Masters tuition fee deposits for international students

If you are a self-funded international student starting a taught Masters course at Sussex, you are required to pay a tuition fee deposit of £5,000.

Paying your deposit

The University of Sussex is committed to providing the best possible experience to international students studying taught Masters Degrees. To help the University plan resources and to demonstrate the commitment needed to sponsor students with visa applications, if you are a self-funded international student starting a taught Masters course at Sussex and currently holding an Unconditional Offer, we require you to pay a tuition fee deposit of £5,000. This will ensure that the University can deliver excellent service, and support you with your visa application.

This deposit is to be paid after you have met all your academic and language conditions and accepted an offer. A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is required for the Student visa application and the University will issue this once the deposit has been paid and any other requirements satisfied.

The tuition fee deposit will be shown in your CAS as ‘fees paid’ and will be deducted from the fees you need to pay when you join Sussex. We only start to issue CAS six months before the course start date.

Deposits are usually non-refundable and non-transferable. Deposits may be refunded under exceptional circumstances such as the following:  

  • you are not able to apply for a visa because The University of Sussex is unable to issue a CAS

  • you apply for immigration permission in order to study at the University of Sussex but this is refused, and you are unable to travel to or remain in the UK in order to start your studies at the University of Sussex. The immigration refusal notice must be provided

  • you are initially refused entry clearance (immigration permission) to travel to the UK and successfully Challenge the refusal, but the successful administrative review comes through too late to start your course at The University of Sussex on time. Documentary evidence must be provided

  • The University of Sussex cancels your course and you do not wish to join any alternative offer

Please see our full deposit refund terms and conditions. You are advised to read this carefully before paying your deposit. 

Please be aware that if a refund of the deposit is requested (or there is a dispute about the payment made), the University will withdraw any associated CAS immediately.

Who needs to pay a tuition fee deposit?

A deposit of £5,000 is required if you:

  • have applied directly to the University for a taught Masters degree course which leads to an award of the University
  • require a Student visa to study in the UK
  • have accepted an Unconditional Offer from the University.

You will be exempt from the requirement to pay a deposit if one of the following grounds applies:

  • you provide sufficient evidence that you have sponsorship for the full tuition fee from a sponsor recognised by the University (the UK government, your home government ministry, the British Council, Chevening, British Commonwealth, an international organisation, company or university) – find out more on our tuition fees pages
  • you are currently registered on a University of Sussex International Study Centre Pre-Masters course in the summer prior to taking your Masters degree
  • you are currently registered on, or have applied and paid for, a University of Sussex Pre-Sessional English course in the summer prior to taking your Masters degree
  • you are an international student, but do not require a Student visa to study in the UK and will not therefore be sponsored by the University of Sussex for immigration purposes
  • you have applied for your course at the University via UCAS or the GOV.UK Postgraduate Teacher Training route
  • you provide evidence of a US Federal loan or funds under the Government of Canada loan programs to cover your full tuition fee.

Amount of deposit and additional costs

The taught Masters tuition fee deposit is £5,000.

Please be aware that you may also be liable for additional deposits or pre-payments prior to starting at the University, including:

You will need to pay 50% of your remaining tuition fees as a condition of registration, with the remaining fees payable during January.

How to pay your tuition fee deposit

We have partnered with Convera (formerly Western Union) for you to pay your tuition fee deposit. This allows you to:

  • pay your deposit in your local currency (in most cases), or in US Dollars, Euros or GBP
  • avoid fees and international foreign exchange charges from your bank
  • pay online in most cases or by bank transfer
  • track your payment by text and email
  • get price and payment options upfront with a price comparison tool.

The first thing you need to do is accept an offer using the University's postgraduate application system.

If you have accepted an unconditional offer, a link to pay the tuition fee deposit will be provided in the postgraduate application system.

If you have a conditional offer, the link to pay the tuition fee deposit will be provided in the postgraduate application system once you have met the conditions of your offer and your place is confirmed. We strongly recommend that you pay the deposit after receiving an Unconditional Offer from the University.

Should you have any problems using the Convera online portal please first contact Convera.

You won’t able to use the Convera portal to make a deposit payment if the payer or the bank is located within our broad list of countries and regions which are sanctioned. To find out whether this will affect you, see which countries and regions are sanctioned.

You can also contact the University Finance team for help and advice on how to make your payment by emailing studentaccountscaspayments@sussex.ac.uk.

There is also the option to pay using our Convera Portal but you will need to enter your personal data including applicant Applicant ID, First Name, Family Name, Country of Domicile, Applicant Email Address and Date of Birth accurately for us to process the payment.

Once the deposit has been received, the University will update your financial and admission records as soon as reasonably possible. If all other requirements have been met, the Admissions Office will proceed to issue a CAS in accordance with the policy for the sponsorship of students for immigration purposes. The tuition fee deposit paid by you will be included in the CAS.

What happens if I have applied through an agent or representative?

If you have applied through an agent or representative, you need to pay your deposit rather than your agent. You will need to use the following information in the payment process, so make sure you have these ready:

  • your applicant number (which you can find out from your offer letter or your agent)
  • the email address your agent supplied when they applied for you.

Follow these steps to pay.

What happens if someone else is paying my deposit?

If someone is paying your deposit for you, they can follow these steps to pay.

They will need to know:

  • your applicant number (which you can find out from your offer letter)
  • the email address with which you have applied
  • your date of birth.

Tuition fee and housing pre-payments

If you wish to make further tuition fee or housing pre-payments in addition to your deposit, you can do so by using our Convera portal.

Refunds and deferment

Please read details of our deposit refunds terms and conditions and what happens if you decide to defer entry.

Tuition Fee Deposit Refunds: terms and conditions

The tuition fee deposit is usually non-refundable. Refunds of the deposit will only be made in exceptional circumstances.

Once you have paid a tuition fee deposit a refund will only be issued if one of the following grounds applies

(1) within 14 days of the University’s receipt of payment of the deposit, you change your mind and request a refund

(2) you are not able to apply for a visa because The University of Sussex is unable to issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

(3) you apply for immigration permission in order to study at the University of Sussex but this is refused, and you are unable to travel to or remain in the UK in order to start your studies at the University of Sussex. In order to receive a refund, the visa refusal cannot be for reasons of fraud. The immigration (visa) refusal notice must be provided as part of the refund request. If the reason for the visa refusal is fraud (e.g. false documents were supplied to UKVI) then the University will not refund your deposit

(4) you are initially refused entry clearance (immigration permission) to travel to the UK and successfully Challenge the refusal, but the successful administrative review comes through too late to start your course at The University of Sussex on time. Documentary evidence must be provided as part of the refund request

(5) you suffer a serious illness or injury which prevents you from taking up your place

(6) a close family bereavement means you are no longer able to take up your place

(7) the University cancels the course you were due to study and there is either no alternative option available or you are not interested in the alternative course

(8) if the Graduate Route visa is withdrawn for students starting courses in September 2024. To request a refund under this eventuality, a formal request must be made within 30 days of the UK government’s announcement.

To apply for a refund, you will need to put the request in writing to the International Office, setting out which of the above reasons it relates to and submitting any relevant documentation.

Refunds are governed by a strict set of procedures to ensure that financial and money laundering regulations are complied with. Approved refunds will be processed in accordance with published financial information.

In the case of deposits this is normally via Convera. Refunds will be made at the rate of exchange in force on the date the refund is processed. Any charges levied by the receiving bank will be paid by you. Neither the University nor Convera shall be liable for any shortfall due to exchange rate fluctuations.

  • What if I decide to defer entry to the following year?

    If, after payment of a deposit, you wish to apply to defer entry to the following academic year, you should contact the Admissions Office and they will consider your request under the normal process.

    If the request is approved, the deposit will be retained to the following academic year. If the request cannot be approved by the University (acting reasonably) then the deposit will not be refunded unless one of the grounds in deposit refund terms and conditions applies.

    The University of Sussex will only allow a student to defer entry once. If, having already deferred entry, you wish to defer for a second time, then you must re-apply. The deposit paid will not be refunded unless one of the grounds in deposit refund terms and conditions applies. If you are offered a place on a taught Masters course on reapplication, a further tuition fee deposit for the relevant amount that year will be required.

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