King’s respond to Postgraduate deposit dilemma

In response to the growing concerns over the deposit, King’s have released a statement saying: “Where deposits are not required, some applicants do hold onto their place with no intention to enrol, meaning another capable student misses out on the opportunity to study at King’s.”

“We recognise the concerns that students have about ensuring the affordability of postgraduate education. It has been King’s College London policy for some time to request a deposit for certain postgraduate courses and this is now being rolled out more widely.

“Where required, deposits are usually around 10 per cent of the overall fees for the course and specified in the offer. This is a common practice across many Russell Group universities and helps to ensure that the limited number of places on each programme are allocated to students with a serious intention to join King’s.

“The deposit is refunded if the student does not meet the requirements of their offer and the department chooses not to accept based on the actual final grade. If the student is successful, the deposit is taken off the overall tuition fee balance. If a student is being actively considered for a scholarship which covers the full fees then the period for paying the deposit is extended and the deposit waived if the student is successful. The new Postgraduate Taught loan will not be included in this scheme.”

What does the MA admissions entail?

• Depending on when the offer is received, students are given 1- 4 weeks to pay the deposit
• A flat rate of £2,000 applies to international students and £1,000 to domestic students regardless of whether the course is full or part-time
• The deposit is not an additional charge, it is part of the tuition fee
• The deposit is non-refundable for students who decide not to hold their place
• Deposit is required before MA students get any news from scholarship applications or other funding

Speaking to The Tab, petition starter and creator of  the blog KCL Angry Masters Giovanna Flores had the following to say:

“As far as I, KCLSU and the English faculty are aware, there have been no ‘waivers’ or extensions.”

The statement they’ve released, otherwise, restates the facts the petition is already aware of. We understand they may be attempting to gain more ‘serious’ students, but many lower-income applicants are deadly serious when they apply for a course that, by many, may be considered ‘a financial extravagance’ (as one submission to KCL Angry Master’s wrote).

So, the petition stands firm. It is NOT acceptable to equate ‘suitability’ with income. That is precisely what the deposit does. It excludes students who don’t have £1040 to spare.”

Sign Petition Here

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