Obligatory Coursework Expenditures for the Academic Year 2025/2026
Here Comes the Bill: Let's discuss the fee updates for the academic year starting 1st August 2025 till 31st July 2026, strap yourself in as we explore the changes! The Open College of the Arts (OCA) is focused on offering quality education at a reasonable cost, all while ensuring the college's financial health and sustainability.
Last year witnessed a substantial increase in fees, covering a multitude of expenses and factors that the college has been shouldering. The turbulent Higher Education sector faces financial instability, and OCA shares this burden. Primary factors contributing to these increased fees include the escalation in national insurance contributions, as well as the investments OCA is making in various services.
Tuition fees represent the main source of income for OCA, enabling us to cover the escalating costs. Consequently, fees are set to rise by 3% across all provisions, barring undergraduate courses where the hike stands at an impressive 10%.
The fees for undergraduate courses reflect the complexity and expenses associated with delivering undergraduate provision in the UK, with the need to align practices with the QAA Quality Code. OCA became a full member of the QAA from the 2024/25 academic year, aiming to adopt sector-best practices.
Here's a breakdown of the reasons behind the uplift:
- Hiked National Insurance Contributions.
- Refinements in our Virtual Learning Environment, necessitating increased hosting costs to ensure better, more durable, and accessible services for a greater student population.
- Staggering operational costs for OCA, including staffing and resources, escalating either with or above inflation rates, especially for smaller providers.
- International student fees continue to be higher due to the enhanced operational costs in delivering and resourcing courses worldwide. New directives, introduced from January 2025, change the VAT treatment of education within the EU, potentially making educational fees chargeable unless individual exemptions can be established. OCA will absorb the emerging costs in 2025/26 to remain committed to providing services globally.
You'll be pleased to know that student fees at OCA remain lower than most UK accredited Higher Education providers offering Creative Arts subjects via distance learning, approximately 30% less expensive than a UK degree at a traditional university. If you're fretting about the costs of studying, there are several financial assistance options available, such as student finance, bursaries, payment plans, and subsidies. For more information, visit the funding FAQs section on the OCA website.
Will Woods
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- To accommodate the rise in national insurance contributions and invest in various services, the Open College of Arts (OCA) decides to increase tuition fees, especially for undergraduate courses, by 10%.
- To continue offering quality education and self-development at a reasonable cost, OCA encourages students to explore financial assistance options, such as student finance, bursaries, payment plans, and subsidies, to help manage the costs of studying.
