Masters tuition fee deposits for international students

If you are a self-funded international student starting a Masters course at Sussex, you may be required to pay a tuition fee deposit of £3,500.

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The University of Sussex is committed to providing the best possible experience to international students studying Masters Degrees. To help the University plan resources and to demonstrate the commitment needed to sponsor students with visa applications, if you are a self-funded international student starting a Masters course at Sussex and currently holding an Unconditional Offer, we require you to pay a tuition fee deposit of £3,500. This will ensure that the University can deliver excellent service, and support you with your visa application.

This deposit is to be paid after you have met all your academic and language conditions and accepted an offer. A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is required for the Student visa application and the University will issue this once the deposit has been paid and any other requirements satisfied. We only start to issue CAS six months before the course start date.

We will refund your deposit on your request for exceptional circumstances which prevent you from arriving to study at Sussex (including verified Covid-19 reasons). See our full refund policy.

Please be aware that if a refund of the deposit is requested (or there is a dispute about the payment made), the University will withdraw any associated CAS immediately.

Who is required to pay a tuition fee deposit?

A deposit of £3,500 is required if you:

  • have applied directly to the University for a taught postgraduate Masters degree course which leads to an award of the University; and
  • require a Student visa to study in the UK
  • have accepted an Unconditional Offer from the University.

You will be exempt from the requirement to pay a deposit if one of the following grounds applies:

  • you provide sufficient evidence that you have sponsorship for the full tuition fee from a sponsor recognised by the University (the UK government, your home government ministry, the British Council, Chevening, British Commonwealth, an international organisation, company or university ) – find out more on our tuition fees pages;
  • you are currently registered on a University of Sussex International Study Centre Pre-Masters course in the summer prior to taking your Masters degree;
  • you are currently registered on, or have applied and paid a deposit for, a University of Sussex Pre-Sessional English course in the summer prior to taking your Masters degree;
  • you are an International student, but do not require a Student visa to study in the UK and will not therefore be sponsored by the University of Sussex for immigration purposes;
  • you have applied for your course at the University via UCAS or the GOV.UK Postgraduate Teacher Training route
  • you provide evidence of a US Federal loan for the full tuition fee.

Amount of deposit and additional costs

The Masters tuition fee deposit is £3,500.

Please be aware that you may also be liable for additional deposits or pre-payments prior to starting at the University, including:

How to pay your tuition fee deposit

The University has partnered with Convera (formerly Western Union) for you to pay your tuition fee deposit. This allows you to:

  • Pay your deposit in your local currency (in most cases), or in US Dollars, Euros or GBP.
  • Avoid fees and international foreign exchange charges from your bank
  • Pay online in most cases or by bank transfer
  • Track your payment by text and email
  • Get price and payment options upfront with a price comparison tool

The first thing you need to do is accept an offer using the University's postgraduate application system.

If you have accepted an unconditional offer, a link to pay the tuition fee deposit will be provided in the postgraduate application system.

If you have a conditional offer, the link to pay the tuition fee deposit will be provided in the postgraduate application system once you have met the conditions of your offer and your place is confirmed. We strongly recommend that you pay the deposit after receiving an Unconditional Offer from the University.

Should you have any problems using the Convera online portal please first contact Convera.

You won’t able to use the Convera portal to make a deposit payment if the payer or the bank is located within our broad list of countries and regions which are sanctioned. To find out whether this will affect you, see which countries and regions are sanctioned.

You can also contact the University Finance team for help and advice on how to make your payment by emailing studentaccountscaspayments@sussex.ac.uk.

There is also the option to pay using our Convera Portal but you will need to enter your personal data including applicant Applicant ID, First Name, Family Name, Country of Domicile, Applicant Email Address and Date of Birth accurately for us to process the payment.

Once the deposit has been received, the University will update your financial and admission records as soon as reasonably possible. If all other requirements have been met, the Admissions Office will proceed to issue a CAS in accordance with the policy for the sponsorship of students for immigration purposes. The tuition fee deposit paid by you will be included in the CAS.

What happens if I have applied through an agent or representative?

If you have applied through an agent or representative, you are required to pay your deposit rather than your agent. You will need to use the following information in the payment process, so make sure you have these ready:

  • your applicant number (which you can find out from your offer letter or your agent)
  • the email address your agent supplied when they applied for you.

Follow these steps to pay

What happens if someone else is paying my deposit?

If someone is paying your deposit for you, they can follow these steps to pay.

They will need to know:

  • your applicant number (which you can find out from your offer letter)
  • the email address with which you have applied
  • your date of birth.

Tuition fee and housing pre-payments

If you wish to make further tuition fee or housing pre-payments in addition to your deposit, you can do so by using our Convera portal.

Refunds and deferment

Please read details of our refunds policy and what happens if you decide to defer entry.

  • Refunds policy

    Refunds of the deposit will only be made in extremely limited circumstances and will not be given if you change your mind and decide you no longer want to take up your place. Once you have paid a tuition fee deposit a refund will only be issued if one of the following grounds applies:

    (a) If within 14 days of receipt of payment of the deposit you request a refund; or

    (b) If, in the year for which you have accepted an offer to start a taught Masters course and paid a tuition fee deposit, the University cancels the course; or

    (c) The University is unable, for reasons outside of its control, to issue a CAS; or

    (d) If you have been refused a visa unless there was a clear error or omission made by you in your application which is given by the UKVI as a reason for refusal (e.g. false documents were supplied). The Visa Refusal letter issued by the Home Office must be submitted with any request for a refund, as evidence, which will be considered by the University in determining whether a refund will be given.

    If there are severe, unanticipated and exceptional circumstances beyond your control which justify and prevent you from arriving to start study (including verified Covid-19 reasons), you should contact the International Office at the University. If there is an option to defer your place then the University will hold the deposit to use for the following year’s course of study. If this is not an option, then the University will require details and evidence of the extenuating circumstances and will, of course, consider whether a refund can be made.

    Any applications for a refund of a tuition fee deposit paid under this policy must be made in writing to the International Office as soon as possible and, if the academic year has already started, within 3 weeks of the commencement date of the academic year for new students. The International Office will assess your request and if they decide you are entitled to a refund will notify the Finance department.

    Refunds processed by the Finance Division are governed by a strict set of policies and procedures, to ensure that financial and money laundering regulations are complied with. Approved refunds will be processed in accordance with the University tuition fee deposit refunds policy.

    In the case of deposits this is normally via Convera. Refunds will be made at the rate of exchange in force on the date the refund is processed. Any charges levied by the receiving bank will be paid by you. Neither the University nor Convera shall be liable for any shortfall due to exchange rate fluctuations.

  • What if I decide to defer entry to the following year?

    If, after payment of a deposit, you wish to apply to defer entry to the following academic year, you should apply as soon as reasonably possible. The University shall consider whether the request can be approved (approval is not to be unreasonably withheld). In determining whether an application to defer can be approved the University shall take into account the following:

    a) The course

    b) The timing of the request

    c) The number of applicants enrolled on the course

    If the request is approved, the deposit will be retained to the following academic year. If the request cannot be approved by the University (acting reasonably) then the deposit will not be refunded unless one of the grounds in the refunds policy applies.

    The University of Sussex will only allow a student to defer entry once. If, having already deferred entry, you wish to defer for a second time, then you must re-apply. The deposit paid will not be refunded unless one of the grounds in our refunds policy applies. If you are offered a place on a Masters course on reapplication, a further tuition fee deposit of £3,500 will be required.

    If you wish to defer, and the University has cancelled the course for the following year, then you will not be permitted to defer entry. If you do not wish to start on the course in the year of entry which was originally applied for, the deposit will not be refunded unless one of the grounds in the refunds policy applies.

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