TUITION FEES 

HOME FEES – 2024/25

For Home students registering for 2024/25 the tuition fees are £9,000 per year for both the First and Second Year.

Tuition fees are due and payable at registration for each year, and you have three payment options:

1. Self-Financing Students to pay in full. You are entitled to a five per cent discount if full payment of that year’s fees is made prior to or at registration.
2. By three instalments. The annual fee can be split evenly between the three terms, at the latest on 30 September 2024, 30 January 2025 and 30 April 2025.
3. Through Student Loan Company (SLC) application for tuition fee loan and/or maintenance loan (see further advice below).

You are required to ensure that you have secured funds to pay your tuition fees at the point of enrolment. Students who anticipate difficulty in making tuition fee payments as outlined above should contact the school as soon as possible to discuss their financial position and options.

• EU/EEA students who have been living in the UK for 3 years or more and have pre-settled or settled status: will be eligible for Home Fees of  £9,000 and will be able to apply for the full amount from the SLC.
• International students who have lived in the UK for more than 3 years, have a visa (allowing you to live and study in the UK) or the duration of the course will be eligible for Home Fees of £9,000 but not be eligible for SLC funding.

We will send you a fee assessment to establish if you are eligible for Home Fees if you are offered a place.

NON-HOME TUITION FEES – 2024/25

For students who are not eligible for Home Fees (for example, EU/EEA/international students who have been living in the UK for less than 3 years) tuition fees will be £15,000 – these students will not be eligible for SLC funding.

STUDENT LOAN COMPANY ADVICE

The London School of Architecture’s MArch Designing Architecture is Part 2 of your 5 year architectural education and as such is eligible for Undergraduate funding as together Part 1 and Part 2 are considered a single course as long as:

• You have not withdrawn from your Part 1 course before starting your Part 2
• You have studied full-time throughout your Part 1.
• You have not undertaken another MA programme before starting Part 2
• There has been no longer than 3 years between completing Part 1 and starting Part 2. (where the gap exceeds 3 years the SLC has discretion to assess whether a connection with architecture has been maintained)

You can apply for your undergraduate funding via the SLC. 

If you are not eligible for UG funding, you may be eligible for the postgraduate loan that is £12,167 for 2024/25.  This loan is paid directly to you and you can use it to pay for your tuition fees and/or living expenses. 

Please note when making your application:

• Your university is The London School of Architecture
• The programme is the MArch in Designing Architecture 
• You will be studying full time and in university (not on a placement year)
• The programme code for undergraduates loan is 896946
• The programme code for Northern Ireland is 906223
• The programme code for postgraduate loans is 96959 
• Please make sure that you apply for funding as soon as you can so that you have arrangements in place for when you are due to start your studies in September.
• Ensure that you can manage all your study related costs and living expenses.  Some useful information and budgeting tools can be found on these websites: 
  • Advice and information from the National Union of Students (NUS)
  • Information for students from the National Association of Student Money Advisors (NASMA)
  • Advice from Money Saving Expert
  • Budgeting and debt management advice from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

Students whose domicile is Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are required to apply directly to the Wales and Northern Ireland educational authorities.

For any further enquiries please email admissions@the-lsa.org.

STUDY BUDGET FOR 2024/25

Students will also receive a £500 ‘Study Budget’, which can be used to fund school-related costs, such as printing, making, and study trips.

BURSARIES AND HARDSHIP FUNDING

A per-annum bursary in the range of £1000 per year will be available to selected students.

The following processes are also in place:

• If demand exceeds the number of bursaries available, students will be prioritised on your home postcode given in your application, AND a household income of under £16 000. ( to enquire as to whether you meet the adult quintile postcode criteria, please contact admisisons@the-lsa.org)

• We may also decide to utilise available money from the Hardship Fund (see below) to award additional bursaries, where deemed necessary.

• Should demand be less than the number of bursaries available, any unallocated bursary funds can be reallocated into the Hardship Fund (see below).
• We will provide significant additional funding as part of our Hardship Fund, to which students can apply for support (whether or not they have received a bursary). Hardship Fund allocations will be made on an individual basis, based on demonstrated financial need. These funds can supplement bursary allocations or provide financial support to students who do not meet the bursary criteria. Funds can be used to cover additional costs associated with an architecture course, such as model making and printing, to ensure successful participation in learning.

Students who have been allocated bursaries will be notified Term 1 and funds will be disbursed over Terms 1, 2 and 3.

STEPHEN LAWRENCE DAY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

The LSA and SLDF have a shared vision of increasing access into architecture for underrepresented groups, to support the creation of a fairer society in which all young people, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to flourish. Over the last year we have worked together to develop the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation Scholarship, which we hope will support this mission.

The SLDF Scholarship will be available to 3 students in the 2023/24 cohort of students, for the 2 years of their study at the LSA for the MArch programme in Designing Architecture.

Scholarship Eligibility 

The package will be open by application to students who:

• Are of global majority heritage
• Have accepted an offer of a place at the LSA and paid a deposit
• Have a demonstrable commitment to social justice and community engagement
• Are in financial need as assessed by Student Finance England (SFE), i.e. have a household income of less than £25 000.
• Commit to attend all learning and teaching session in accordance with the LSA /UoL Attendance Policy
• Are willing to be an ambassador for the LSA and SLDF

Scholarship Provision

Students who meet the criteria will be awarded:

• £1500 for each year of study (£500 per term)
• A laptop and study specific software
• Placement at an EDI Architect firm
• Master classes
• Coaching/mentoring from LSA alumni & practice mentor
• Opportunity to represent the LSA as a mentor for outreach activities
  • Acting as a mentor for Part 0 (Saturday Club and EPQ)
  • Organising an annual Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation Lecture from a Global Majority built environment thinker and practitioner
• Opportunity to make a contribution to Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation work.

How to apply

1. Those who wish to be considered for the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation Scholarship must apply in Cycles 1 and 2 of our application process.
2. Prospective applicants will receive the application for the Scholarship, along with with Offer letter, if they are accepted into our MArch Designing Archtecture.
3. Applicants will need to complete and submit their application forms by 23:59 on Friday 26 April.

If you have any questions about the SLDF Scholarship please contact admisisons@the-lsa.org

OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING

Please review the following external resources:

• RIBA – various opportunities
• Bursary Beyond Price – £5000
• Prospects – search for bursaries, scholarships and charitable funding

REFUNDS AND COMPENSATION POLICY

This regulation does not apply should a student exercise their statutory right to cancel their enrolment within 14 days, in which case no fees or charges will apply and any monies paid will be refunded.

1) There is no general entitlement to a refund of tuition fees once a student has registered on their course, except in the case of overpayment or receipt of sponsorship after payment of the fees by the student. Refunds for other reasons will only be made in specific circumstances as set out below.

2) Where a fee (or prepayment) refund is agreed it will be made payable to the individual or organisation that originally paid the fees (or prepayment, as applicable) within 14 days of the refund being approved by the LSA. For example:

3) a) where a student’s fees are paid by the SLC, as part of a tuition fee loan or grant, any refund will be made to the SLC;

b) where a student’s fees are paid by the student, any refund will be made to their verified bank account; and

c) if a student’s fees are paid by their employer or another third party, any refund will be made to the verified bank account of the employer or third party that originally paid the fees.

Early withdrawals within the first three weeks of the start of the course

4) Where a student withdraws from their course during the first three weeks of the first year of study the LSA will waive any tuition or associated fee liability (including any prepaid tuition fees excluding the deposits) relating to attendance on that course. Further information in relation to such withdrawals is provided as follows:

5) a) This applies to students starting a new course only (first year of the MArch in Designing Architecture programme), and so students starting the second year of a course are not covered by this Policy.

b) This applies to all categories of student: Home, EU and Overseas (where permitted without Tier 4 visas).

c) The three-week period starts from the formal registration start date of the course.

d) This policy only covers students who register in their course and then withdraw from the course. It does not affect the existing requirement for students to pay their tuition fees at the times specified (or provide evidence of sponsorship) on or by registration, and it does not in any way sanction an extended deadline for the payment of fees.

Withdrawal after three weeks of course

6) It is currently LSA policy for a student who withdraws three weeks or more after registration on their course to be liable for the full terms’ fee, except, in specified circumstances as set out below:

7) a) Where a student with an undergraduate SLC tuition fee loan withdraws from their course, the LSA will only receive the relevant proportion of the SLC fee loan triggered by the student’s attendance on the specified census date(s). For example the LSA will only receive the Spring term fees payment if the student is continuing to attend during that term. The fee liability of an undergraduate SLC-sponsored student who withdraws from their course will therefore be restricted to the amount of fee payable by the SLC, and the student will not be liable to pay the balance of the course fee not met by the SLC.

b) Where a student is prevented from continuing on a course due to medical or other exceptional reasons outside their reasonable control. Any such refund request must be supported by such evidence as may be reasonably requested by the school, and the LSA will have discretion to decide each case based on the individual circumstances.

c) Where a curriculum-related student complaint against the LSA has been upheld, then you may submit a refund request to the Operations Director for consideration.

d) In the tragic event of the death of a current student there is an entitlement to a full refund of any tuition fees paid by the student for the academic year in question. The normal requirement to produce evidence will be waived where it would be inappropriate in the school’s reasonable opinion.

e) Where a student withdraws from a course at a recognised exit point, then their fee liability will be restricted to the relevant proportion of the overall course fee. Where this results in an overpayment on the part of the student then a refund of that overpayment will be payable to the student.

8) Where a student’s fees are being paid partly through an SLC loan and partly through up-front payment then only the element of the fees paid through an SLC loan will be covered by paragraph 4a above.

9) Anyone not covered by these exceptions will continue to be liable for that term’s fee if they withdraw from their course.

Circumstances where compensation may be payable

10) In the unlikely event that the LSA was not able to preserve continuation of study, the payment of compensation for tuition costs will be considered. Each application will be considered on a case by case basis and the factors which will be considered include:

• The course of study and circumstances for non-continuation
• Any mitigation that the LSA has put in place
• Tuition fees of any study which has to be repeated
• Any additional tuition fees as a result of transferring
• Any additional travel costs incurred as a result of changing location
• Relocation costs
• Any distress and inconvenience that has been caused by the LSA

11) Applications for compensation should be made to the Operations Director. They should contain as much information as possible and the basis for any estimates of costs should be clearly set out. Claims will be considered within 28 days and the outcome will be communicated to each applicant in writing.

12) Where a student is dissatisfied with the LSA’s assessment of their claim for compensation they should challenge the basis for the assessment by contacting the Operations Director. If dissatisfied with the outcome the student should invoke the LSA complaints procedure, which is set out in the Institutional Handbook.