Fees & Funding for Higher Education
Tuition Fees for 2012 entry
Leeds College of Music is proposing to charge tuition fees of £9,000 for undergraduate courses, for UK and EU residents from 2012. This decision has been made after very careful consideration of the Government’s proposed changes to Higher Education funding, which means that students will have to cover the whole cost of the tuition themselves, rather than the Government paying part of it.
We will offer a generous package of financial support for those who need it most and over 30% of the additional fee income will be used to support students from lower income families and for measures to encourage suitable applicants from a wide range of backgrounds.
For those who have the potential to benefit from studying at Leeds College of Music, there should be no financial barriers.
Download our information sheet regarding Fees and Funding for 2012 entry here
Fees (2012 Entry)
Publicly Funded Courses
Undergraduate Degree
Home and EU students £9,000
International students (non-EU) £10,930*
Channel Isles and Isle of Man TBC
Audition fee £50*
Foundation Degree
Home and EU students (full-time) £9,000
Home and EU students (part-time) TBC
International students (non-EU) (full-time) £10,930*
Channel Isles and Isle of Man TBC
Audition fee £50*
Fees shown above are per year.
Full Cost Courses
Accelerated Degree
Home, EU and International students £18,000* for full course
Channel Isles and Isle of Man TBC
Audition fee £50*
Leeds College of Music Foundation Certificate
Home and EU students £7000* for full course
International students (non-EU) £10,000
Fees marked with * are 2011 fees; these fees are due to be updated for 2012 entry.
Students who enrol on the Accelerated Degree or Foundation Certificate will not be eligible to receive funding through the Student Loans Company. Students must be self-funded.
Tuition Fees – No upfront costs
Students will not be required to pay any tuition fees up-front or until after graduation and earning at least £21,000 per year. Tuition fee loans will be available to cover the full cost of tuition, regardless of household income, and this will be paid directly to the College. No matter how much you owe, you only pay back according to how much you earn above £21,000.
National Scholarship Programme
The College will also participate in the National Scholarship Programme, offering tuition fee reductions of £3,000 each, to 18 students in year 1, whose household income is below £18,000 and who achieve the highest scores at audition/interview. This programme is available to residents of England only.
Funding for living costs
Students will be able to apply for loans for living costs, of up to £5,500 if living away from home, and also non-repayable grants of up to £3,250, where the household income is less than £42,600. There is additional non-repayable help from the Government, for those with additional costs such as a Parents Learning Allowance and Childcare funding, for those with children, and the Disabled Students allowance to pay for any extra study costs related to a disability. In addition, the College will have a very generous bursary scheme to assist with living costs:
Repaying student loans
• You are required to start repaying loans for fees and living costs in the financial year after you graduate, but only if your annual income is above £21,000.
• If your income falls below £21,000, your repayments will stop.
• The repayment rate is 9% of your income, above the first £21,000, so the amount you repay will depend entirely on what you earn, not on how much you borrowed.
• If, after 30, years you have not repaid the full amount, the remainder of the loan will be written off.
Interest rates on Student loans
The loans for tuition fees and living costs will all be added together and interest will be applied at the rate of inflation, plus 3%, whilst you are studying and up to the April after you finish. From April the interest will be applied at;
• The rate of inflation if you are earning less than £21,000
• The rate of inflation plus up to 3% on a gradual scale for earnings between £21,000 and £41,000
For example, if you are earning £25,000 per year, your repayments would be £30.00 per month.
How your household income is assessed
Most applicants who will be under the age of 25 on 1st September 2012, will be assessed on the income of the parent(s) with whom they normally live. If the applicant only lives with one parent, but that parent has a partner or spouse who lives in the household, their income is included in the assessment. The income of a parent who lives elsewhere is not included.
Students who are married will be assessed as a couple, and students who are classed as independent or over 25, will be assessed on their own income and that of their partner where applicable. For 2012 entrants, the income assessment will normally be based on the tax year 2010 - 2011, however there is an opportunity to be re-assessed on the following tax year if there has been a significant reduction in income. You will be re-assessed for each year of the course.
Working out your budget
You can get an estimate of the amount of student finance you would be entitled to, before you actually apply, by using the Student Finance calculator at www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
There is also a detailed calculator at www.studentcalculator.org.uk
Applying for Student Finance
2012 applicants will be able to apply for student finance in one process via an on-line application system from around late November 2011.
New direct.gov website for 2012
For further information visit: www.direct.gov.uk/yourfuture
View information about Scholarships and Bursaries here
Please note that some information is provisional and subject to approval by the Office for Fair Access.