International Tuition Fee Deposit Policy

This policy applies to all international applicants who are required to make a tuition fee deposit for the purposes of applying for admission to a programme of study at Aberystwyth University. Information about any deposit payment due will be included in your offer letter.

 By making a deposit payment you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of this policy. Before you pay your deposit you should be confident that Aberystwyth is your preferred choice for study, that you will achieve the academic grades required, be able to provide the correct documentation, satisfy the English language proficiency requirement, and provide acceptable financial evidence to secure a Student visa.

Any refund requests must be made in accordance with this policy and its deadlines. Aberystwyth University reserves the right to amend this policy at its discretion, and for any reason deemed fitting or necessary, without notice. 

Deposit cooling-off period:

There will be a 14-day cooling-off period from the date your deposit was made. During the 14-day cooling-off period you may request a deposit refund by the method outlined in this policy.

If you enrol within the 14-day cooling-off period, the cooling-off period will cease at the point of enrolment, at which point the University’s early withdrawal policy will apply. If you withdraw from the University after enrolment, as per the standard Aberystwyth University Early Withdrawal Policy, you may be eligible for a refund on any tuition fees paid over the amount of the deposit,
but the deposit will not be refunded unless extenuating circumstances can be evidenced.

Deposit refunds will NOT be considered if any of the following apply:

  1. The refund request is received more than 2 weeks after the course start date.
  2. Where a visa application has been refused by the Home Office: on the grounds of fraudulent activity, such as providing false, misleading or inconsistent information or the applicant has not submitted a request to UKVI for an administrative review, appeal or similar, having been advised by the University to do to.
  3. Where a CAS has been issued and you fail to attend the start of the programme or withdraw after enrolment.  The UKVI will be informed that you are not enrolled on the expected programme.
  4. No refunds will be made once your visa has been approved by the Home Office and you have arrived in the UK.
  5. Where an applicant has failed to arrange to take an appropriate English Language test.
  6. Where an applicant was offered and accepted a place on an alternative programme (either on English language or academic grounds). You may apply for a deposit refund within 14 days of the alternative offer being made, should you decide not to accept it. However, if an alternative offer is accepted, the original terms of the deposit policy apply and you would  not be entitled to a refund should you change your mind at a later date.
  7. Where an applicant changes their mind and decides not to study at Aberystwyth University In this case, you may request for the deposit to be rolled forward to the next intake if a deferral is requested and approved. Any deposits rolled forward will be non-refundable. 

Deposit refund request will be considered if one of the following applies:

  1. A refund request is made before the 14-day cooling off period ends.
  2. Where a student with a conditional offer to study at the University does not ultimately meet the conditions stated in their offer letter or does not meet the conditions to acquire a CAS for their visa. In that case you must, as appropriate:
    • submit your academic results to the University as soon as they are available, and by the deadline issued in your offer letter, for them to be considered by the Admissions Team
    • provide evidence of having taken a recognised English language study test, if necessary, by the deadline issued in your offer letter  If the University subsequently offers you an unconditional place on the programme to which you originally applied and you choose not to take up your place, your deposit payment will be retained.
  3. Where the applicant fails the University credibility assessment (recorded interview).
  4. Where the student is refused a student visa, provided the reason for the refusal is NOT due to a fraudulent application. To request a refund, you must submit a copy of the visa refusal document to the university.
  5. Where an applicant has applied for leave to enter/remain in the UK which has subsequently been refused by UKVI, and
    • the applicant can provide official documents including a transcript of any interview undertaken with UKVI as part of this process, and
    • the applicant can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the University, that they have not contributed in any way to the refusal, and
    • the applicant has followed any advice provided by the University in relation to their Student visa application
  6. Where the University substantially changes or cancels the programme after you have accepted an offer and paid the deposit. In such a case, you may be offered a place on an alternative course, or be entitled to a deposit refund.
  7. Other exceptional circumstances – which would prevent you from continuing your studies in the UK, for example, loss of financial support since the deposit was paid (such as a loss of funding or scholarship, or of redundancy unexpected at the time of the payment), or bereavement of an immediate family member. An application for this type of refund must be supported by certified documents verifying the situation, which have been approved by the appropriate official. Decisions regarding exceptional circumstance refunds are made at the discretion of the Head of Admissions and their nominees, whose decision is final.

Deferrals

  • Applicants may request a tuition fee deposit to be deferred, along with the offer of a place of study, for one academic year from the initial commencement date of the course.
  • Where a deposit has been paid and a deferral request has been approved, the deposit will automatically be carried over to the next cycle to secure the place on the programme.
  • It is not possible to both defer a place and receive a deposit refund.

Exemptions 

You are not required to pay a deposit in the following circumstances:

  • It is not stipulated in your offer letter.
  • You are in receipt of a full scholarship or funding (entire cost of tuition fees plus living costs) from a recognised sponsor or funding body.
  • You are in receipt of a bank, student, government or US Federal loan covering the entire cost of your tuition fees.
  • You are a current Aberystwyth University undergraduate student, studying on a full degree programme, and progressing to postgraduate study.

You may be asked to provide documentary evidence to exempt you from paying a deposit

Applying for a refund

You must be able to produce the relevant supporting documentation, eg: 

  • an academic transcript dated after the deposit was paid to show that you did not meet the conditions of your offer.
  • a visa refusal notice to show why your visa was refused.
  • evidence that an application for funding has been denied or that financial circumstances have changed significantly since the deposit was paid.
  • verifiable official documentation to support a claim of ill health or exceptional circumstances.

Tuition fee deposit refunds must be submitted, along with the appropriate evidence to the Admissions Office within 2 weeks of the original programme start date. Requests must be made to admissions@aber.ac.uk and include all of the following information in order to be considered:
1. Your applicant personal ID
2. Your full name
3. Date of birth
4. Details of the course you applied for
5. The reason for non-enrolment 

  • If your refund request is approved, your deposit will be returned, minus a £200 admin fee to cover bank fees and transfer charges. Refunds will be processed a minimum of 30 working days from that decision.
  • Any approved deposit refunds will be returned via the same method and to the same account from where the payment was received. This is a requirement under anti-money laundering laws. We cannot refund deposits to any other account or by any other mechanism of payment.
  • Please note that concessions cannot be made for fluctuations in the exchange rate.

Fraudulent Information

If you are found to have provided fraudulent or incorrect documentation in support of your university or UK visa application, or in requesting a deposit refund, the above policy will not apply. In 
such circumstances, any offer from the University will be invalidated and we will notify the appropriate authorities in the case of serious fraud or deception. In these cases, deposits will be  retained and there will be no entitlement to a refund. Where the University suspects fraud and may require additional checks, you must engage with the checking process to be considered for a refund.