Ways to pay for a qualification for BFPO
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Students using a BFPO address usually pay the same fee as students resident in England. However, you may be eligible to pay the
Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales fee depending on where you were ordinarily resident prior to your BFPO address.
To find out more, speak to an adviser.
Tuition Fee Loan
You could be eligible to pay your tuition fees by taking out a fee loan, which means you don’t have to pay your fees upfront and, in most cases, you won't have to repay anything until April 2017.
To qualify you'll need to study at a pace that's equivalent to at least 25 per cent of a full-time student, for example an OU module worth 30 credits. And you'll need to be studying for an undergraduate qualification that's higher than any you already have.
The fee loan is applicable to you even if you are planning to study 120 credits per year, which is equivalent to full-time study at a campus-based university.
Key facts
- Over 1 million students in England pay their fees annually with a fee loan. It's the most popular and trusted fee payment method in the United Kingdom.
- You can pay all or part of your fees with a fee loan of up to £6750 in 2013/2014.
- Fee loans are not means-tested. This means the income from other family members is not taken into account when you apply for, or start repaying, your loan.
- A fee loan doesn’t affect your credit rating, so it won’t stop you getting things like a mortgage or a car loan.
- You’ll apply for your fee loan directly from Student Finance England. We’ll guide you through the process and you can also use our own online eligibility checker to find out if you are eligible, although the final decision on your eligibility for a fee loan will be made by Student Finance England.
- You will start to repay your fee loan from the April four years after you start your qualification or the April after you leave the course, whichever comes first, but April 2016 is the earliest your repayments could begin. In effect, the government has given you an automatic payment holiday. You can, however, pay off the fee loan early if you want to. The choice is yours.
- Repayments are based on what you earn, not what you owe. Repayments are based on your income above £21,000. The amount charged is nine per cent of your income above the £21,000 threshold. So, for example, if your income was £25,000 in your fourth year of study, the nine per cent would only apply to £4000, meaning you would only repay £30 a month.
- If your income falls below £21,000, your repayments stop – for example if you take a career break or are unemployed – until you start earning £21,000 again. Any outstanding balance is written off after 30 years.
- Interest (at a rate equal to the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus up to three per cent) is applied to your balance once the University confirms that you are participating on your qualification.
- Tuition Fee Loans are managed by Student Finance England.
The following table gives example repayment amounts (for illustrative purposes only):
|
Income each year before tax
|
Amount of income from which repayments will be based
|
Monthly repayment
|
|
Up to £21,000
|
£0
|
£0
|
|
£22,000
|
£1000
|
£7
|
|
£25,000
|
£4000
|
£30
|
|
£30,000
|
£9000
|
67
|
|
£35,000
|
£14,000
|
£105
|
|
£40,000
|
£19,000
|
£142
|
For more information about fee loans, speak to an OU adviser or contact Student Finance England directly on 0845 300 5090 or visit http://www.sfengland.slc.co.uk.
Monthly instalments
If you don’t qualify for a fee loan, or choose not to apply for one, you can pay your tuition fees by monthly Direct Debit through Open University Student Budget Accounts Ltd (OUSBA). This convenient 'pay as you go' option is a secure, quick and easy way to pay your fees on a module-by-module basis.
With OUSBA you can:
Pay by instalments – OUSBA Ltd pays the OU your full module fee at registration and you repay the loan to OUSBA Ltd
in monthly instalments starting a month after your module begins. Currently, interest is charged at 5.0 per cent
(Annual Percentage Rate 5.1 per cent) and is only applied once your module has commenced. This is an exclusive rate
that is only available to OU students.
Register now, pay later – OUSBA Ltd pays your full module fee direct to us. You can repay OUSBA interest-free and in full just before your module starts. This option could give you the extra time you may need to secure the funding for your module.
For more information, speak to an adviser or visit our website www.open.ac.uk/ousba where you can access a
set of frequently asked questions and learn more about the instalment plans on offer.
Credit or debit card
You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront securely with a debit or credit card. We accept most well known credit and debit cards. We also accept payment by bank transfer.
Financial support
Access to Success Route
If you have an annual household income of less than £25,000 or you are on certain benefits, you may be successful in gaining a place on our Access to Success Route. The Access to Success Route is a two-step process which will allow you to begin your studies for just £25.
Find out more about Access to Success.
Other ways to pay
OU gift vouchers
You can pay for part or all of your tuition fees with OU gift vouchers. Vouchers are currently available in the
following denominations: £10, £20, £50 and £100.
Find out more about buying or redeeming vouchers.
Mixed payment methods
You may also be able to pay via mixed payment methods. You could, for example, pay part of your tuition fee
upfront with OU gift vouchers and pay the remainder with an Open University Student Budget Account.
Enhanced Learning Credits
British Armed Forces personnel can use Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) towards the payment of
fees. For more information, read about funding on our Forces website.
For more information about these payment options, speak to an adviser.
Disabled Students’ Allowance
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) help with additional study costs that result directly from your disability or
specific learning difficulty.
Allowances are not means-tested and may go towards specialist equipment (such as an adapted computer), non-medical
study support (for example, a sign-language interpreter; a note-taker or a dyslexia support worker) or other related
expenses. You can also apply for help with study-related travel costs that directly result from your disability.
You may be eligible for a DSA if you’re studying at least 30 credits towards an OU undergraduate qualification that
lasts for more than one year.
For further information, visit our
Services for disabled students website.
To find out how much it costs to study for a qualification, look at the individual qualification descriptions.
Find out about the types of qualifications we offer.
Or look at the subjects we offer:
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