Fees FAQs

For the 2025/26 academic year, the maximum tuition fees that universities and colleges in England can charge for home students will increase from £9,275 to £9,535.  These changes will apply from 1 August 2025.  

Further information about the fee changes can be found here. 

Tuition fees are charged by universities and colleges to cover key elements of your course and academic life, as well as core services related to students’ wellbeing and experience on campus.  

Tuition fees normally cover: 

• lectures, seminars, and tutorials 
• course admin costs 
• access to course-related facilities and equipment (e.g. laboratories, studios)  
• access to campus libraries and computer rooms 
• support services for students 
• student union membership 
• graduation ceremony 

If you are starting the Integrated Foundation Year in Business Management, International Business Management, Professional Policing, Security Intelligence & Investigative Practice or LLB Law your fees will be the lower rate of £5,760. All other foundation years will have the 3.1% uplift in fees to £9,535. All other years of the programme will be at the standard tuition fee rate for that degree in that academic year.

Yes. We will continue to provide a scholarship to bring your fees in line with UK students so EU student tuition fees in 2025/26 will be £9,535, equivalent to the fee for UK-based students.

We know that the increase in tuition fees is significant for you as a prospective university student.   

There is no upfront charge for tuition fees.  After you finish your course, your monthly student loan repayments are based on your income. The monthly repayments will not increase because of the changes and repayments don’t start until you reach the earnings threshold.   

The threshold is at least £24,990 for undergraduate loans but depends on the loan plan you are on. The increased fee amount is added to the total loan repayable. 

In addition to tuition fees, maintenance loans are also set to increase.  Ensuring equitable access to higher education is central to the University of Cumbria’s vision and mission and we know that this extra support makes a difference to many. 

As a modern university, based in the real world, we prepare our graduates not only for work, but also for life. 

Students that learn more, earn more. Earnings for graduates are around a third higher than for non-graduates who could have gone to university. In the northwest graduates earn 36 per cent more by the age of 31. 

We understand that a 3.1% increase in the maximum maintenance loan will be available for the 2025/26 academic year.

The exact amount will depend on the individual student circumstances and is outlined in the Government’s Education blog webpages.

Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Awards Agency Scotland or Student Finance Northern Ireland will manage the award of maintenance loans as usual and applications for 2025/26 are likely to open in February or March 2025.

No. Our prices are not tied to the maintenance loan available to you.

We have an established process for setting accommodation charges based on our operating costs, and that remains in place. When you are offered a place in Halls the offer includes a statement of the total payable for the period of your tenancy (up to one year), and that will not be changed during the year you are resident.

We know that the increase in fees is significant for you as a student.  

The UK Government decision to increase the level of regulated tuition fees is intended to help universities meet the cost of delivering education. Regulated fees have not increased in seven years, despite significant inflation. 

The modest amount of additional income to the university will help us to manage the ongoing impact of inflation, increased costs for materials and national insurance.  We always try to provide students with educational experiences that meet your needs and expectations, and we have value for money in mind when we make choices about investing in our staffing, our campuses and our online learning tools. 

The University of Cumbria was set up to be rooted in and serve our communities, with people, place and partnership at our heart. With others, we continue to raise participation in higher education through innovative progression routes and supporting the delivery of higher-level skills for the workforce. 

Together with employers and partners we have shared ambitions to continue to drive economic growth that transforms lives and livelihoods. 

As a modern and mission-driven university, we are proud of our track record when it comes to graduate outcomes.  We are ranked 1st in the northwest and in the top 10 in the UK for graduates entering into employment or further study within 15 months of completing their studies.  

Our graduates gain knowledge and skills and are career-ready, allowing them and our local and global communities to thrive and prosper. 

We are investing and being invested in and 2023/24 has been an exciting year for us. Thanks to a philanthropic donation from the Pears Foundation, we are establishing a new graduate entry medical school in Carlisle in partnership with Imperial College, London. The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine will enrol its first students in September 2025 at our Fusehill Street Campus. 

We continue to drive forward our plans for a new Citadels campus in the heart of Carlisle and construction of our new Barrow campus is well under way ready to welcome students from September 2025.  

Yes, those that have already received an offer letter will receive a new offer email with the fee confirmation presented within 10 working days of the date of the email confirming the fee increase for your course.

Yes. Your tuition fees will increase next year if you are an on campus undergraduate student studying a BSc, BA or DipHE. The fee in 2025/26 will be £9,535, an increase of 3.1%.

If you are a UK-based student and you pay your fees through a tuition fee loan from Student Finance England, SAAS, Student Finance Wales or Northern Ireland, the increased amount will be paid to the university automatically and you don't need to do anything outside of the standard annual application for your loan.

Yes. We will, however, continue to provide a scholarship to bring your fees in line with UK students making the 2025/26 fee £9,535.

Yes. Your tuition fees will increase next year if you are an on campus undergraduate student studying a BSc, BA or DipHE. The fee will increase by 3.1% which is the same percentage increase applied to UK student fees. 

If you are on a classroom based Integrated Foundation Year programme, the remaining years of your course will be subject to the standard tuition fees for that degree programme, as detailed in your offer email.

From 2025/26 the Integrated Foundation Year will be £5,760 for new students. There are no retrospective changes to fee levels for the foundation year you have studied or are studying now.

*Classroom based undergraduate programmes at the University of Cumbria are: Business Management, International Business Management, Professional Policing, Security Intelligence & Investigative Practice and LLB Law.

The increase in the tuition fees will not take effect until you start your next academic year.

If you started your course in any month other than August or September, you should refer to the email we sent to your university email address. This formally explains the change in your fees. As an indicator, you will only start paying the new higher fee when you start taking modules in the next level of study, unless you need to repeat a year of study or pay to retake a module in the 2025/26 academic year. In which case, the new fee will apply to your repeated module or year.

We understand that a 3.1% increase in the maximum maintenance loan will be available for the 2025/26 academic year.

The exact amount will depend on the individual student circumstances and is outlined in the Government’s Education blog webpages.

Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, Student Awards Agency Scotland or Student Finance Northern Ireland will manage the award of maintenance loans as usual and applications for 2025/26 are likely to open in February or March 2025.

After you finish your course, your monthly student loan repayments are based on your income. The size of monthly repayments will not increase because of the changes and repayments don’t start until you reach the earnings threshold.

The threshold is subject to change but is currently at least £24,990 for undergraduate loans depending on the loan plan you are on. The tuition fee loan amount is part of the total loan repayable.

No. Our prices are not tied to the maintenance loan available to you.

We have an established process for setting accommodation charges based on our operating costs, and that remains in place. When you are offered a place in halls the offer includes a statement of the total payable for the period of your tenancy (up to one year), and that will not be changed during the year you are resident.

We know that the increase in tuition fees is significant for you as a student.

The UK Government decision to increase the level of regulated tuition fees is intended to help universities meet the cost of delivering education. Regulated fees have not increased in seven years, despite significant inflation.

The modest amount of additional income to the university will help us to manage the ongoing impact of inflation, increased costs for materials and national insurance. We always try to provide students with educational experiences that meet your needs and expectations, and we have value for money in mind when we make choices about investing in our staffing, our campuses and our online learning tools.

Yes, plans are still available. Please contact Accounts Receivable (accountsreceivableteam@cumbria.ac.uk) to arrange. 

The university has a student support fund for students facing financial challenges, as well as a range of other support services.   

Further information about all support services available can be found at  https://my.cumbria.ac.uk/