. Students from areas of low participation in Higher Education and students from very low income families may also receive a bursary.

Visit our UWE Bursary pages for details on eligibility criteria and how to apply.