How to pay your fees

• If you are a registered or continuing student, you can pay online using a credit or debit card through Webpay, our online Student Online Payment System
• Details of how to pay your tuition fee deposit, including a personalised link to our online payment system using Flywire to make payment by credit or debit card, bank transfer or by e-wallet, will be included in your offer letter.

Open banking is a commonly used payment solution which allows you to make an online real-time payment by bank transfer from your UK bank account.

The solution is being made available to students in partnership with Flywire using Trustly as part of the Flywire payment platform.

You'll be required to authenticate the payment in the same way as if you are processing a bank transfer using online banking on your mobile or computer, eg a one-time passcode sent to you from your bank or facial recognition.

If you prefer not to use Trustly open banking but still wish to make a UK-to-UK bank transfer, this is also available on the Flywire platform when you select United Kingdom. However, please be aware that this may then take a little longer to reflect against your invoice.

Find out more about Flywire and how to use it.

International payment options via Flywire

The University of Essex has partnered with Flywire to accept payments from international students worldwide. Easily and securely make education payments in your own currency, using local payment methods from the safety and convenience of your home. With real-time tracking and around-the-clock multilingual support, millions of students and families around the world trust Flywire for payment processing.

Benefits of paying with Flywire

• Pay in your local currency or GBP £.
• Avoid bank fees and extra charges.
• Exchange rate guarantee when making a bank transfer - if you find a better rate within two hours, Flywire will match it.
• Track your payment in real-time and receive email and text alerts each step of the way, including a confirmation your payment has been securely delivered to the University of Essex.
• 24/7 multilingual customer support via email, phone or live chat.

You can use a wide variety of cards, bank transfer companies and e-wallets to pay with Flywire: 

Find out more about Flywire and how to use it.

International payment options via Convera

The University of Essex has partnered with Convera to accept incoming payments from international students worldwide.

Our Colchester and Southend income desks based in the Student Services Hub are open daily. Please note we do not accept any cash or cheque payments.

During your online registration, you can pay your fees in full or select to pay by instalments. Instalment dates will be presented to you as part of your online registration and will be confirmed on your invoice.  

Home Fee paying students

You need to pay a minimum of the first term instalment of your tuition fees to enable you to register at the start of your course.
Details of the fees you need to pay will be confirmed as part of online registration. You can either pay the whole fee for the year in one go, or pay in termly instalments. Subsequent instalments for terms 2 and 3 are due on specific dates, which will be listed on your invoice and emailed to you after you have registered.

The University does not offer any discount for payment in full. 

International fee paying student

You need to pay a minimum of the first instalment of your tuition fees to enable you to register at the start of your course.
Details of the fees you need to pay will be confirmed as part of online registration. You can either pay the whole fee for the year in one go, or pay in two instalments. Subsequent instalment for term 2 is due on a specific date, which will be on your invoice and emailed to you after you have registered.

If you are required to pay a deposit when applying for a place on your course or have made an additional payment in advance,  these amounts will be deducted from your first 50% instalment 

Example 1:

Total tuition fee = £25,000

Deposit paid at applicant stage = £4,000

50% Instalment due at registration minus deposit = £8,500

50% Instalment due in January = £12,500

If you are not required to pay a deposit when applying for a place on your course, the two instalments will be calculated and split equally –

Example 2:

Total tuition fee = £25,000

Deposit paid at applicant stage = £0

50% Instalment due at registration = £12,500

50% Instalment due in January = £12,500

The University does not offer any discount for payment in full.

During your online registration, you can pay your fees in full or select to pay by instalments. Instalment dates will be presented to you as part of your online registration and will be confirmed on your invoice.

Please note the due date deadlines are when the payment is to be paid in full.

The University will not offer any further extensions to the instalments offered and we expect you to have secured funding to meet the due date deadlines.   

Academic Year 2024-2025

Home fee paying students

• Autumn Term: payable as part of online registration
• Spring Term: 31 January 2025
• Summer Term: 30 April 2025

The dates for January starters are:

• Spring Term: payable as part of online registration
• Summer Term: 30 April 2025
• Autumn Term: 30 September 2025

For postgraduate students with a confirmed postgraduate loan from the Student Loans Company, you can make instalment payments in line with the postgraduate loan release dates:

• Autumn Term: 16 October 2024
• Spring Term: 15 January 2025
• Summer Term: 22 April 2025

International fee paying students starting 2024-2025

The dates for October starters are:

• first payment: payable as part of online registration
• second payment: 31 January 2025

The dates for January starters are:

• first payment: payable as part of online registration
• second payment: 30 April 2025

The dates for April starters are:

• first payment: payable as part of online registration
• second payment: 30 September 2025

You can check to see if a payment has been allocated to an invoice through Webpay. Webpay will only list items that are outstanding for payment.

It can take up to 10 working days for international bank transfers to be received by the University. If you cannot see that the receipt has been allocated to an invoice after 10 working days please send a copy of your remittance or transaction document along with your full name and PRID/customer reference number to income@essex.ac.uk. It may be that your payment has been received by the University but we have been unable to establish which student it is intended for. Providing us with this information will enable us to do so.

Our individual course pages provide details of the course fees for all courses, including whether the amount shown is a fee for the entire course, an annual fee or a modular fee.

To search for your course, use our Course Finder search tool.

You can view items that are due for payment through Webpay by choosing the specified payment option.

Students with unpaid fees will receive reminders which will be sent to their University of Essex student email account. It is important that the account is checked regularly.

Due to Data Protection legislation (GDPR) we cannot communicate about your student account with a third party such as a family member or representative without prior authorisation from the student.

Sponsored students

You must provide us with a valid sponsor letter to enable us to bill your sponsor. Without this document, you will be recorded as a 'self-funded' student and will be sent an invoice and expected to pay yourself.

Student Loans Company (SFE)

If you have applied for a tuition fee loan from Student Loans Company (SFE), students must have an approved application and completed their “Student Declaration” before automatic confirmation will be received from Student Loans Company (SFE). Without this automatic confirmation from Student Loans Company (SFE), you will be recorded as a 'self-funded' student and will be sent an invoice and expected to pay yourself.

Invoices

In order for us to raise an invoice we will require the financial guarantee from your sponsor authorising us to invoice for your fees (preferably before the commencement of the academic year). Please send your financial guarantee to income@essex.ac.uk.

Sponsor letter

A financial guarantee sponsor letter is to be provided for each academic year. Please send them to income@essex.ac.uk.

You must provide us with a valid sponsor letter to enable us to bill your sponsor. Without this document, you will be recorded as a 'self-funded' student and will be sent an invoice and expected to pay yourself.

If you do not have a UK bank account, you cannot remit monies from abroad to the University's bank account in excess of the fees due to the University. The University does not act as a bank. Any overpayments made can only be returned to the bank account from which the payment was originally made.

Regrettably, in most instances we are not able to provide you with a precise length of time you will wait to receive your refund, however, please read the following to obtain a better understanding of the timelines involved.

For transactions originally made online using credit/debit cards, please allow up to 14 days for the settlement of funds to credit your original payment card.

For domestic BACS refund, these will take up to 14 days to process, and once you have received your remittance advice, the funds will show in your nominated bank account in 2 working days.

For foreign payment refund, these will take up to 14 days to process, and once you have received your remittance advice, the funds will show in your nominated bank account between 2-10 working days dependent on the country associated with the bank account.

Please note all refunds will only be made to the bank and account holder (or other financial institution) that originally paid the fee. Online payments will be refunded to the original card used for payment.

If you anticipate any difficulty paying your tuition or accommodation fees, please contact the Income team by emailing income@essex.ac.uk.

Please review our financial support information on our range of loans and funds available.

An up-to-date list of sanctioned countries and regions can be found at Sanctions Programs and Country Information.

We are unable to accept any payments where:

1. the student or the payer is currently resident in a sanctioned countries/regions
2. the payment is originating from a sanctioned countries/regions
3. the student or payer are on the following sanctions list - Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs)

If you're a undergraduate then you may be eligible for a UK government tuition fee loan. The Student Loans Company (SLC) will pay your fees directly to us, so you don't have to pay us yourself. It's still important for you to read our fee payment terms and policies below. You also need to remember to re-apply for your loan each year.

If you have a confirmed postgraduate loan from the Student Loans Company, you can make instalment payments, in line with the postgraduate loan release dates.

In order to have your postgraduate loan officially confirmed by the University via the SLC's online system, you must have returned your signed declaration to the SLC.

If your loan has not been officially confirmed to the University by the start of term you will be required to pay the initial instalment online during the pre-registration process or in person at registration.

Higher and Degree Apprentices do not pay any tuition fees as these are covered by their employer, as well as earning a salary. However, due to the nature of apprenticeships and how they are funded, apprentices are not eligible for student finance via Student Finance England – this includes both tuition fee loans and maintenance loans. Living costs, including housing, travel, and materials will need to be covered by the apprentice themselves.