Financial Guide to Fees

Tuition and Exam/Registration Fees

The tuition fee covers the cost of delivering the course. The exam/registration fee is collected by the College and passed onto the awarding body for your qualification. It covers examination, assessment and certification costs. Exam/registration fees, if applicable to your course, are payable at time of enrolment, unless you qualify for an instalment plan.

Material Fees

Some courses may have additional fees for materials, uniforms, kit and other items. Your tutor will provide details of these.

Re-sit Fees

You will also be liable for any re-sit fees if applicable, these will be notified to you by your tutor and must be paid by the relevant deadline.

Payment made in full*

Annual course fees can be paid by logging on to student EBS Online Admissions Portal here. *Annual full course fees only

Payment made in instalments*

This option requires a deposit of 25% of your annual course fee, plus completion of a direct debit mandate form which enables the balance to be paid in three instalments throughout the academic year. You should bring credit/debit card details so that deposit can be taken. *The course must have an annual total fee in excess of £200 before this payment method can be used.

Fee Refunds

Course fees are non- refundable except when a course is cancelled by the College due to insufficient enrolment numbers. In this case students will be entitled to a full refund.

In exceptional unforeseen circumstances a refund request may be considered. Please Note once registered some Awarding Bodies do not offer refunds. An administration fee of £20 will be charged per refund generated.

Refund Request Form must be completed and forwarded to South West College Finance Department, 2 Mountjoy Road, Omagh, Co Tyrone BT79 7AH or email a scanned/photographed copy to accountsreceivable@swc.ac.uk.

Fees Paid by an Employer

If your employer is paying for your course a SWC Employer Fee Confirmation Form or email from employer must be completed and uploaded on the Portal on application stating their commitment to paying such fees, giving Name and Address for invoicing purposes. Please ensure Order Number is noted on the form if required by employer for invoicing purposes.

Instalment Plan

Courses with a total fee in excess of £200 can be paid in instalments as outlined below. A 25% deposit is required before commencement of course and the required balance in 3 or 4 equal instalments depending on the total fees due*.

Instalments must be set up via Direct Debit. Payments will be debited on or about the 5th of each month, commencing the month after enrolment. Completed Direct Debit forms must be submitted to student services / finance department, or returned by post to - Finance Department, 2 Mountjoy Road, Omagh, Co. Tyrone BT79 7AH. Download Direct Debit Mandate Form.

FULL FEE	PAYABLE	NO OF INSTALMENTS	MINIMUM MONTHLY DIRECT DEBIT
Less than or equal to £200	Full Fee Payable via Worldpay	N/A	N/A
£201 - £400	25% Deposit	3	£50
Greater than £400	25% Deposit	4	N/A

*Students will be notified of instalment dates at time of enrolment.

Further Education (FE) Award

If you are in receipt of an FE Grant from the Education Authority (EA) a copy of your award letter from the EA must be uploaded to the Portal at the time of application. Funding from the Education Authority (EA) closes at the end of October. Any enrolments after this date will not be considered and you will be liable for the full cost of tuition/examination fees.

Unpaid Fees

Failure to pay the required fees may result in one or more of the following:

• You may be withdrawn from your course
• You may not be able to sit exams for any SWC course you are enrolled on
• You may not be able to access College facilities or online access
• You may not be able to progress to the next year of your course
• You may be forwarded to the Debt Collection Agency

Student Debt from Previous Years

If you have a debt outstanding (part or full fees) from a previous year, you will not be allowed to enrol for a course in the new academic year. If an arrangement is agreed with the College and you are enrolled in the current year with debt outstanding (part or full fees) from a previous year, the College will set off any payments received in the current year against your outstanding debt i.e., the most recent payments will go against the oldest debt. You will have to pay your outstanding balance from the previous year and the current year tuition fees.

Reduced Fees

Some part time course tuition fees are offered at a 50% discount for selected individuals. Concessions are applied to course fees only and excludes examination and other costs.

Depending on your personal circumstances you may be eligible for a reduced tuition fee. If you qualify you MUST supply the necessary evidence detailed below at the time of application (current letter or proof on date of birth) or a completed Authorisation form signed by your local benefits office.

People Entitled to Reduced Fees	Evidence Required
Full time student in SWC	Yes
Guaranteed Pension Credit	Yes
Income Support	Yes
Income Related Employment and Support Allowance	Yes
Universal Credit where total income is confirmed as below the NHS Exemption Certificate qualifying threshold)	Yes
Income based Jobseekers Allowance	Yes
Rate Relief or Rate Rebate Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit (with an annual taxable income below the qualifying threshold as stated by HMRC)	Yes

HAVING DIFFICULTY PAYING FEES?

Students aged 18 years or over and experiencing financial hardship may apply to the Hardship Fund for financial assistance. Assistance from the hardship fund is means tested and can only be provided once all other sources of funding have been exhausted. Applications open September 2024.

Fees and Charges Policy

You can download the college's Fees and Charges Policy here