Fees and funding
Information for students starting in 2012
In December 2010, the UK Government voted to raise tuition fees for
English universities to a maximum of £9,000 per year, amid budget cuts to
institutions’ teaching budgets. These changes only apply to UK and EU
students wishing to study at a university in England, who are new entrants
to the university system from 2012 onwards.
What tuition fees will the University of Essex charge in 2012?
We are charging £9,000 a year for all our undergraduate courses starting
in 2012. Having the same tuition fee for all our courses means all our
students experience the same level of outstanding teaching in a modern
learning environment, while gaining the skills and experience to obtain a
graduate job. At the same time, we decided to abolish the fee for any student
undertaking a year of study away (such as study abroad or industrial placement) as part of
a four-year course. To ensure as many students as possible can access this opportunity, we
have introduced four-year study abroad options to the majority of our courses as we believe
this experience enhances your learning and widens your career prospects upon graduation.
The public funding that we receive from the Government for teaching has
been cut significantly and although this will be phased, we anticipate it
will eventually amount to a cut of more than £17 million a year, so we would
not be able to continue to deliver our high quality student experience
without alternative funding. The Government is also reducing funding to help
us to invest in new buildings and facilities, so our tuition fee will enable
us to continue and expand our investment in outstanding teaching and
learning opportunities for our students and to provide the best possible
facilities.
What financial support will the Government be offering me?
You will not have to pay your tuition fees up front as the Government
will provide UK and EU students with a tuition fee loan which you only start
to repay after graduation, once you are earning over £21,000. You will be
able to access these loans for their tuition fees, while grants (for those
from lower income families) and loans for maintenance support will also be
available.
If your family income is of up to £25,000, you will be entitled to a more
generous student maintenance grant of up to £3,250 which is non-repayable.
If your family income is up to £42,000, you will be entitled to a partial
grant. Maintenance loans will be available for all eligible full-time
students. More information on the student loan rates and maintenance grants
is available on the Government’s website.
What financial support will you be offering me?
We have developed a comprehensive package of scholarships and bursaries
to ensure we remain accessible to all students with the potential to
succeed, regardless of their financial circumstances. This includes
scholarships of £2,000 in the first year for the most able students, and
bursaries of £1,500 per year for those from families with household annual
incomes of up to £25,000 who meet the conditions of their offer.
A new National Scholarships Programme will provide £50 million in 2012,
rising to £150 million by 2014, to help fund bright potential students from
poorer backgrounds. We will be offering accommodation subsidies for eligible
students as part of this.
For students eligible for all elements of our University’s financial
support package, this amounts to approximately £5,500 in your first year of
study.
I am thinking of studying part-time. What are the funding arrangements
for me?
For the first time, part-time students will be entitled to a tuition fee
loan on the same basis as full-time students. This support will be available
if you complete a minimum of 25 per cent of the full time course load per
year, unlike previous tuition fee support package which required you to be
studying for over half of your time. Part-time students will not be eligible
for maintenance support.