5 UK universities offering great instalment plans

instalment plans
People sit at tables outside a cafe in central London. Source: Tolga Akmen/AFP

Studying in the UK is becoming more expensive. As inflation increases the price of goods, it’s getting harder to set aside some money for a UK degree when there are more pressing items to buy. In India, the prices of tea, edible oil, pulses, meat, cooking gas and services have gone up by 20% to 40% since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020. 

The good news is most UK universities allow students to pay their tuition fees through instalment plans. An instalment plan is when you pay part of the cost immediately and proceed to make regular payments until the debt is completely paid

This is crucial for students like Daniel Jesuloba, who is pursuing his master’s in the UK. According to him, failure to pay your tuition fees can be catastrophic. “They lock you out. They block you from accessing some of the university’s resources.” 

With that said, here are a few UK universities that have great instalment plans: 

5 UK universities offering great instalment plans

1. Teesside University

Teesside University’s friendly town campus is located in the heart of Middlesbrough, with plenty of shops, cafés, and restaurants nearby — making it perfect for student life. The best part? Tuition fees for an undergraduate or a postgraduate taught degree cost 14,000 pounds. 

Before enrolling at Teesside University, you must pay a deposit of 4,000 pounds. After that, you can pay the remaining balance in up to seven monthly instalments

2. University of Hull

The uni’s website states: “With one of the lowest rents in England, one of the cheapest pints in the country and all the perks that come with living in one of the UK’s most cultural cities, your student loan will go miles further.”

This statement rings true for international students too. Undergraduate tuition fees for the 2022 academic year are set at 9,250 pounds. Likewise, postgraduate tuition fees can go as low as 6,100 pounds.

Full-time undergraduate students pay in three instalments: 50% during enrolment and the remaining balance on January 12 and April 27, 2023. 

Similarly, postgraduate students will pay their tuition fees in three instalments: 34% is paid on enrolment and 33% is due on the fourth and seventh month of their course.

instalment plans

Cardiff is ranked as the best value student city in this year’s Royal Bank of Scotland’s Student Living Index. Source: Adrian Dennis/AFP

3. University of South Wales

With campuses in and around Cardiff, take your pick on the University of South Wales experience you want to create — whether it’s the city buzz, the coast’s beauty, or the countryside’s calmness. 

For the Feb. 2023 intake, undergraduate and postgraduate tuition fees range from 13,700 to 15,500 pounds. You have to pay 50% of your first year’s course fees to secure your place at the University of South Wales. This equally applies if you are enrolling in a subsequent year.

As students, you can arrange equal and consecutive monthly instalments to pay your fees. 

4. University of West Scotland

Click here to view individual undergraduate and postgraduate courses to discover the prices for the 2022 and 2023 academic terms. 

If you are looking to enrol for the 2022 academic term, you can pay fees in three instalments using the following format:

  • First payment: Half of the tuition fee payable to enable a CAS to be issued 
  • Second payment: 25% to be paid on enrolment by 30 Sept.
  • Third payment: 25% of your remaining balance due by 10 Dec.

5. University of Lincoln

Tuition fees for a bachelor’s degree start from 9,250 pounds. For their postgraduate courses, click here to check the fees for your programme on individual course pages.  

The maximum number of instalments you can arrange is nine and you must pay consecutively from the month you enrolled.