Fees and student finance for courses starting in 2012

Please note: The fee changes are for UK and EU students only and do not affect international students who pay the overseas fee rate.

Tuition fees (or annual graduate contributions)

Kingston University will charge the following tuition fees to new full-time UK and EU undergraduates who start their courses in September 2012:

Course Tuition fee in 2012/13
Foundation Year in Science
Foundation Year in Engineering
Foundation Year in Computing, Information Systems and Maths		 £3,000
Foundation degrees in Early Years (including Management & Leadership and Special Educational Needs) £3,500
All other foundation degrees £6,000
Pharmacy MPharm
Architecture BA(Hons)
Fashion BA(Hons)
Film Making BA(Hons)
Fine Art BA(Hons)
Graphic Design BA(Hons)
Graphic Design and Photography BA(Hons)
Illustration and Animation BA(Hons)
Interior Design BA(Hons)
Landscape Architecture BA(Hons)
Photography BA(Hons)
Product Design BA(Hons)
Product and Furniture Design BA(Hons)
 £9,000
All other degrees; all Higher National Diploma (HND) courses £8,500

All other extended undergraduate masters courses (such as MChem, MCom, MPharmSci and MEng) will have a fee of £8,500 per year for years 1, 2 and 3 and a lower fee of £5,000 for the fourth year.

These fees are annual and increase in line with inflation each year.

When will I have to pay the fees?

Eligible students who are studying for their first undergraduate degree will not have to pay these fees up front. A loan is available from the Government to cover the cost of tuition so you don’t have to find the money to pay your tuition costs before or while you are studying. You won’t have to start repaying the loan until you are earning over £21,000 a year.

The loan will also be available to European Union students and part-time students studying at least 25% (30 credits) per year. However, if you already hold an honours degree, or another qualification at the same level, you will not qualify for this loan.

What would I be eligible for to cover my living expenses?

There will be a loan for living costs to help with expenses such as accommodation, travel, books and course materials and food. There are three different rates of loan:

  • Up to £7,675 if you live away from home and study at a university in London, such as Kingston.
  • Up to £5,500 if you live away from home and study at a university outside London (this applies to Kingston University students studying at Marshalls Aerospace, Newcastle Aviation Academy, KLM UK Engineering Norwich, Exeter College or any other course which is taught outside Greater London).
  • Up to £4,375 if you live with your parents while studying.

There will also be a non-repayable grant for living costs of £3,250 for students whose household income is less than £25,000. A partial grant is payable if household income is less than £42,600. The grant replaces up to £1,625 of the loan.

What about scholarships and fee waivers?

Please check back regularly as we will post more information about our scholarship schemes as soon as it is available.

When would I have to pay back my loans?

The earnings threshold at which student loans become repayable will increase from £15,000 per year to £21,000 per year for students who start courses in September 2012 or later. You would become liable to start repaying the loans after April 2016. If you earn less than £21,000 you will not be liable to make any repayments.

Once you are required to make repayments, you will pay 9% of the earnings above £21,000 – so a graduate earning £25,000 per year will be liable to pay £360 over the year, or £30 a month. The amount of the repayment is £45 per month lower than for students who start courses before September 2012. The rate of interest charged on the loans when they are being repaid will also increase as graduate earnings increase. A graduate earning less than the repayment threshold of £21,000 will be charged interest equivalent to the rate of inflation. Graduates with a higher income will be charged a higher rate of interest on a sliding scale, up to a maximum level of inflation plus 3%.

The repayment period will also be extended from the current maximum of 25 years to a maximum of 30 years.

What if I had an offer of a place in 2011 and have deferred until 2012?

You will be funded under the new system and charged the tuition fees shown above.

I already hold an honours degree and want to do another one starting after 2012. How will the proposals affect me?

Your fees will be the same as those above but you will not qualify for any help from the Government for either tuition fees or living costs and you will not qualify for either a National Scholarship or a Kingston Scholarship.

I am from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. How does this affect me?

The tuition fees will be the same as for students from England but you will be able to apply for the package of student finance available to students from the Welsh Assembly Government, Scottish Government or Northern Ireland Executive (depending on where you come from).

Students from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not eligible for the National Scholarship Programme as this is only available to students from England. You can, however, apply for a Kingston Scholarship.

I am an EU student intending to study in England – will this apply to me?

EU students from outside the UK that meet certain eligibility criteria will be able to apply for the loan for tuition fees. Most EU students will not be entitled to support for their living costs although you can apply for the £2,000 fee waiver element of the National Scholarship.

Updated 25 November 2011