CURRENT FEES
What are the course fees?
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| I year (Academic) | £850 |
| International students | £2500 |
| Description: Short courses | Costs |
|---|---|
| 6 months | £500 |
| 3 months | £350 |
| 2 months | £275 |
| 1 month | £195 |
| 2 Weeks (intensive) | £190 |
Each course usually has two or three fees as follows:
- Fee is the normal fee.
- Conc. is the concessionary fee paid by students eligible for a reduced fee.
How do I pay for courses?
You can pay:
By cheque, with a valid card, payable to ‘Organisation of Blind African Caribbeans’.
By cash (only when enrolling in person)
- Are you a EU or Non-EU student?
Non-EU students pay more than the published course fee and cannot claim concessionary fees or other financial support. OBAC Training and Consultancy does not receive funding for non-EU students, so we have to charge more in order to cover our costs. If you are unsure whether this applies to you, then please see below.
- Non-EU fees apply to:
All students who are in the UK on a student visa or have been resident in the UK, EU or EEA on a student visual during part of the three years preceding the start of the course.
Students who have not been resident in the UK for the three years prior to the start of a course, including those who are nationals of the UK, EU or EEA.
- EU students fees (e.g. normal fees level(s) apply to:
Those who have been resident in the UK, EU or EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) for the three years prior to the commencement of the course. This include those who have legally been living in England for the three years immediately preceding the start of the course, for example, those on a valid work visa, but excludes those who have come to the UK on a student visa.
Asylum seekers and their dependents in receipt of income-based benefits or assistance under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Children Act 1989, National Assistance Act 1948 or from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS).
Persons with exceptional leave to enter or remain in the UK, their spouse and children.
Persons with recently settled status (this means those having been granted indefinite leave to enter or remain, Right of Abode or British Citizenship within the three years immediately preceding the start of the course).
The spouse of a person with settled status who has been both married and resident in the UK for one year.
You must have the legal right to remain in the UK until the end date of the course that you have enrolled for.
Concessionary fees
To be eligible for a concessionary fee you are required to provide current evidence of your entitlement each time you enrol, whether it is for another course or another term. Photocopies documents are not acceptable.
If your circumstances change while you are studying, please notify the administration team.
Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
Please provide a letter from your Benefits Office that proves that you are receiving JSA at the time of enrolment.
We can provide a standard letter that the Benefits Office can sign or stamp for you.
Income based benefits
Please provide a recent letter or award (i.e. not more than one month old), confirming your entitlement. Sometimes, we can accept slightly older award notices if they are accompanied by a bank statement which clearly shows the award being paid into the account recently. Concessionary fees and fee remission are available if you receive Working Tax Credit and have a household income of less than £15,050 (subject to change) only. You must show us your Award Notice.
What additional charges are there?
Registration fee
A registration fee which is payable by all students when they enrol for the first time each academic year.
Material charges
Unless otherwise stated, all costs for materials are included in the course fee.
Examination fees
Because of the wide variety of accredited courses offered the examination fees may be different. Please check with the admin dept who will inform you about the correct examination fees. All initial enquiries regarding examination entry should be made to your course tutor.
Examination fee included in course fee
If the examination fee is included in the course fee your tutor will confirm your intention to sit any examination before notifying the Admin. Dept. You will be notified in due course of the date and time of the examination. You may still need to complete an examination entry. Your tutor will advise you if you need to do so.
Examination fee not included in the course fee
To enter an examination when the fee is not included in the course, the student must complete OBAC Examination Registration Form. The form must be signed by a tutor to agree entry and taken with any fee to the Admin. Office before the closing dated stated on the form. Please note that late entries will be charged an additional fee of up to £35. You will be notified in due course of the date and time of the examination.
Staged Payment Arrangements.
For all courses, it may be possible to make arrangements for fees to be paid in instalments but for this, evidence of financial hardship is required. There are usually two instalments with half of the fee being paid at enrolment and the remainder a calendar month later. A Special Payment Arrangements form is available for this purpose from the Admin. Office. To receive a copy of the form by post or fax please call the Admin. Team on 020 7735 3400 or write to the admin team at OBAC.
For a number of courses that were in the past made up of three distinct, term courses by are up to a year or over in length, there is the possibility of making three staged payments. For further information about these staged payments, please contact the admin team.
In what situation are refunds available?
If a whole course is cancelled due to low enrolments or changes are made to its day or time and you are unable to attend, a full refund will be given. If a course is closed after it has begun, a partial refund will be given; this will be proportional to the number of sessions held. If you give written notice of withdrawal from OBAC Training Admin team at least 10 days before a course begins, a refund will be given, subject to an administration charge of £10 per course. In this case there is no refund of examination, moderation or registration fees. OBAC will not make a refund in any other circumstances.
If a scheduled tutor cannot teach a particular session, OBAC will try to make other arrangements. This could include providing another tutor, rearranging the session to another date or lengthening subsequent sessions to make up the time. If these are not possible then a credit or refund will be offered to the affected students.
Can I transfer from one course to another?
If, after attending the first session of your course, you wish to transfer, you may do so. If the new course costs less, you will receive a credit that must be used before the end of the academic year. The credit is non-refundable and non-transferable. If the new course costs more, you must make up the difference when you transfer.
We regret that you cannot transfer;
- After the third session of any course
- If the course to which you wish to transfer is already full.
Open College Network
OBAC offers Open College Network courses, which is a nationally recognised qualification. You will be awarded a certificate recording the credits for which you have been successful. You must pay a registration fee for all OCN courses if you wish to gain accreditation.
If you want to gain OCN accreditation you should enrol on the course of your choice. You are not obliged to register for accreditation if you join a OCN course.
OCN Registration Fees
Fees vary depending on the credit value of the course or combination of courses you are following. The fee for 6 credits is £19, 12 credits £38 etc up to a maximum registration fee of £85.50. At the start of the course you will be informed of its credit value.