Terms Of Postgraduate Offers

All applicants who accept an offer of a place on a postgraduate programme will be bound by the University's own domestic legislation, for example, its statutes, ordinances, regulations and rules. Details of these may be found at:

• Charter, Statutes & Ordinances: www.lancaster.ac.uk/users/GAP/GAP2007/Charter-Statutes-Ordinances.pdf
• Complaints Procedure: www.lancaster.ac.uk/users/GAP/GAP2010/studentcomplaintprocedure.pdf
• Manual of Academic Regulations & Procedures: gap.lancs.ac.uk/ASQ/QAE/MARP
• Postgraduate Handbook: www.lancaster.ac.uk/sbs/registry/docs/PG/PGHandbook.pdf
• Rules of the Library: libweb.lancs.ac.uk/g26
• Rules of the University: gap.lancs.ac.uk/policy-info-guide/5-policies-procedures/rules-of-the-university

Please note that further advice and information specific to individual programmes may apply to your offer and this will be indicated in the 'Additional Information' section of your offer.

Terms Applying To All Programmes

1.0 Acceptance

If you do not communicate your acceptance of an offer of study by the date indicated in your offer, we will not be able to guarantee you a place on your programme of study. You may communicate your acceptance of an offer of study with the University before meeting any conditions stated on the offer. However, if you do not subsequently meet the conditions by the required time, you will not be entitled to a place on the programme to which the University's offer applied.

2.0 Accommodation

Information will be sent to you automatically after you accept an offer of study. This does not apply if:

• you are accepted onto a distance-learning or part-time programme.
• your offer states that you will be studying away from the University.

3.0 Fees for study

Postgraduate tuition fees comprise charges for registration, tuition and examination for your programme. Fees are compulsory and must either be paid in full at registration or - for self-financing students only - be paid in two instalments (see 3.1 below). Please be aware that fees information contained within your offer or elsewhere published by the University may relate to the current academic year (rather than the one to which you are applying). If this is the case, it will be clearly labelled to show this. Tuition fees are set by the University no later than March each year for entry from the following October. Fees for the academic year 2012/13 are published on the University's website.

3.1 Self-financing students

If you are self-financing, you must either pay your fees in full at registration or pay the first instalment in full at registration.

For self-financing students, tuition fees may be paid in two equal instalments at the start of the Michaelmas and Lent terms (October and January); each instalment will be 50% of the total annual fee. For example, if the total tuition fee is £15,650, the instalment payments would be £7,825 and £7,825. Any payments you have already made (deposits) and/or any payment already made on your behalf (for example, faculty scholarships) will be deducted.

You will be notified of the amount of the instalment payments which apply for your programme at or prior to registration. Instalments must be paid no later than the last day of the first week of the University term in which they fall due, with the first instalment due on the day of registration.

Any student who does not pay the first instalment in full at registration may forfeit the right to pay by instalments and may be required to pay the annual fee in full immediately.

Any payment made 14 or more days after the due date will be subject to a late payment fee; this fee is currently £30. Further details are available from the University's Finance Office (Credit Control section) upon request.

3.2 Students who are sponsored

If you are being sponsored financially during your degree programme, you will need to arrange for a letter to be sent by your sponsor, confirming that they will be responsible for all or part payment of your fees. This letter must be received by the University before the start of your programme of study. Invoices cannot be raised to any outside party unless you provide a statement from your sponsor confirming their sponsorship intentions.

The statement of sponsorship letter should include the full details of the amount and duration of the funding, the address to which invoices should be sent and any reference/order number which should be quoted on the invoice. This letter must be issued on your sponsor's letter-headed paper and should be addressed to the Faculty Admissions Office that is handling your admission. We can only accept written or faxed sponsor instructions; please refer to your offer for the relevant contact details. Please note that if your programme is an executive programme hosted by the Management Development Division (MDD) or the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (IEED), you should consult either MDD or IEED for the relevant procedure.

Please note that without accepted proof of scholarship, you will be deemed personally liable for the full sum of your fees and invoiced accordingly. The University retains the right to make a final decision as to whether or not proof of sponsorship is satisfactory.

3.3 Payment of fees

You are welcome to pay your fees in advance of registration. You may make payments by most major credit cards (except American Express and Diners Club), UK-issued debit card, bank transfer or by UK-issued cheque. For full details of payment methods, please refer to '8.1 - Making payments'.

Shortly after registration, self-financing students will be issued with an invoice detailing the full fee liability for information purposes. Please refer to 'Section 3.1 - Self-financing students' for further information.

If you are an international student from a country where it is a legal obligation to apply for permission to transfer money to the UK, please ensure that you do so well in advance. Where exchange controls exist, you will be expected to have cleared any money transfer before you commence your studies at the University.

3.4 Fee debt procedures

The University has rules and regulations regarding tuition fee debt; these allow for any student who is in debt to the University being excluded. Regulations relating to fee debt are published in Section F7 of the University's Manual of Academic Regulations & Procedures - the internet address from which these regulations may be accessed is in the introductory paragraph of this document.

4.0 Financial support: bursaries, scholarships and studentships

Our offer of admission carries no implication that Lancaster University will provide financial assistance. Before registration, you must make arrangements to ensure that you have adequate financial support for the duration of your programme of study. Failure to meet all financial obligations such as payment of fees and University accommodation charges at the stipulated times may result in exclusion from the University.

5.0 Timing of studies

Your programme team/academic unit will give you precise information relating to the timing of your studies. Full details of the University's registration procedures will be sent to you after you accept the offer of study.

6.0 Nationals who require UK visas to enter or transit the United Kingdom

It is your responsibility to make sure you identify whether you require a UK visa, and then to understand, meet, and comply with these immigration requirements. If you require a visa, the University must sponsor you. You cannot use an existing Tier 4 visa issued for another institution. Please read the UK Border Agency's (UKBA) website at: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk for information about immigration requirements. For further advice and guidance, you may contact the University's International Student Advisory Service by email: international.support@lancaster.ac.uk.

Some postgraduate programmes in the UK require visa nationals to have an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. If you will be studying on a Tier 4 (general) visa and your programme of study requires ATAS clearance then you must apply for an ATAS certificate. You must have been issued with an ATAS certificate before you apply for your Tier 4 (general) visa. You will not be allowed to start your programme of study at Lancaster University without an ATAS certificate if it is required by the UKBA.

For more information regarding ATAS, please read the Foreign & Commonwealth Office's website at: www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/atas/.

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7.0 Deferrals

Any condition of entry to the University included in an offer is valid for the academic year of entry you have applied for. Should an offer be deferred, these conditions may be subject to changes in entry requirements, as determined by the University.

Terms Applying To Programmes Requiring Deposits

8.0 Payment of deposits

In order to accept an offer of study on a programme which requires a deposit to be paid, you must pay in full the sum stated in the offer.

Any deposit will be credited to your fee account at Lancaster University and will be deducted from the total fee payable at registration. Interest is not paid.

If we do not receive a valid payment to the value in pound sterling (GBP) stated in the offer by the date indicated, we will not be able to guarantee you a place on your chosen programme of study.

8.1 Making payments

Please ensure that the person making a payment quotes your postgraduate application number so that we can record the payment correctly.

You may make payments of deposits and/or fees by:

• credit card (except American Express or Diners Club) on our website at: www.lancaster.ac.uk/online-payments.
• UK-issued debit card on our website at: www.lancaster.ac.uk/online-payments.
• sending a cheque from a UK bank account to the value in pound sterling (GBP) stated in the offer. If paying by cheque, please ensure you write your name and application number on the back of the cheque.

Alternatively, if you wish to make a direct bank transfer payment to the University, please quote the following details to your bank.

The following information may also be helpful in certain circumstances:

8.2 Deposit refunds

The fee deposit is not normally refundable except in the following circumstances:

• failure to meet one or more academic conditions set in the offer (after a reasonable attempt has been made),
• refusal of necessary entry clearance (visa) to enter the United Kingdom for a Lancaster University programme.

Documentary evidence of the above needs to be provided before a refund request will be considered.

A deposit refund may also be requested in exceptional mitigating circumstances, as long as official documentary evidence is provided in support of the request, for example a doctor's certificate in the event of a serious illness.

You must provide the University with a written request for refund no later than 30 days after the start date of your programme as detailed on your offer.