Tuition fee deposits for international master’s students

International students undertaking a full-time master’s degree are required to pay a tuition fee deposit before an electronic Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) can be issued.

A CAS is an essential document when applying for the Student Route Visa. For all courses, the deposit will be offset against the fee when you register.

• Visa guidance

Please note that you will not have to pay a tuition fee deposit if you are applying to study a research-based course such as a PhD, MPhil or MSc by Research.

Students who do not have to pay

The deposit requirement will be waived for students (upon receipt of appropriate evidence):

• whose tuition fees are fully funded by a third-party sponsor (a research council, a charity, a commercial organisation, an international organisation); 
• who are eligible and apply for a US student loan to cover the full cost of the tuition fees;  
• who are attending an English language pre-sessional course at The University of Manchester.

If you are either a new student or a returning student who is fully sponsored for your course fees by a third-party external sponsor, you’ll need to upload a copy of your sponsorship document in My Manchester. 

We will only accept sponsorship letters from recognised sponsors (overseas governments, international businesses, universities, trusts and charities, etc) and not from friends or family members. More information on sponsorships can be found in the Crucial Guide.

Students with University of Manchester scholarships

We will waive the deposit requirement for students awarded a full tuition fee scholarship by the University. If you have already accepted a full tuition fee scholarship from the University, you do not need to provide further confirmation as your deposit will be waived.

If you have received a partial scholarship (less than 100% of your tuition fees), you are still required to pay the deposit or to provide a sponsorship letter from a recognised sponsor confirming funding for the remaining fees.   

Cost

The minimum deposit is £1,000. The maximum amount you are able to pay is the full tuition fee for your course.

When and how to pay

You can only pay your tuition fee deposit once your offer status is unconditional. If you have more than one unconditional offer, you should decide which course you want to study and then pay the tuition fee deposit for that course. You will be contacted by a member of the admissions staff to inform you when you should make payment.

Paying in instalments

We recommend that where possible you make one payment minimum of between £1,000 and the maximum the total fees for your course. This will enable us to issue your CAS without complication or delay and to ensure that the full amount you have paid is reflected in the CAS.

If you do make additional payments, we will add these payments to your CAS. However, there may be a delay and you should wait until you receive confirmation from us that the payments have been added before making your visa application.

Receipts, refunds and deferrals

If you pay online via the applicant portal, you'll be able to print a receipt when the payment is made and see the payment via the portal. The payment will also be included on the CAS, which we issue for you to make your Tier 4 student visa application.

A refund is only available if your visa application is refused.

Deferring your entry

You may defer your entry without paying a deposit. However, if you wish to defer after you have paid your deposit, then this will be kept for use against your tuition fees for the new entry date.

Alliance Manchester Business School programmes

Please note that different arrangements apply for programmes in the Alliance Manchester Business School. You will be advised of the arrangements for the payment of reservation fees and/or deposits that relate to the programme you wish to study on.