Paying your fees

For all programmes, other than the Graduate Diploma, you will need to pay at least 50 per cent of your tuition fee for the year to complete registration. Graduate Diploma students must pay the full fee at registration.

Students with a fee status of Home or EU-Low who are taking out loans from Student Finance will not need to pay their first instalment until September and will be enrolled from the middle of August onwards if we can see your loan has been approved. For more information on payment options, please see the section below: ‘Home students who are taking out a loan from Student Finance’.

There are a number of methods to complete payment. Further details are given on the back of the invoice which you will receive during July or August.

There are a number of national and international payment options you can access via our student portal. Detailed information for this can be found in the offer pack in the Offer Holder Hub and in the communication when you receive your invoice in July. It will show the total fee.

The due date on the invoice is not a final deadline, and is there to remind you that paying your invoice sooner rather than later will ensure the enrolment process can proceed smoothly.

If your invoice is dated 19 August 2024 or later, you will be required to make payment upon receipt of invoice.

Fees can be paid via the student portal (My RCA > My Account > Make Payment) which offers a wide range of national and international payment options. Detailed information for this can be found in the offer pack in the Offer Holder Hub and in the communication when you receive your invoice.

For MA, MRes, MPhil, MFA, MDes, MArch and PhD programmes we also provide an option for you to pay in two equal instalments:

• A minimum of 50% of your fees must be paid in order to be enrolled at the RCA
• The remaining 50% (or the balance if you pay more in the first instalment) will be due prior to the start of the 2nd term in January.

Graduate Diploma Art & Design students must pay the full fee in one instalment in advance of registration.

In exceptional circumstances the college may allow you to pay by more flexible instalments. You should contact the college as soon as possible before the start of the academic year if you would like to investigate this.

Details about paying in instalments can be found on Page 2 of your invoice, which can be viewed within the My Account section of the Student Portal.

Home students who are not taking out a loan from Student Finance

One half of the fee is payable in advance of Registration (for first-year students the deposit will count towards the first instalment) plus one payment by any payment method at the start of term in January. This option is not available to Graduate Diploma students.

Home students who are taking out a loan from Student Finance

If you are receiving a Postgraduate Loan or Doctoral Loan, you can pay your fee in 3 instalments in line with your Postgraduate/Doctoral Loan payments (i.e. September, January and May). This means you can be enrolled (subject to the other enrolment conditions being met) and then pay your first instalment in September.

Please be aware your Postgraduate/Doctoral Loan may not cover the full cost of your fees and so you may need other funds to make up the shortfall.

Home students studying MA Architecture (Part 2) may be eligible to apply for a tuition fee loan to cover their fees. If you have an approved tuition fee loan in place at the point of enrolment which covers your full fees, you will not be required to make any fee payments.

If you are relying on your loan to pay your tuition fees and your loan is not approved by Thursday 22 August, please email student-support@rca.ac.uk, explaining that you are unable to enrol and confirming on what date you applied for your loan. We will then look into this and get back to you.

Overseas and EU students

One half of the fee is payable in advance of Registration (for first-year students the deposit will count towards the first instalment) plus one payment by any payment method at the start of term in January. This option is not available to Graduate Diploma students.

Students requiring a visa

As part of the student visa application process, you must show you have enough funds to cover your tuition fees and living expenses. If you have already submitted your visa application and are waiting for a decision, we recommend any funds from the bank account you are using as evidence for your visa application be maintained in the account. 

If you are worried about paying your tuition while waiting for your visa decision, you can wait until your visa has been granted before paying your fees. 

If you have any other questions related to your invoice please contact the Finance team at: accounts-receivable@rca.ac.uk

You will need to pay your invoice through the Student Portal, which links with our payment provider, Flywire. The Flywire payment portal defaults to the currency in your location and provides a number of payment options. These may include a combination of bank transfer, various types of card payment and local online payment methods depending on the location from which you are paying. All of these payment options will include currency conversion and bank charges so the RCA receives the right amount in British Pounds. There are no hidden charges from the College or Flywire.

Flywire provides a best price guarantee for bank transfers. If you find a cheaper price for making the same bank transfer within two hours then Flywire will match it.

There is the additional option, at the bottom of the screen, to pay in alternative currencies (i.e. currencies other than your local currency). Depending on the country from which you are paying this may include paying in British Pounds, Euros or US Dollars. These payments are expressed in British Pounds. If you use one of these options and make the payment from a bank that is denominated in a different currency (eg you choose to pay using the British Pounds option from a Japanese Yen credit card or bank) your own bank will convert your currency into British Pounds, add on their own credit card fees – for credit card payments – and international payment processing charges. The cost of transferring this way is therefore uncertain at the point of payment.

If you would like help making payment or have any questions, please use the Help links on the Flywire payment pages. In the bottom right hand corner of the screen there is a chatbot that provides some useful information and allows you to ask questions. There is a Help option top right that takes you to the more detailed help pages which include contact details to either email, chat (with a person) or call Flywire for help. They are available 24 hours a day 365 days a year and can help you in your preferred language.

• If you have been awarded an RCA Scholarship in support of tuition fees you will not yet see that sum reflected on the invoice you’ve been sent.
• Any fee amounts covered by your scholarship or bursary will be added and reflected on the portal as soon as possible. 
• Until the portal is updated, please deduct any fees awarded from the total invoice amount owing when making your payment. 
• If you have any queries regarding making the fee payment itself, please contact Flywire via the Student Portal
• If you have any concerns or questions about your fees or invoice amount, please contact accounts-receivable@rca.ac.uk
• If an External Sponsor has agreed to pay your fees, please contact accounts-receivable@rca.ac.uk for further details regarding the process.

We offer a discount on fees if you progress from one RCA programme to another, within ten years of the date of award of your previous degree.

For 2024/25 entry:

• Students progressing to an MA from Graduate Diploma: a £1,000 fee reduction (£1,000 fee reduction per year for MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering)
• Students progressing to an MArch, MFA, MDes, MRes or MEd from an MA or MA/MSc: a £5,000 fee reduction (£2,500 per year for part-time study)
• Students progressing to Postgraduate Research (PhD or MPhil) from MA, MA/MSc, MArch, MFA, MDes, MRes or MEd: a £1,000 fee reduction per year (£500 per year for part-time study)

For Postgraduate Research, if you change from full-time registration to part-time (or vice versa), then the fee reduction will be re-calculated and the maximum discount period is six years (excluding authorised leave of absence).

Deposits are required* when you accept your offer and are offset against the fees for your study. Please see below for deposit amounts to be paid per degree programme. Your offer letter will state whether you have been assessed as a Home, Overseas or EU student for fees purposes.

Home Students Deposit

• MA, MRes, MPhil and PhD: £1,000
• Graduate Diploma: £2,000

Overseas and EU Students Deposit

• MA, MRes, MPhil and PhD: £2,000
• Graduate Diploma: £2,000

* This is not applicable to applicants with a fee status of Home who are applying to study MA Architecture Part 2 and who intend to take out a tuition fee loan from Student Finance.

Your deposit is not reflected on your invoice but will be visible in the Student Portal. When making a payment of at least 50% of your fees, please deduct the amount you have already paid as a deposit from this. If you would like any advice regarding your invoice amount, please contact accounts-receivable@rca.ac.uk.