Funding and fees

M.Ost/B.Ost Course Fees

The British School of Osteopathy has a partnership agreement with the University of Bedfordshire which means the School is government funded and its degree courses are validated by the University.

Annual course fees for students in the academic year 2012/13 will be as follows:

Standard Pathway M.Ost (full-time)

Home/EU students beginning 2012: £9,000
Overseas students, all years: £9,600
Home/EU students beginning prior to 2012: £3,465
ELQ students beginning prior to 2012: £6,110

B.Ost, part-time (starting 2012 only)

Home/EU students: £6,250
Overseas students: £6,900
Fee waivers or discounts will be available to many new full-time students on low incomes in line with the National Scholarship Programme. Details of this are currently being finalised and will be published here as soon as possible.

Mixed Mode Pathway M.Ost (prior to 2012 entry only)

Home/EU students: £4,000
Overseas students: £6,900
ELQ students: £6,110

From 2012, many ‘home’ and EU students will be eligible to take out an annual student loan for course fees of up to £9,000 from Student Finance England (SFE). This loan will only become repayable once you have graduated or left university and are earning £21,000 or more for students beginning their studies in 2012, or £15,000 for those who started prior to 2012. The interest you pay is linked to inflation, so in real terms what you repay is broadly the same as what you borrowed.

Many students will also be eligible to take out a Maintenance Loan towards accommodation and other living costs of up to £7,675. In addition, you may be able to get a Maintenance Grant of up to £3,250 per year, which does not have to be paid back. Whether you qualify for a full or partial grant will depend on your income and that of your household.

Part-time students starting in 2012 will be able to apply for a loan for their tuition fees. This is repayable from 2016 once you are earning £21,000 a year, even if you are still studying.

For further information, application forms and guides please refer to the following website:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

'Home' or 'Overseas' fees?

Broadly speaking the following students will be classified as ‘home’ or EU students:

Persons who have permanent residence in the UK and have been in the UK for three years prior to the start of your course.
EEA migrant workers and their direct descendants aged under 21, or dependents in the UK who have lived in the EEA for three years.
EU Nationals and their families who have lived in the EEA for three years
Refugees (recognised by the UK government) and their families
Persons who have applied for asylum and have been granted exceptional leave to enter/remain and their families

For further information as to whether you would be eligible to pay ‘home’ or ‘overseas’, please contact the UK Council for International Student Affairs and refer to the following website:
www.ukcisa.org.uk

Access Course

The BSO’s Access to Higher Education diploma (Osteopathy and Health Care) course is designed for students who would like to take up a career in osteopathy but may not have all the necessary qualifications to study for the degree.

The fee for the academic year 2012/2013 is £1,280. For more general information about this course, please click here to visit our Access Course page.

Access Course Fee Support Fund Guidelines

General information
The BSO Access Course Fee Support Fund is available to students who are on a low income and/or in receipt of a means tested benefit. The main purpose of this fund is to encourage wider participation from students from less affluent backgrounds.

The BSO receives no Government funding for its Access Course. Therefore the Fund is a ‘goodwill’ gesture made up from charitable donations. The BSO is grateful to all those who have, and continue, to contribute.

Eligibility
Applicants must be able to satisfy the following residency, educational and income criteria:

Residency
– Students must have settled status in the UK
– EU students must have lived and worked in the UK prior to the start of the course
– Overseas students and asylum seekers are not eligible to apply to this fund.

Students are required to provide evidence of residency at enrolment.

Income criteria
Eligible students who are in receipt of a means tested benefit, and whose taxable income is less than £15,000, will qualify for £300 Access Course fee support.

Housing Benefit
Income Support
Working Tax Credit
Income based Job Seekers Allowance – based on your income and savings
Council Tax Benefit

Evidence of income
Documentary evidence of the income declared will be required as follows:

Unemployed
Income Support/Jobseekers Allowance (income based) – a letter from the Department of Work and Pension dated within the last six weeks and showing:

a) The name and address of the person receiving the benefit.
b) The name of the benefit. If Jobseekers Allowance is being claimed your evidence must state ‘Jobseekers Allowance – income based’.

Working
Annual taxable income not exceeding £15,000 – a payslip showing current details of your monthly income from your current employer and proof of benefits

Proof of benefits
Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit – a letter from your local authority dated within the last six weeks or the benefit form (see below) and showing:

a) The name and address of the person receiving the benefit.
b) The name of the benefit.

Working Tax Credit
a copy of your TC602 letter from HM Revenue and Customs giving details of your Working Tax Credits award and dated within the current tax year showing:

a) The name and address details of the person receiving benefit and the name of the benefit received.

You are required to supply this evidence at enrolment along with your completed application form available from the BSO Admissions Team.

These guidelines are for academic year 2011/12 and are reviewed annually. For more information, please contact Sarah Matthews, BSO Student Support and Equality Manager on 020 7089 5335 or click to email Sarah.

Fees for other BSO courses

Introduction to Osteopathic Sciences

2012 entry students: £260. For more general information about this course, please go to: http://www.bso.ac.uk/sm2intro.htm

Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods:

2011 entry students: £1,000. For more general information about this course, please go to: http://www.bso.ac.uk/cpd-postgraduates/postgraduate-courses/

Professional Doctorate in Osteopathy:

2011 entry students: £3,700. For more general information about this course, please go to: http://www.bso.ac.uk/cpd-postgraduates/postgraduate-courses/

Postgraduate Certificate in Academic and Clinical Education:

2011 entry students: £1,500 (Academic: £750. Clinical: £750). For more general information about this course, please go to: http://www.bso.ac.uk/cpd-postgraduates/postgraduate-courses/