Gap Year Q&A

1.  Will I have to pay the higher, variable fees if I take a gap year in 2005/6, and go to university in 2006/7?
No.  Your institution will only be able to charge you up to £1,200 (the current standard fee) per year.  They will be able to vary the fees they charge you up to this level, but will not ask you to pay more than £1,200.

2.  When do I have to apply for deferred entry in order to qualify for the exemption from paying variable fees?
In order to qualify for the gap year exemption from variable fees, you must have applied and received your offer from your university by 1^st August 2005.  

3.  What if I want to wait and apply for deferred entry after I’ve got my A Level results?
You must have applied to your institution and received your offer of a deferred place by 1^st August 2005.  If you wait until after you have received your A Level results to apply you will not have received your offer by this date and will not, therefore, qualify for the exemption. 

4. Will I be expected to have anything to ‘prove’ that I’ve taken a gap year and that I qualify for the exemption?
You may be asked to provide the letter from your university or from UCAS confirming that you have applied and received your offer of a deferred place.

5. What happens if, during my gap year, I change my mind about what course I want to do?  Will I still qualify for the exemption?
This will depend on whether the subject matter of the course you want to change to is largely the same as the course for which you originally applied.   If your university considers that the subject matter of the course you want to change to is essentially the same as the one you originally applied for, then you will continue to qualify for the exemption.  If they do not consider this to be so, you will no longer qualify.   

6. What happens if, during my gap year, I change my mind about which institution I want to go to?
You need to have received an offer from your institution by 1 August 2005 to qualify for the exemption.  You would then be expected to take up your place at that institution, except where the course you’ve applied for is withdrawn and you have to go to a different institution to do the same (or a similar) course.  If you simply change your mind about where you want to study, you will not qualify for the exemption.

7. What if I don’t apply through UCAS, but directly to the institution instead?
You will be in the same position as a gap year student who applies through UCAS.  You will be covered by the exemption as long as you have applied to your institution and received your offer before 1^st August 2005.

8. What happens if I do a foundation degree first?
If you take a gap year before starting your foundation degree, you will be exempted from variable fees providing you received your offer by 1 August 2005.  If you decide to undertake further years of study in order to convert your foundation degree to an honours degree, then we intend that you would remain exempt from variable fees providing that there is no gap between finishing your foundation degree and starting your HE course.

9. What happens if I apply to start in 2005, receive an offer from my institution for that year, but then decide to take a gap year?
To qualify for the exemption you must have received an offer of a deferred place from your university by 1^st August 2005.  If you originally apply to start in 2005, receive your offer for that year and then change your mind about when you want to start, you would have to contact your university to see whether they could offer you a deferred place.  There is no guarantee that they could do this, or that they would be able to do so by the 1^st August deadline.

10. If my entry to university is delayed for a year - for example, if my institution requires me to do an art foundation course as a pre-requisite for an art and design degree – will I still qualify for the exemption?
Only those students who start their course in 2006/07 and who have received an offer of a place by 1 August 2005 will be exempted from variable fees.  Students who take a foundation course in 2005/6 will therefore be liable for variable fees when starting their degree course in 2006/7, unless they have received an offer of a place from their institution by the August 2005 deadline.  That offer may be conditional or unconditional: so you would meet the criteria for the exemption if you had received an offer of a deferred place in 2006/7, which was conditional on exam results and successful interview following completion of the foundation course, before 1 August 2005.   

11. What happens if I appeal against my A Level results and can’t go to university in 2005/6 as I originally planned?
If you successfully appeal against your A Level results after you have received an offer of a university place (and you have received this offer before 1^st August 2005) and cannot, therefore, take up your place in 2005 as planned, you will be covered by the exemption.  So you will be in the same position as gap year students: you will not have to pay the higher, variable fees.  Your university will only be able to charge you up to £1,200 per year.

12. What happens if I get a place at university through clearing, but then decide that I want to take a gap year and start my course in 2006/7 instead?
To qualify for the exemption you must have received an offer from your university for deferred entry in 2006 by 1^st August 2005.  The clearing process takes place in mid to late August, so if you decide to obtain a university place in this way, you will have missed the 1^st August 2005 cut-off date.  In any case, places obtained through the clearing process are normally for courses which start in that year, and are not usually deferrable.

13. What happens if my university changes its fees whilst I’m on my gap year?
By accepting the deferred place offered to you by your university, you agree to pay the fee stated by the institution for your course at that time.  Your university will not be able to charge you a higher fee when you arrive at university in 2006.  In effect, by accepting the place offered to you, you enter into a contractual agreement with the university which prohibits it from charging you a higher fee to the one you originally undertook to pay.

14 Will I qualify for this exemption if I take a gap year starting in 2006/7?
No.  The exemption only applies to students taking a gap year in 2005/6.

15. What student support will I be eligible for if I take a gap year in 2005/6?
Students taking a gap year in 2005/6 and starting their course in 2006/7 will be eligible for a means-tested grant of up to £1,200 to cover fees, and to a new additional grant of up to £1,000 for those from low income families, in addition to existing financial support for living costs.  

15  What student support will I be eligible for if I do not qualify for the gap year exemption and start my course in 2006/7?
Those students who start their courses in the normal way in 2006/7 will be eligible for a means tested grant of up to £2,700.    Around 30% of students will be eligible for the full grant (where their family income is less than £15,970), and a further 20-25% will get a partial grant (where their family income is less than £33,500).
Additionally, where their university decides to charge £3000 for a course, the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) will expect students in receipt of the maximum grant of £2,700 to receive financial support of at least £300 from the university.

Reproduced from the Year Out Group website: http://www.yearoutgroup.org/tuition-fees.htm