Fee Information
Course Fees Policy
If you require further details on any of the information within this document, please contact the College Information Centre on freephone: 0800 980 2185 or email: cic@wlc.ac.uk
Sections:
Introduction
The fee that you pay for your chosen course(s) depends on your personal circumstances and we have to assess a number of factors, such as your age, status and any benefits that you receive to reach a decision. In this section, we hope that the information provided will help you to understand how much, if anything, you will need to pay.
Important:
The rules, regulations and information that we have given in this guide are correct at the time of publication to the website, however, we cannot guarantee that changes will not occur before you come to enrol and start your course.<top>
Is this information available in other languages or formats?
Information about fees is available in the following languages: Arabic, Kurdish, Persian, Polish and Somali. To receive these documents, please email marketing@wlc.ac.uk
To request this information in an accessible format, such as large-print or Braille, please contact the College Information Centre on freephone: 0800 980 2185 or email: cic@wlc.ac.uk
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College Fees
The fees charged by the College are as follows:
- Enrolment fee – this is a one-off charge of £20, payable when you join the College.
- Course fee/s – unless stated, this fee includes all tuition costs. In some instances, registration and examination fees will be additional to the course fee.
- Registration/Examination fees – In order to enrol on certain courses at the College, you may be required to pay a fee for registration, examinations, certifications or accreditations with an awarding/professional body. If this applies to you, we will let you know at the earliest possible stage so that you can register directly with the relevant organisation.
- Extra costs – These may include equipment, field trips, books, special clothing or other similar items.
- Commercial Activity Programmes (CAP) – for these courses we are unable to offer any discounts or reductions so the full cost has to be paid by everyone, regardless of age, status or circumstances.
International enrolment fees for full-time courses (2008-09) are:
- English as a Foreign Language: £2,775
- Postgraduate Diploma: £5,300
- Foundation Degree (FdA/FdSc) or Higher National Diploma (HND) courses: £5,500
- All other full-time courses: £4,750
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Assessment and Status
We look at the information that you provide us with on your application and enrolment forms in order to confirm the fee that you will be charged. This is called ‘assessing your status for fee purposes’. If you tell us you are receiving certain income-based benefit(s) or that you have a special visa on your passport or immigration papers, we will ask you to bring in the original documents to verify this information and may also take a photocopy for our records. This is very important as it may mean that you will qualify to pay a reduced fee for your chosen course.
The College charges different levels of fees and the two most common ones are Home and
International. The main difference between them is that Home fees are partly funded by the Learning & Skills Council (LSC), which makes them significantly lower than International fees. It is often the case that not everyone studying the same course will have paid the same fee. <top>
Employer-Sponsored Students
If your employer has agreed to pay for you to study at the College, we will invoice them directly for payment of fees associated with the course. You will not be able to complete enrolment without providing us with a letter from your employer, on company headed paper, that details the company name, address and a signature from your manager confirming that they will be responsible for the cost of the course. Should a circumstance arise where we do not receive the course fees from your employer, the responsibility for payment of course fees automatically reverts to the student. Further information is available during enrolment. <top>
Do I pay the Home or International fee?
The rules that we use to decide whether you pay the Home or International fee are complex and vary depending on your personal circumstances. Please use the following information as a guideline:
You are a Home student if you:
- Have lived in the UK, without any restrictions on your right of stay, for at least three years before the start of the course.
- Are a European Union national (passport holder) with three years ordinary residence in the area of the European Union.
- Have been granted refugee status in the UK
- Are an asylum seeker who is in receipt of income-based benefits or receiving support from the National Asylum Support Service, Home Office or similar agencies.
- Have indefinite or exceptional leave to remain or enter the United Kingdom or have been granted humanitarian protection or discretionary leave in the UK.
Please note: the examples listed above are the main ways of obtaining Home status and, in some instances, may also apply to your spouse, civil partner or child. Don’t worry if you do not meet any of the above requirements, it does not mean that you will automatically be classed as an International student.
Please contact the College to discuss your individual circumstances with an experienced member of staff.
You are an International student if you:
- Do not meet the criteria defining a Home student.
- Are a European Union national but do not have three years ordinary residence in the area of the European Union.
- Are in possession of a student visa (irrespective of your length of residence in the UK).
- Are somebody whose main reason for being in the UK is for the purpose of receiving education.
- Are in possession of a tourist visa.
- Have not lived in the UK, without any restrictions on your right of stay, for at least three years before the start of the course.
Please note: the examples listed above are the main ways of obtaining International status. Apart from student visas and tourist visas, the Home Office and Immigration & Nationality Department issue other types of visas which may make you eligible for International status. In some instances, it may be possible to qualify as a Home student even if you meet some of the above requirements. Please contact the College to discuss your individual circumstances with an experienced member of staff.
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Help with the Cost of Studying
You should not assume that you will be able to fund your studies by working during your course. You will need to check whether and to what extent you are permitted to work if in the country on a student visa, and also to check the availability of work. It may be a condition of entry that you are able to demonstrate your ability to support yourself (and any dependants) from your own resources. Before you arrive in the UK, you should contact your own ministry of education or education department for details of scholarship opportunities for students wishing to study in the United Kingdom. They can advise you of your own Government’s conditions for studying abroad. You could also contact the British Council office in your country for guidance: www.britishcouncil.org 
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find new sponsorship or other financial help once you are in the UK. If you get into unavoidable financial trouble once you have started your course, you may have to consider deferring your studies for a year whilst you return home to look for new funding. Please note: under immigration rules, it is not permitted for you to take a year out from your studies to work in the UK.
Part-time work
Subject to conditions on your visa, you may be allowed to work for up to 20 hours per week during term-time and full-time during College holiday periods (you will probably have a stamp in your passport which says ‘Work and any other changes must be authorised’). You can earn approximately £5,200 - £8,000 per year in this way.
18+ Student Oyster Photocard
You must be 18 years old or over and fully-enrolled on a full-time course, consisting of 15 or more tuition led and/or structured learning hours a week over a period of at least 14 weeks. Please contact Transport for London (TfL) for further details: www.tfl.gov.uk
Application forms are available from the College and there is a charge of £5.
Depending on your residency status, you may be eligible to apply for the Learner Support Fund, Education Maintenance Grant, Adult Learning Grant or College Hardship Fund. View more in our Financial Support section.
Private Trusts & Charities
Most private trusts and charities can only offer small amounts of money (£200 - £500) and many will only consider applications from students in their final few months of study. To find out more, please visit the website of the UK Council for International Student Affairs:
www.ukcosa.org.uk
Other useful websites:
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Payments & Refunds
Payment Methods
You can pay by cash, cheque or most major credit cards (except for American Express and Diners Club). Unfortunately we cannot accept foreign currencies (including the Euro) and we can only take cheques from banks with branches in the United Kingdom.
Deposits and tuition fees can be paid by:
- Credit card
- Banker’s draft drawn on a UK bank, and made payable to Hammersmith & West London College
- Bank transfer to: Barclays Bank, Hammersmith Branch,
Account number: 60444839,
Sort Code: 20-35-90
Please ensure that you clearly indicate your student name in full when you are making your payment.
Once you have paid your deposit, the balance of your fees must be paid on arrival at the College in order to complete enrolment. The College does not refund tuition fees. <top>
Payment of Fees
Generally, the College expects all fees to be paid in full prior to the start of the course. In certain countries, to attain a UK study visa, all course fees must be paid in full prior to departure from the country of origin and visa clearance officers require evidence of payment. Additionally, they may require proof that you have sufficient funds for maintenance to last for the duration of your study period.
If you start the course after the published start date, the College reserves the right to charge the full cost of the course.
The College always requires a deposit of £2,000 to reserve a place on a full-time course for international students. This is payable with your application and a receipt will be provided.
Full-time Student Visa and Non-Student Visa Holders
If you are a full-time student visa or non-student visa holder you will have paid a deposit of £2,000. Generally, the College requires the remaining outstanding fees to be paid in full before the start of the course.
In exceptional circumstances, the International Office may agree that the remaining fees can be paid as follows:
- 25% (of outstanding fee) before the start of the course
- The remainder by no later than 31 January 2009
Where the total course fee is less than £2,000, full payment is required before the start of the course irrespective of the circumstances.
For part-time courses starting in September 2008 and finishing in June 2009
If your fees are £300 or over, and if there are very exceptional circumstances, the International Office may agree to part-payments as follows:
- 50% before the start of the course
- 50% by no later than 30 November 2008
For part-time courses lasting for one term or over, but not a full year
If your fees are £300 or over, and if there are very exceptional circumstances, the International Office may agree to part-payments as follows:
- 50% before the start of the course
- 50% to be paid no later than six weeks from the start of the course
For enquiries regarding international fees please email intoff@wlc.ac.uk
Our Refund Policy
The College will only offer you a refund for course fees paid in the event that a course does not run, is cancelled after a few classes or in very exceptional circumstances. We will also refund your fees if the College makes changes to the course time or day and this means you are unable to attend.
The following guidelines will demonstrate when the College can refund an International deposit payment or course fee and advise you how to complete the refund application form.
Refund applications for reasons other than student visa refusals will not be considered. The College reserves the right to retain the whole deposit amount. <top>
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get a refund if I want to study at another College after my arrival in the UK?
No, refund applications from those wishing to study at another institution will not be considered unless:
- In the event of course or class cancellation
- In case of very exceptional circumstances.
You will need to present:
- Unconditional offer letter from your chosen institution or
- Official documents supporting/explaining the exceptional circumstances.
- If you have already enrolled, the calculated pro-rata fees will be transferred directly to the new institution or the full fees if you didn’t start the course with us.
- Due to changes in immigration laws you may need to reapply for a new visa. These changes might be applicable to you – please check with staff at your current or future institution.
- You or your new institution should inform the Home Office about your transfer.
Will I get a refund if I want to leave the College without completing my course and return to my home country?
In case of very exceptional circumstances you will need to present:
- Official documents supporting your decision to withdraw because of exceptional circumstances
- A copy of your flight tickets
- On arrival in your home country send us a copy of your student visa cancellation.
If you have already enrolled, the calculated pro rata fees will be refunded deducting a £500 administration fee. If you have not started the course a refund deducting £500 will then be issued.
How can I get a refund application form?
Refund application forms are available from the International Office and from Reception at the College.
What do I have to write on the refund application form?
Please indicate the reason for your application. It is very important to include to whom the refund cheque should be made payable and to what address it should posted to.
How do I know if I will get a refund?
If you do not qualify for a refund, you will be informed in writing.
How long will it take to receive the refund?
It takes a minimum of 4 weeks for the College to process a refund application - from the time that full supporting documentation is received.
Refusal of Student Visa Application
In the case of applicants whose student visa application is declined by the British authorities:
If you inform the International Office at least one day before the start of your course (date shown on acceptance letter) and explain the reasons for nonarrival, a refund will be issued deducting an administration fee of £500 from the full amount paid.
You must also provide the following documents:
- Original Certificate of Acceptance letter issued by the College.
- Refusal documents issued by the British Embassy or High Commission.
- Refund application form.
Exceptional Circumstances for Refund Refusal
- You did not inform the College about the reason(s) for your non-arrival or deferral at least one day before the start of your course.
- You did not submit the requested three documents after visa refusal and before the course start date.
- If you decide to leave the course or are withdrawn from the College because of non-attendance or non-payment of fees. Your details will be passed to the Home Office.
- If the refusal document issued by the British Embassy or High Commission indicates that you presented fraudulent documents or information at interview or that you were inadequately prepared for your visa interview so could not answer relevant questions about the college or your chosen course.
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