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Frequently Asked Questions
Full Time
Further Education (FE) Courses
Students aged under 19 years on 1st July all full-time FE courses are FREE (however, the student will need to pay for any examination resits). For Students aged 19 or over on 1st July, there are no tuition fees for vocational (applied) FE courses at Level 3 or below.
Students aged 19 or over on 1st July and studying on a non-applied AS/A2 level course fees will be charged.
Higher Education (HE) Courses
Fees are applicable for all HE courses. The rate of fees that the student will pay depends upon where the student lives. Northern Ireland domiciled* students can apply for assistance with Tuition fee costs and other costs from Student Finance NI.
* Where Northern Ireland is the student's permanent home
Students from England, Scotland and Wales will pay a higher rate of tuition fees and should contact the agencies below for further information on the support available:
Student Finance England (in England) www.gov.uk/student-finance
Student Awards Agency for Scotland (in Scotland) www.saas.gov.uk
Student Finance Wales (in Wales) www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
International Students
For International Student fee rates please contact our International Students Department. Email: international@serc.ac.uk
Part Time
Fee payment is required for part-time courses. Our online course finder details the fee payments required for each course. The College does offer some free courses e.g. Essential Skills.
Full Time
Fees charged are only for the current academic year. Students are required to enrol and pay fees each year when undertaking a two or three-year course.
Students must complete a direct debit mandate and a fees liability form at enrolment.
Students who withdraw from their course are still liable for payment of their fees.
HE students should refer to the Fees Policy Appendix C
Payment of fees can be made by cash, cheque, credit/debit card.
Part Time
Fees are payable at the time of enrolment. Fees charged are only for the current academic year.
Students are required to enrol and pay fees each year when undertaking a two, or a three, year course.
Payment can be made by cash, cheque, credit or debit card.
Full Time
Yes, at enrolment you are required to complete a direct debit mandate and sign a fees liability form. Direct debit payments will be collected as
25% on 1st November (by direct debit)
25% on 2st December (by direct debit)
50% on 3rd February (by direct debit)
Please note:
Default in any payment will result in a £10 administration fee.
Default in any payment will result in enrolment on the course/programme of study becoming invalid.
FE Students who withdraw from their course are still liable for payment of their fee in full and therefore all direct debit payments will be collected.
Part Time
When the total fee payable, after any concessionary fee has been deducted, is over £300 it is possible to pay by instalments. The instalment plan is made via a direct debit payment plan arrangement. The direct debit arrangement is only available for enrolments on or before the second week of the class by completing a direct debit mandate.
The deposit payable at the time of enrolment is 25% of the total course fee.
For September enrolments, two instalment payments will then be collected as follows:
25% on 2 December 2019 (by direct debit)
50% on 3 February 2020 (by direct debit)
For January/February enrolments, two instalment payments will then be collected as follows:
25% on 2 March 2020 (by direct debit)
50% on 1 May 2020 (by direct debit)
Note: Default in any payment will result in a £10 administration fee and will result in enrolment on the course/programme of study becoming invalid.
Students who withdraw from their course are still liable for payment of their fee in full and therefore all direct debit payments will be collected.
Concessionary fees are only applicable to tuition fees of some part-time accredited courses.
Concessionary fees do not apply to all courses. Concessions do not apply to examination or other costs included in the overall course fee. Non-Accredited courses are not entitled to concessions.
Please view our website course finder or call 0345 600 7555 for details on whether concessionary fees are available for your chosen course.
Concessions are made available by the College to individual self-paying students. Organisations and employers who sponsor students are not entitled to the concessionary fee. There are two exceptions to this i) payment of part-time tuition fees by Student Finance NI ii) payment of part-time tuition fees by the Prince’s Trust. In both instances, evidence to support the concessionary fee rate must be presented at the point of enrolment.
Where a student qualifies for more than one concession, the highest value concession only will be applied.
The College reserves the right to change or withhold concessions.
For details on eligibility for concessionary fees please view the Concessionary fees section
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Evidence must be submitted at the time of enrolment,
If you do not have an up to date copy of your evidence of benefit you can download the Evidence of Benefit Form and have it completed by the relevant Social Security or NI Housing Executive Office.
Self-paying part-time students, with a course fee greater than £300, will receive a 5% discount on the tuition fee element of their course fees if they pay in full at the point of enrolment.
Full Time
Higher Education Funding
Student Finance NI, through the Educational Authority, administer financial support to Higher Education students in Northern Ireland in conjunction with the Student Loans Company (SLC). Please refer to Student Financial Support Section on our website for details on how to apply. The Student Loans Company will make tuition fee award payments directly to the College, on the student’s behalf, after confirmation of enrolment and attendance is received.
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Students who have received their award letter from Student Finance NI must present this to Customer Services. The amount of the award will be deducted from the total fee and the student will be invoiced for any remaining fee. Students who have not received their award letter from Student Finance NI must sign a liability form and complete the direct debit mandate. Confirmation of funding from Student Finance NI must be submitted to Customer Services in the College as soon as it is received. The amount of the award will be deducted from the total fee and the student will be invoiced for any remaining fee. In all circumstances, the student is responsible for the payment of the total fee whether they complete the course or not. In the event of Student Loans Company not releasing the full amount of the award, the student will be required to pay the remaining balance of the total fee.
Part Time
Further Education
A student who is already approved for funding from Student Finance NI, in the form of
A student who does not have funding in place at enrolment will be required to pay the full course fee at the point of enrolment, unless criteria for payment by instalment is satisfied.
Once funding has been approved by Student Finance NI the student must present their award letter to Customer Services.
If the award covers the total fee, the College will refund the amount already paid. The College will cancel any direct debit agreement and issue the refund prior to 1 December 2018.
If the award does not cover the total fee, the student remains liable for any balance remaining. If paying by instalments, the College will proceed with the direct debit for the remaining fees on the notified dates.
In all instances, the College will refund to the student any overpayments that have been made to their account and owed to the student.
In the event of Student Finance NI not releasing the full amount of their award (for example by reason of student withdrawal), the student will be required to pay the remaining balance of the total fee.
Higher Education
Part-Time Higher Education students can apply for assistance in the form of a
- Deposit of 25% of the course fee
- Submit completed direct debit mandate at enrolment
- Complete PTL form via the SFNI website
If approved for funding the award letter must be submitted to Customer Services as soon as it is received. If the Award letter is not submitted to Customer Services prior to the first direct debit instalment date the College will proceed with the direct debit.
If the application for funding is unsuccessful or does not meet the full course fee then the student will be liable for the outstanding fees.
In all instances, the College will refund to the student any overpayments that have been made to their account and is due to them.
Yes, where a student is sponsored by an organisation, a completed Sponsor liability form should be presented to Customer Services at the point of enrolment. The Sponsor liability form is available from Customer Services or the website by Clicking Here.
Organisations and employers who sponsor students are liable for the full cost of the course fee. There shall be no concessions. The College will directly invoice the sponsor.
If the student leaves the sponsor’s employment after the start date of the course the fee liability remains with the sponsor.
If the student leaves the sponsor’s employment before the course starts the sponsor should notify the College, in writing, before the course starts to withdraw their support. In this case, the course fee liability will transfer to the student. If the College is not notified, in writing, in advance of the start date the fee liability remains with the sponsor.
Some courses may have additional costs. Please view the course descriptor on website course finder for further details.
Students who have enrolled on a two or three-year course will need to enrol and pay the appropriate fee each year of the course.
As a general rule, the College does not offer refunds, although there is some discretion in exceptional circumstances as outlined in the Fees Refund and Waiver SOP.
Discretionary refunds will only be considered in exceptional circumstances Students should complete the Fee Waiver/Refund Request form and submit necessary supporting evidence.
Students experiencing difficulties in paying their tuition fees should seek help at the earliest possible opportunity.
The Student should immediately contact staff in the College’s Finance Department, email: accountsreceivable@serc.ac.uk
The Student Finance Advisors will also be able to provide more information about financial support or help available to assist Students with the costs associated with attending College. studentfinance@serc.ac.uk
The payment of fees is the responsibility of each student. Students are liable to pay the full fee whether they choose to complete the course or not.
The payment of fees is the responsibility of each student.
Students are liable to pay the full fee whether they choose to complete the course or not.
If a student does not pay their fees the College will impose a number of sanctions, including loss of access to College systems.
Outstanding student fees will be referred to a Debt Recovery Agency.