Students
Undergraduate
Fees and funding
To find out fees and funding information for September 2011 / February 2012 entry, go to our 2011 fees page, or our 2011 help with funding page.
Fees and funding for 2012 entry - frequently asked questions
From September 2012, the University of West London will be charging new full-time home students a standard fee of £7,500. With the exception for students who register on specialist Arts courses the fee will be £7,670. For those studying on specialist music and performance courses, the fee will be £8,200 to reflect the one-to-one tuition requirements and the cost of specialist equipment.This page may help you answer some of the questions you have about September 2012 entry. Also see the Directgov film, which gives you the facts on student finance, featuring pupils, recent graduates and Martin Lewis of Moneysavingexpert.
Please note that the information on this page is for home students only (ie non-international students). International students should see the international area of this website for information about fees and funding.
Muslim students should also see our funding for Muslim students page.
1. Do I have to pay my tuition fees up front?
2. What financial support will be available to me?
3. Will scholarships be available?
4. I have applied to start university in September 2011, what will my fees be?
5. Will current students have to pay more when they study in 2012/13?
6. What happens if I want to take a gap year in 2011/12?
7. What will the fees be at The University of West London?
8. How do I repay my tuition fees?
9. Why do I need to pay more fees for specialist music and performance courses?
1. Do I have to pay my tuition fees up front?
No, undergraduate students will not need to pay their tuition fees up front.
The cost will be covered by a loan which students will only start to repay once they have finished their course and are earning over £21,000.
2. What financial support will be available to me
Full-time students may be entitled to a grant of up to £3,250 towards living costs such as food, accommodation and travel. Students from families with incomes up to £42,000 will be entitled to a partial grant.
Loans for living costs are available for all eligible full-time students.
From 2012, loans for tuition fees will be extended to eligible part-time first-degree students who complete a minimum of 25% of the full-time course load per year. Part-time students are not eligible for maintenance loans or grants.
Students from lower income families will be able to benefit from a new £150m National Scholarships Programme. The details are yet to be finalised – we will provide further information once they are known.
Universities charging above £6,000 a year for any course will need to meet tough conditions to ensure that students from all income groups can access those courses. They will be monitored by the Office for Fair Access, which can take action against universities that fail to deliver on their access commitments www.offa.org.uk
3. Will scholarships be available?
Scholarships will help students cover tuition and living costs. Keep checking our website for up-to-date information.
4. I have applied to start university in September 2011, what will my fees be?
Students starting in 2011 will not be affected, and will continue under the present funding arrangements.
5. Will current students have to pay more when they study in 2012/13?
No, students already at university and continuing their course will be eligible for the same package of funding as when they entered their course.
6. What happens if I want to take a gap year in 2011/12?
Students who defer entry from 2011 to 2012 will come under the new arrangements in place from September 2012.
7. What will the fees be at The University of West London?
Our standard tuition fee for September 2012 for new home students will be £7,500. For students who register on specialist Arts courses the fee will be £7,670 and for students studying on specialist music and performance courses, the fee will be £8,200.
8. How do I repay my tuition fees
You will only start to repay your tuition and maintenance loan after you have left higher education and are earning at least £21,000 (up from £15,000 currently).
You will only start repaying in the April after you finish higher education, even if you already earn over £21,000. If for any reason your income falls below £21,000 your repayments will be suspended.
Repayments will be nine percent of income above £21,000, so the amount repaid each month will depend on earnings. Someone earning £21,500, for example – currently the salary of a newly-qualified teacher – would initially make repayments of just £4 per month. The monthly repayment would increase to £23 for someone earning £24,000 per year; £30 on a salary of £25,000; £45 on £27,000; and £68 on £30,000.
The £21,000 threshold will increase in line with earnings from 2016 onwards.
All outstanding repayments will be written off after 30 years.
The repayment process is simple as it will be deducted automatically from your pay packet through the tax system. Interest on your loan will be charged at inflation plus three percent while you are studying, and up until the April after you finish university.
From the April after you finish university if you are earning below £21,000, interest will be applied at the rate of inflation.
Graduates earning between £21,000 and £41,000 will be charged interest on a sliding scale up to a maximum of inflation plus three percent.
Graduates earning above £41,000, will be charged interest at the full rate of inflation plus three percent.
Further information can be obtained at the following websites:
http://studentfinance-yourfuture.direct.gov.uk/resources or www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
9. Why do I need to pay more fees for specialist music and performance courses?
This charge is to provide extra facilities, experiences, opportunities and extracurricular activity beyond the usual subject provision to enrich the student experience.
The fees are used to provide some of the following:
- equipment
- software
- student development activity
- addition tuition (to enhance skills)
- accompaniment (Music performance and Musical theatre)
- Master classes
- concerts hiring
- music and theatre venues visits and trips.
Students
