If you're finding it difficult to pay
We understand that financial situations can change, sometimes in an unexpected way, and we recognise that if you are having difficulty paying your fees, you may be experiencing wider financial difficulties. Support is available for you, and contacting us as early as possible will help you understand your options.
If you're finding it difficult to pay your tuition fees, it's best not to ignore the issue. Taking early action can help prevent:
- late payment charges
- the amount you owe building up
- academic consequences arising from non-payment
Getting in touch will allow us to consider with you what steps you can take next. For example, you might be able to suspend your studies, if appropriate in your circumstances. This might give you breathing space to:
- pay your outstanding balance
- return to studies in the next academic year when your financial position improves
Contact Credit Control early
Contact our Credit Control team (creditcontrol@bath.ac.uk) as soon as possible if you can't pay your tuition fees by the deadline we've set.
If you contact them early, Credit Control will direct you to services and people that can support and guide you.
Support available to you
You can get practical support from the following services, resources and people:
Student Money Advice
Get practical guidance on budgeting, managing your finances, and exploring funding options. International and EU students can also access tailored financial advice. While the team are unable to fund or waive tuition fees, they can help you identify other sources of funding and potentially provide funding for some of your day to day living costs through the Financial Support Fund.
Student Support Advice Service
Get practical advice, wellbeing resources and specialist support.
Disability Service
Get support, where your circumstances relate to a disability.
Student Immigration Service
Get immigration advice relating to your circumstances.
Your Director of Studies
Discuss your situation and the impact it may be having on your studies with your Director of Studies. They can help you explore academic options that might be open to you, such as suspending your studies.
Student Complaints Policy and Procedure
You can use the Student Complaints Policy and Procedure to raise any concerns about something the University has done or has not done, or the standard of service we’ve provided.
For immediate support and advice, contact us via Be Well – Talk Now. This is a confidential service giving you support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
What you agreed when you registered
When you registered, you signed up to the University's regulations. You agreed to pay your tuition fees under Regulation 2, and the Terms and Conditions for Tuition Fee payment.
You also agreed to check your University email often and to keep your contact details up to date, so you can receive our messages.
The steps we set out below are the detailed steps we will take in line with Regulation 2.
What happens if your tuition fees are not paid
If your tuition fees are not paid after the due date (on your invoice, or as agreed with our Credit Control team), we’ll begin a formal process. It will continue until you pay the full tuition fees.
At every stage of this process we encourage you to contact the Credit Control team. We recognise that financial difficulties can be stressful and complex, and our aim is always to help you resolve the situation before more serious action becomes necessary.
Step 1: First reminder
The Credit Control team will contact you by email.
They will use:
- your University of Bath email address
- any personal email addresses you have provided to the University
The email will:
- explain the amount outstanding
- provide information about making payment
- give you a deadline by which payment must be made
If you are unable to make payment by this deadline, contact the Credit Control team immediately (creditcontrol@bath.ac.uk) to discuss your circumstances.
If you pay your tuition fees in full or make suitable arrangements with Credit Control, no further action will be taken.
If you do not pay or respond by the deadline, we will move to Step 2.
Step 2: Second reminder and first late payment charge
The Credit Control team will contact you again using your registered email addresses.
They will apply a late payment charge to your account if:
- you have not paid by the deadline given in Step 1, and
- you have not contacted Credit Control to discuss your unpaid tuition fees
The charge will be:
- 1.5% of the tuition fees outstanding
- subject to a minimum charge of £15
- subject to a maximum charge of £180
The second reminder will provide a further deadline for payment.
If your tuition fees and any applicable late payment charges are paid in full, or arrangements are agreed with Credit Control, the process will stop.
If you do not pay or respond by the deadline, we will move to Step 3.
Step 3: Third reminder and second late payment charge
The Credit Control team will send a final reminder.
They will apply a second late payment charge if:
- your tuition fees remain unpaid, and
- you have not contacted Credit Control to discuss your circumstances
This charge will again be:
- 1.5% of the tuition fees outstanding
- subject to a minimum charge of £15
- subject to a maximum charge of £180
The third reminder will explain that if payment remains unresolved, your case may be referred for further consideration under Regulation 2.
This completes the reminder process.
At any point during Steps 1 to 3, you can contact the Credit Control team (creditcontrol@bath.ac.uk) or other University staff and services to discuss your circumstances and the options available to you.
If your tuition fees and any applicable late payment charges remain unpaid after the reminder process, we will move to Step 4.
Step 4: Checks with your academic department, school or the Doctoral College
The Credit Control team will contact your department or relevant academic area to understand your academic circumstances and any issues you may have already shared with the university that might be impacting your ability to pay your tuition fees. This may involve academic staff sharing relevant information about your circumstances, including details of discussions they have had with you, before any further action is taken under this process. Please be assured that any such detail will be treated sensitively and in line with the University's data protection statement.
Step 5: Referral to the Director of Academic Registry
Following consultation with your department or academic area, the Credit Control team may then refer your case to the Director of Academic Registry.
They might recommend terminating your registration due to non-payment of tuition fees and withdrawing you from the University under Regulation 2.
Step 6: Email from the Director of Academic Registry
You may then receive a formal email from the Director of Academic Registry confirming:
- a deadline for payment
- support services available
- the date on which the Director will again consider your case
If you receive this email from the Director you must contact the Credit Control team (creditcontrol@bath.ac.uk).
Step 7: Formal review by the Director of Academic Registry
Once the payment deadline outlined in their email has passed, the Director of Academic Registry will assess your case. They will consult with your Director of Studies and relevant professional services to decide whether withdrawal for non-payment of tuition fees is the appropriate course of action in your case.
The Director of Academic Registry's office will then email you to confirm what will happen next.
Step 8: Outcome of the review
If your tuition fees and any applicable late payment charges remain unpaid, the Director of Academic Registry may decide to take action under Regulation 2. This could be one of two outcomes:
Outcome 1: Decision to withdraw
If withdrawal is considered to be appropriate, you will receive a formal notification via email from the Director of Academic Registry's office. This email will confirm that your registration will be terminated and you will be withdrawn from the University due to non-payment of tuition fees, should payment not be received by the University by the specified deadline.
This email will include:
- the date on which the withdrawal will take effect
- the final deadline for tuition fee payment
- the support services available to you
We aim to avoid a withdrawal outcome wherever possible and encourage you to keep in contact with the Credit Control team (creditcontrol@bath.ac.uk) at all stages of this process.
Outcome 2: Decision not to withdraw
In certain situations, withdrawal may not be appropriate. In this case, the Director of Academic Registry's office will contact you to clarify the next steps. For instance, we may hold your certificate until full payment is received, if you are approaching the end of your course.
Continuing students should be aware they may not be allowed to register for the next academic year if there are outstanding tuition fees.
If you are withdrawn from your course
If your tuition fees and any applicable late payment charges are not paid by the day after the deadline stated in the formal notification of withdrawal for non-payment, your registration will be terminated. You will be withdrawn from your course under Regulation 2. This action will occur without further notice, unless one of the following conditions applies:
- Credit Control confirms that full payment has been submitted and guaranteed through a payment system, like Flywire
- Credit Control advises that withdrawal should not proceed as they have reached an agreed plan of payments with you
- Another university department requests a delay to your withdrawal, as an alternative university process is underway
- There are particular academic circumstances or academic timings relating to your course that need to be taken into account at the time your withdrawal is due
In this case the Director of Academic Registry's office will email you.
Formal confirmation of your withdrawal
If you are withdrawn, you will receive a formal confirmation by email, including information about:
- what withdrawal from your course and the University means in practice
- if it applies to you, what this will mean for your visa
- further sources of advice and support
The timing of your withdrawal
Students on taught courses
If you are a student on a taught course, and you still owe tuition fees and any applicable late payment charges after the Director of Academic Registry has reviewed your case, we will withdraw you at an appropriate set point in the academic year (for example, at the end of a taught semester). We will confirm the intended withdrawal date in our correspondence with you.
Research students
Research students with tuition fee debt are not withdrawn on set dates and each case is considered on its own timings.
The consequences of being withdrawn
Withdrawal can have serious consequences:
- You will no longer be a student of the University and you won’t be able to continue on your course
- If you hold a student visa, we will report this to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), and you may need to leave the UK
- The timing for re-registering and returning to the course might not match your preferred schedule after you settle any outstanding tuition fees and any applicable late payment charges. For instance, depending on the amount of teaching or assessment you have missed, you may need to suspend your studies for the current academic year before rejoining in the following year
- You may not be able to choose payment instalment options if you are approved to return to study with us in the future
How termination of registration and withdrawal will affect your tuition fees
Depending on the timing of your withdrawal, the amount of tuition fees you owe may be adjusted to take into account your withdrawal date. You should not expect a further reduction in tuition fees following this adjustment.
See the Refunds section of our Terms and Conditions for tuition fee payment for details of how your tuition fees might be adjusted.
After you have been withdrawn
Pay your outstanding tuition fees
After you have been withdrawn, you will still need to pay any tuition fees and applicable late payment charges owed to the University and keep in touch with the Credit Control team (creditcontrol@bath.ac.uk).
If you do not settle promptly, Credit Control will usually refer any outstanding unpaid tuition fees and applicable late payment charges to a Debt Collection Agency with international partners.
Ask to return to your course
If you have been withdrawn you may be able to request to return (re‑register) to your course, under Regulation 2.5, once your tuition fees and any applicable late payment charges have been paid in full.
To do this, email:
In your email you will need to confirm that your tuition fees and any applicable late payment charges have been paid in full and received by the University.
The Director of Academic Registry will consider the request and will consult with the Director of Studies for your course and relevant professional services. They will also consider:
- the appropriate timing for re-registration
- how you will be supported to return to studies
- any conditions you must meet to return
The outcome of your request
After considering your request, the Director of Academic Registry will email you to confirm one of the following outcomes:
Outcome 1: Re-registration request approved
You will receive an email with further details about the next steps and the timing of your re-registration.
Outcome 2: Re-registration request approved with conditions
You will be re-registered if you meet specific conditions. The Director of Academic Registry will confirm the time frame within which to meet the conditions.
You may also be asked to pay, as a condition:
- The remaining tuition fees due for the rest of the academic year if you return to study immediately with no gap
- any applicable late payment charges
- A pre-payment of a proportion, or all, of the tuition fees for the upcoming academic year
When you have met the conditions, the Director of Academic Registry will email you to confirm when you will be re-registered.
If you aren't able to meet any conditions they have set out for you, the Director of Academic Registry will follow the steps in Outcome 3 below.
Outcome 3: Re-registration not approved
You will receive a Completion of Procedures letter confirming you will not be re-registered. The Director of Academic Registry will explain the reasons for the decision.
A Completion of Procedures letter indicates that the internal University processes under Regulation 2 have been completed. Once you receive this letter, you may be eligible to escalate a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) if you choose to do so.
If we do not issue you with a Completion of Procedures letter at the end of this process, (for example if you are re-registered) you can still ask us to issue one to you, as long as it is within one month of the outcome of your request to return to your course.
Keep us updated
We recognise that financial difficulties can be stressful and complex. Please don’t wait. Contact us early, and keep in contact with us through this process, so we can help.