Terms and conditions


University of Essex Online degree courses


Institute of Leadership and Management courses*


*General terms and conditions also apply.

Terms and conditions - degrees


1. Application

All applicants must complete an application form.

2. Interview

All applicants and their employers (where appropriate) will be interviewed by telephone. Reasons for non-acceptance will not be disclosed. Anyone supplying false information on the application form is liable to suspension or expulsion from study.

3. Acceptance

Students have fourteen days from the date of an offer to accept or decline a place on the course. Acceptance must be on the official acceptance form and accompanied by the relevant documents by letter, fax or email. If acceptance has not been notified by the due date, non-acceptance of the offer will be deemed and the offer will lapse.

4. Fees and funding

Course fees are published on the University of Essex Online website. Our courses are part funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England subject to the conditions outlined in clause 16. We are committed to maintaining fees at the current published level for course duration but reserve the right to make increases in the overall fees during courses to reflect inflation and changes in available higher education funding.

5. Payment of fees

Students can either pay by level or module. If students apply for a grant from the Student Loans Company, a non-refundable deposit is payable. In the event that the applicable fee or deposit are not paid by the commencement of the relevant level or module, we reserve the right to deny the student access/continued access to the course until the payment is cleared.

Employer credit facilities and deferred payment whilst awaiting grant approval are subject to our discretion and must be approved in writing. Dishonoured cheques will result in a charge of £25 to cover administration and bank charges, as well as the risk of admission to study being refused.

6. Discounts

Discounts will be limited to the published promotional periods and will only be applied to fees paid prior to course commencement. If a part (level or module) payment method is selected, the discounts will not apply to subsequent payments.

7. Resits and temporary withdrawal from modules

A fee of 50% of the applicable published module rate will be charged for each module resit.

8. Course cancellation by students

Course cancellations must be communicated formally by letter to the Head of Student Support, University of Essex Online, WestOne, 114 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 1BA or by email to enquiries@online.essex.ac.uk.

If a student cancels the course having paid for one or more levels in full, a refund will be made of the module fees paid per uncommenced module less a cancellation charge of £100 per level.

If a student cancels the course having paid by module, no refund will be made.

If a student cancels the course having applied for a grant, any deposits paid will not be refunded.

Refunds will be made within 28 days of receipt of the cancellation notice and will only be made to the paying party.

9. Course cancellation by Kaplan Open Learning

University of Essex Online Courses are delivered by Kaplan Open Learning. Kaplan Open Learning reserve the right to:

a) Cancel any course prior to the published commencement date of the course, in which case an alternative start date or full refund will be offered.

b) Change published module start dates, in which case an alternative start date will be offered. No refund will be made.

c) Withdraw courses, levels and/or modules at any time if for any reason the course is not viable. In these circumstances Kaplan Open Learning will use reasonable endeavours to make appropriate arrangements for continuation of studies. If the alternatives offered are not acceptable to the student and payment for the withdrawn modules has already been made, a refund for the withdrawn modules will be offered.

10. Accreditation of prior learning (credit transfers)

If an accreditation for prior learning is approved, for each module accredited, the student will be charged £100 or the rate in force at the time.

11. Computer Equipment

Computer equipment and internet access costs are not included in our course fees and are the responsibility of the student.

12. Conduct

Students must not make their online passwords available to any third parties, and courses are not transferable between students.

We reserve the right to require a student to leave the course (without a refund) at any stage if the student is in breach of any of our academic or other policies, is guilty of inappropriate conduct or behaviour or of acting, in our view, in any way which detrimentally affects the learning experience of others or other circumstances apply which we deem unacceptable.

We also reserve the right to require a student to leave the course at any stage if their payments for modules are not up to date.

No fees are refundable in any of the foregoing circumstances unless we determine that bona fide extenuating circumstances apply in which we are prepared to exercise discretion.

13. Course Completion

Students must complete a Foundation degree within six years of enrolment and a progression route on to a Bachelors degree course within three years of enrolment. A full Bachelors degree must be completed within nine years of enrolment. If a student fails to complete within these time frames, then their study will be terminated without liability on our part and any funds received but not utilised in accordance with these terms and conditions will be forfeited to Kaplan Open Learning.

14. Academic conduct

University of Essex Online courses are delivered by Kaplan Open Learning and validated by the University of Essex. Kaplan Open Learning students students agree to be bound by Kaplan Open Learning rules and University of Essex rules relating to conduct, plagiarism, attendance, academic appeals and others detailed at induction and available on the learning platform.

15. Eligibility for funding by the Higher Education Funding Council for England

To be eligible for funding and paying home fees, students must be 'settled' in the UK on the 'first day of the first academic year of the course'. 'Settled' means being both ordinarily resident in the UK and without any immigration restrictions on the length of their stay in the UK. To be 'settled' students must either have the Right of Abode or Indefinite Leave to Enter or Remain in the UK or have the right of permanent residence in the UK under EC law. British citizen have the ‘Right of Abode’.

In addition, students must have been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for the three years before the first day of the first academic year of the course, or, if a student is a national of a European Union (EU) country, they must have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area (EEA) and/or Switzerland for the three years before the first day of the first academic year of the course. Students are considered to be 'ordinarily resident' in the relevant area if they have habitually, normally and lawfully resided in that area from choice. Temporary absences from the residence area should be ignored.

Other students, including those resident in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, are required to pay international fees.

The above is a summary of the funding regulations applicable to the majority of students. Students are advised to refer to www.direct.gov.uk for the full regulations or seek clarification by sending full details of their position, together with supporting documentation, to University of Essex Online, WestOne, 114 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 1BA.

16. Liability

While we endeavour to ensure that the information on the University of Essex Online website is correct, we do not warrant the accuracy and completeness of the material on the site or in our prospectus. We may make changes to the material on the site or to the products and prices described in it at any time without notice, although we will provide notice of substantive changes to our Privacy Policy. The material on the site is provided “as is,” without any conditions, warranties, or other terms of any kind. Accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the University of Essex Online site is provided on the basis that we exclude all representations, warranties, conditions and other terms (including, without limitation, the conditions implied by law of satisfactory quality, fitness for purpose and the use of reasonable care and skill) which but for this legal notice might have effect in relation to the University of Essex Online site.

Kaplan Open Learning and any of our group companies, and their officers, directors, employees, shareholders or agents of any kind, exclude all liability and responsibility for any amount or kind of loss or damage that may result to students or any third party (including, without limitation, any direct, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damages, or any loss of income, profits, goodwill, data, contracts, use of money, or loss or damages arising from or connected in any way to business interruption, and whether in tort (including without limitation negligence), contract or otherwise) in connection with the University of Essex Online site in any way or in connection with the use, inability to use or the results of use of the University of Essex Online site, any websites linked to the University of Essex Online site, or the material on such websites, including, but not limited to, loss or damage due to viruses that may infect computer equipment, software, data, or other property on account of access to, use of, or browsing the University of Essex Online site or downloading of any material from the University of Essex Online site or any websites linked to the University of Essex Online site. If your use of the material on the University of Essex Online site results in the need for servicing, repair or correction of equipment, software, or data, you assume all costs thereof.

Nothing in this legal notice shall exclude or limit our liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by negligence (as such term is defined by the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977); or (b) fraud; or (c) any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

17. Variation

No variation to these terms and conditions will be valid unless agreed in writing by us, provided always that we reserve the right to make any addition, amendment or alteration to these terms and conditions upon giving one module’s written notice of such change to all affected students.

We may also, by written notice, vary terms and conditions of enrolment with immediate effect as may be necessary to comply with any law or funding regulations.

18. Governing Law

Students’ arrangements with Kaplan Open Learning are governed by English law.

19. Data Protection

Students are subject to our privacy policy, details of which are published on the University of Essex Online website.

20. Student Declaration

In signing the application form a student declares that the information supplied on the form is complete and correct and that the giving of false or incomplete information may lead to the refusal of application or cancellation of enrolment.

University of Essex Online courses are delivered by Kaplan Open Learning. Students give permission for Kaplan Open Learning to obtain official records from any educational institution attended by them and authorise Kaplan Open Learning to supply any relevant official records to the University of Essex and to government bodies.

Terms and Conditions - Professional Qualifications


1. ILM Fees

If fees for all three qualifications are paid up front, a 10% discount is applied, reducing the total fee for the Award, Certificate and Diploma to £1,980.

2. ILM VAT

Amounts quoted include VAT where applicable but exclude any taxes or duties imposed by countries outside the UK.

3. ILM Payment Schedule

Full payment is required on completion of the enrolment form and before commencement of studies.

4. ILM Refunds

Should you decide to discontinue your studies; refunds will only be provided when notice of cancellation has been received in writing prior to the start of the qualification. Refunds are not available for commenced qualifications. Postage and book costs are not refundable.

5. Course Transferability

Courses are not transferrable between students.

6. ILM Course Flexibility

The course length is flexible and can be extended up to 12 months per qualification without any additional fees being incurred.

Please note, should you decide to withdraw from your current course group and re-start at a later date, a deferral fee of £50 will be incurred.

7. ILM Course Fee

The total course fee includes everything you need to succeed with your qualification, including online tuition, books and study registration with the ILM.

8. Domestic and Overseas Postage

Postage to a UK address is included in the course fee. We charge a one-off fee for postage and packaging of £30 for EU countries and £50 for all other countries.