Blue Book Section VIII: Fees and Finance

Submitted by helenetty on Wed, 2022-09-21 16:08

Fees and Charges

Costs incurred by Junior Members come under two main headings:

  • for tuition and academic facilities; and
  • College charges (Battels) for accommodation, living requirements and services.

Fees

The Consolidated Fees for undergraduates and graduate students consist of:

  • University fees, covering the use of University academic facilities; and
  • College fees, contributing to tuition and supervision, establishment upkeep, and the provision of social and sporting facilities.

For up-to-date information about University and college fees for Home/EU and Overseas students, please consult the University website. The course fee covers academic facilities and other services that are provided for you, but does not include accommodation or meals.

All Home/EU students who are eligible to apply for financial support for tuition must provide the Steward’s Office with a copy of their ‘Student Finance’ loan confirmation document (or equivalent), which will ensure that fees are charged at the correct level. Failure to supply this document will result in students being invoiced for the full consolidated fee.

For those taking a postgraduate course, the University Fee may be paid by other award granting bodies and the relevant, written confirmation must be supplied to the Steward’s Office at Christ Church.

Fee invoices for Freshers will be emailed by Friday 9 September 2022 and payment is due in full by Friday 23 September 2022. Please note that fees are NOT payable by direct debit.  If an international bank or the bank used by the college imposes bank charges these are all payable by the Junior Member and payment in full must be received to clear outstanding balances, including any bank charges.

Continuation Charge (Postgraduates Only)

Postgraduate students who have reached the end of their standard period of fee liability are required to pay a termly College continuation charge, and may also be required to pay a termly University continuation charge. For the academic year 2022-23, this will be £137 per term. Further information on continuation charges can be found here.

Accommodation Charges

A nightly room charge for Junior Members ‘living in’ is set each year by the Governing Body, at a level comparable with other Colleges. The rate for 2022-2023 is £28.88 per night. The charge includes the costs of College staff employed for Junior Members (e.g. Scouts) and a contribution towards the costs both of maintaining accommodation and of domestic overheads.

Junior Members are normally charged for their accommodation from the Thursday night of 0th Week to the Friday night of 8th Week (a total of 58 nights): no refund or credit is given for periods of absence during Full Term. Outside Full Term, Junior Members will be charged only for the periods in which they are signed in as resident.

Finalists who are given permission to stay beyond the end of Trinity Term must pay in advance for any vacation residence during the Long Vacation.

Junior Members who ‘live out’ (see Section V) contribute towards domestic overheads (e.g. upkeep of communal college buildings and services) through an Annual Establishment Overhead charge payable in Michaelmas Term. The charge for 2022-2023 is £147.93.

Subsidies and discounts

Undergraduates with household incomes of £27,500 or less will normally receive a 50% subsidy on accommodation. Undergraduates with household income above £27,500 and below £42,875.00 will normally receive a 25% subsidy on accommodation. Note that these rates are only available for those whose information on household income is available through the UK student loans agencies and therefore is not available to international students. The subsidy is automatically applied once relevant information is received via the student loans agencies.

A 9% discounted rate ‘Lodging Charge’ of £26.28 per night is available to graduates who are residents of the Liddell Building or St Aldate’s Quad who elect, before the end of 1st Week of Michaelmas Term, to reside for a minimum 40-week (280 day) period, which normally runs from 1st September.

A 12% discounted rate ‘Lodging Charge’ of £25.41 per night is available to graduates who are residents of 12 Abbey Road who elect, before the end of 1st Week of Michaelmas Term, to reside for a minimum 40-week (280 day) period, which normally runs from 1 September.

A 15% discounted rate ‘Lodging Charge’ of £24.55 per night is available to graduates who are residents of the Liddell Building or St Aldate’s Quad who elect, before the end of 1st Week of Michaelmas Term, to reside for a minimum 10-month period, which normally runs from 1 September.

Further details of the discounted schemes are available from the Steward’s Assistant and Accommodation Officer. 

Battels (College Bills)

Detailed information about the payment of battels (credit accounts) and food costs can be found on the College website:

For undergraduates, supplemental information is provided in the Financial Guide.

Battels are maintained for most Junior Members. At the beginning of each term the Steward’s Office issues a battels account for outstanding charges incurred during the preceding term(s) and, for those living in College, a standard 8 weeks’ and 2 days’ nightly room charge for the current term (from Thursday night of 0th Week to Friday night of 8th Week 58 nights), season ticket dinners, all of which are payable in advance. On arrival in Michaelmas Term, undergraduate Freshers will receive a bill for: 8 weeks and 6 days’ (from Sunday night of 0th Week to Friday night of 8th Week - 62 nights) advance nightly room charges (£1,790.56) for a term’s worth of season ticket dinners (£219.64), a refundable deposit of £300, giving a total of £2,260.20 plus a term’s JCR levies (refer to Section V for details).  Accommodation for remaining terms for all undergraduates are charged from Thursday of 0th Week –  Friday of 8th week - 58 days at £1,675.04. If undergraduates wish to arrive earlier, they should contact the Steward’s Assistant and Accommodation Officer.

Graduates have the option to subscribe to 40-week contracts at a reduced rate.

Season-ticket dinner charges are payable termly in advance on battels.  The method of payment for breakfast, lunch and brunch (a ‘pay-as-you-go’ system) is via pre-paid credits to University Cards or by contactless bank/credit card; cash is not accepted. Charges are reviewed annually in Trinity Term and may be reviewed at other times, should the Governing Body consider it necessary.

Any Junior Member of the House living on the main college site, in St Aldate’s Quad, and 117 St Aldate’s, may request a signing-out option.  Permission is not automatically given and each request will be considered on its merits. Junior Members should email the Steward at chchsteward@chch.ox.ac.uk. If permission is granted to opt out then any dinners subsequently taken will be charged at the non-season ticket rate on battels. A member wishing to request permission to opt out of the season-ticket scheme must notify the Steward in writing, by Monday of 1st Week.  Junior Members living-in will automatically be added into the dinner-season-ticket scheme in the following terms and therefore must follow the same process if they wish to be considered for opting out.

All undergraduates and graduates will be required to pay a £300 refundable deposit upon arrival with their first battels bill. This refundable deposit will be held until after the student has completed their studies and all battels bills have been settled in full. Refunds are made during the following Michaelmas Term. Refunds will not be made to those who have suspended, until they become leavers.

Payment of battels

  1. Please note that credit cards are not accepted and a direct debit is a prerequisite for residing and/or dining in College, purchasing JCR/GCR items (i.e. clothing) and participating in JCR/GCR events.
  2. Battels must be paid by direct debit, and Junior members are therefore required to set up a direct debit with the Steward’s Office before the start of their course (or as soon as possible after arrival for any international students who experience delays with setting up a UK bank account). Direct debit forms are sent to students as part of the online Freshers’ documents.
  3. If an international bank or the bank used by the college imposes bank charges, these are payable by the Junior Member.
  4. Junior Members’ bank accounts will be charged with the full outstanding battels balance on the Friday of 2nd Week of each term, i.e. ten working days after bills are emailed to members. Junior members are responsible for ensuring that they have received their battels statement each term, and for paying bills on the deadline set. In the event of a query, Junior Members must notify the Steward's Office before Friday of 1st Week. In such cases the unqueried balance only will be debited/required to be paid by Junior Members using cards, pending resolution of the query. 
  5. The final bill for Finalists is sent out by the second week in July and is payable by direct debit by 31st July. Credit beyond this date is not available. Interest is added on all outstanding accounts on a termly basis. A battels bill for non-Finalists is sent out by the end of the second week of August and is payable by direct debit by the end of August.
  6. Any queries about fees, charges, or battels bills should be addressed by email to the Accounts office (in the Steward’s Office) at fees@chch.ox.ac.uk or battels@chch.ox.ac.uk.

Students in financial hardship

Junior Members suffering genuine financial hardship should contact the Academic Office before Friday of 2nd Week for advice on how to apply for financial assistance. The non-payment procedure below will be paused while a financial assistance application is under consideration, provided that the Junior Member supplies the Academic Office with all requested information by the deadlines set. Financial problems experienced by junior members will be treated in a sympathetic way provided that reasonable explanation is given to the Academic Office before the due date. Junior members may also discuss financial difficulties with members of the College’s welfare team. Junior members who experience unforeseen financial hardship may qualify for hardship assistance from University, College or government funds.

Non-payment of Battels

  1. Battels are issued in 0th Week for payment by Friday of 2nd Week in each term.
  2. Junior Members who have not settled their battels by Friday of 2nd week will be asked to meet with the Manciple.
  3. If a Junior Member has failed to pay their battels by Friday of 4th Week and has not already contacted the Academic Office or the Manciple to discuss the reason for non-payment, they will be  to meet the Junior Censor to discuss the matter and agree an appropriate course of action. Failure to cooperate with staff in the proper exercise of their duty is a breach of College rules and as such debtors will be subject to the College’s non-academic disciplinary process and may be issued with a Formal Written Warning.
  4. Failure to attend a meeting with the Junior Censor or to abide by the course of action will result in results in the withdrawal of credit facilities. 
  5. Students who have not paid battels in full by the end of Trinity Term may be excluded from College housing for the following academic year.
  6. Where a Junior Member persistently fails to co-operate with Steward’s Office and the Academic Office to make suitable arrangements for their battels, the Junior Censor may find it necessary to refer the matter for consideration by a Disciplinary Panel. Such a Panel can impose a range of penalties on a Junior Member up to and including suspension or expulsion. Suspension or expulsion are retained as a Governing Body sanction of last resort, and normally reserved for cases where there is no reasonable hope of securing effective repayment in any other way. Any student suspended or expelled for debt by the Governing Body has a right of appeal to the Censor Theologiae.
  7. Junior members who owe money to the College after the completion of their course, or to the University for things other than their course fees (including library fines or invoices for replacement books) are not in good standing with the College unless permission to defer payment has been granted by the Junior Censor. This means that the College will not, if asked, certify that the Junior Member is in good standing, and the College reserves the right to refer these debts, where relevant, to reference checks. Former Junior Members not in good standing with the College may be denied access to Old Members’ events and other College facilities. The College will seek to recover all outstanding debts, including those (if any) that remain after the end of a junior member’s course, and reserves the right to pursue the matter through the courts, where a ruling in the College’s favour would have a significant impact on the defendant’s credit history.

Any queries about fees, charges, or battels bills should be addressed by email to the Accounts office (in the Steward’s Office) at fees@chch.ox.ac.uk or battels@chch.ox.ac.uk.

Charges for Additional Private Events

Private events, such as dinners in the McKenna Room, are authorised by the Junior Censor and detailed arrangements are made through the Conference Manager at whose office is in Tom 9. The prices quoted for these functions include the cost of food, additional staff overtime, and a contribution towards overheads. In addition, VAT will be charged at the current prevailing rate, if applicable. Additional gratuities are not expected.

Grants

Application forms and eligibility criteria for College Grants can be found on the College website.

Book Grants

Book grants from College funds are available to Junior Members of the College for the purchase of course-related books, e-books, apps, or software which are essential to their work. Each undergraduate may apply for a grant of £330 in total over the duration of their course. The grant may be claimed up to a maximum of three times over their course, for as much as they like each time (there is no minimum claim amount), up to £330 in total. Any excess within the £330 allowance will be carried over, as long as the maximum number of claims (three) has not already been made.

Each graduate student on a full-time one-year course at Christ Church is eligible for a grant of £145. Each graduate student on a course at Christ Church lasting more than one year is eligible for a grant of £290 in their first year. This cannot be carried over to subsequent years (except for students on CDT 1+3 courses). Each graduate student initially registered on a course at Christ Church lasting more than one year is eligible for a further grant of £145 in one of their subsequent years of study whilst in fee liability. A graduate student initially registered on a one-year course who transfers to a higher degree course after their first year (e.g. MSt then DPhil) is eligible for a further grant of £290, to be claimed in one of their subsequent years of study whilst in fee liability. Graduate book grants may only be claimed once on each occasion.

Book grants are normally credited to the battels account due in the term after the application. 

Travel Grants

Christ Church has a fund to assist undergraduates to travel abroad in the vacations primarily for academic purposes. Applications should be made online by Friday of 4th Week of the term preceding the date of the proposed travel. Grants cannot be made for travel in the Long Vacation after Final Schools have been completed. Travel grants will only be awarded to those in good academic standing.

Travel grants are normally credited to the battels account due in the term after the travel has taken place.

Further prizes are listed in Section III which are awarded for the purpose of travel.

Christ Church will consider applications from graduate students for small grants towards: expenses incurred for travel in the course of furthering their research; and/or attendance at a conference if connected to the applicant's graduate work. This includes expenses associated with compulsory placements

Christ Church Summer Bursaries

The aim of the summer bursary scheme is to help undergraduates explore educational and career-development opportunities over the Long Vacation. Examples might include unpaid or low-paying internships, exchange programmes, summer courses at Oxford or elsewhere, and summer research projects (including lab placements); this is not an exhaustive list. To be eligible for this scheme students must be from the UK or EU with a household income of below £43,000 per year; below £66,000 may also be considered in special circumstances. Bursaries are meant primarily to help cover maintenance costs, though other relevant costs may also be considered. Summer bursary amounts will be determined in the context of other grants already available from the College (travel grants, language study grants) that may also be used for summer projects. Awards will be decided by the Censors and the Tutor for Admissions, in consultation with the relevant Tutors.

Language Study Grants

Junior Members may claim back 50% of the language course fee from the College if they successfully complete a Fast Track course at the OULC (Oxford University Language Centre). Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to claim, but a modern linguist may only apply to learn a language that they are not studying as part of their degree course. Awards will usually be made as a credit to battels accounts. Applications for language grants are only considered in Trinity Term.

Year Abroad financial support

Grants are available to support undergraduates taking a year abroad in any country as a compulsory part of their degree. Applications must be submitted by Friday of 8th Week of Trinity Term preceding the year abroad.

Grants for Academic Purposes

Other grants may be available to assist Junior Members in their studies (for example with costs resulting from a compulsory element of their course), and to meet unforeseen academic needs. Undergraduates should apply to the Academic Office. Support from relevant Tutors will be required. Note that applications should usually be made before costs are incurred. 

Sports Grants

The College makes grants towards the expenses of any Junior Members who have been involved in University sport:

  1. A grant of £350 will be made to those awarded a Full Blue.
  2. A grant of £250 will be made to those awarded a Half Blue or those who have represented the University (in teams 1-3) in a Varsity match against Cambridge.

Applications should be made online, with evidence of the Blues award or participation in the Varsity match, such as a programme, Blues certificate or confirmation from university team coach. Any Junior Member may only receive one such grant in any given academic year.

Awards will usually be made as a credit to battels accounts

Student Support Grants and Loans

Information about financial support available to students from the University, including funding prior to starting courses of academic study, is available from the University website. For undergraduates, this includes the University-wide Oxford Bursary scheme as well as Christ Church’s own Maintenance Support Subsidies for UK undergraduates, which have been made possible by generous gifts from alumni (see ‘Subsidies and Discounts above).

The College has a Financial Assistance Fund, contributed to by former members. There is also a University Hardship fund. The Academic Office sends a termly email to all students with details about how to apply for funds and is the point of contact for queries.

Junior Members who find that their funding does not cover the reasonable expenses of life and study, including as a result of the pandemic and related changes in personal or family financial circumstances, should contact the Academic Office for a financial assistance application form. Instructions will be given about how to complete the form and the supporting evidence that will need to be provided before an application can be considered. Junior Members may choose to discuss this with their Tutors, but Tutors will not otherwise be informed about the application.

The College may be able to make emergency loans to Junior Members, to help with short-term difficulties.