Tel: +44 (0) 1489 576161

Warsash Maritime Academy, Newtown Road, Warsash, Southampton, SO31 9ZL

Fax: +44 (0) 1489 576908 E-mail: [email protected]

COURSE & FEE GUIDANCE NOTES

For Vocational Training Research and Consultancy Reg. No. 926387

PROFESSIONAL STUDIES STUDENTS 2013/2014

The parent body of Warsash Maritime Academy (WMA) is Southampton Solent University (SSU). The information contained within this document is accurate at the time of publication and takes account of the Governments projected fee arrangements for students in Higher Education and Further Education. Warsash Maritime Academy reserves the right to amend this information should it be necessary in the light of the Governments finalised fee arrangements, or for any other reason, including the funding of maritime provision.

International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers as amended in 1995 and 2010 (STCW) 1. It should be noted that all courses leading to professional Certificates of Competency are under continuing review due to the requirements of STCW and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Changes to the course structures and fees may therefore have to be made to reflect these reviews. 2. The STCW Regulations require that students demonstrate competence. To help fulfil this requirement, students are required to bring discharge books or papers, watchkeeping certificates, testimonials of service, records of achievement, and any other sources of evidence that may help establish this competence. Short Courses (STCW or Continuing Professional Development) 3. Any STCW or Continuing Professional Development Short Courses also being undertaken by the student should be booked separately whilst at the Academy so as to best fit the individuals timetable of study. Notes: Payment in full is required at the time of booking. Courses are booked via the Faculty Office. Courses are heavily subscribed and students should book as early as possible. MCA Notice of Eligibility and Oral Examinations 4. Students are responsible for obtaining their own Notice of Eligibility (NOE) from the MCA prior to attending the Academy. Failure to do so may prevent them completing their course of study and/or cause unnecessary expense or delay. Note: Students enrolled on a course of study who subsequently claim and/or obtain MCA exemptions will not be eligible for any refund of fees.

5. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency Oral Examination fee is included in the payment made to the MCA at the time of application for a Notice of Eligibility. This fee is also inclusive of their administration charges and the subsequent issue of a Certificate of Competency (or Endorsement). Notice of Eligibility enquiries and Oral Examination applications must be made directly to the MCA at: Maritime and Coastguard Agency Seafarers Standards Branch Spring Place 105 Commercial Road Southampton SO15 1EG Scottish Qualifications Agency (SQA) Examinations 6. Application and payment for the Scottish Qualifications Agency (SQA) examinations should be made through the Faculty Office at Warsash Maritime Academy. Telephone: Fax: E-mail: Website: +44 (0) 2380 329231 +44 (0) 2380 329252 [email protected] www.mcga.gov.uk

Notes:

Application and payment should be at least four weeks before the required examination. The SQA will levy an additional charge for late applications of 20 per subject. Candidates are reminded that they must produce their Notice of Eligibility before sitting any Deck subject examinations, or Engineering Knowledge subject examinations. Failure to produce their NOE may lead to exclusion from the examination. Students re-sitting the SQA examinations will be charged an administration fee of 25.00 per paper in addition to the SQA exam fee. Students enrolled on a course at WMA who wish to undertake additional SQA examinations that do not require the candidate to have followed a course of study (i.e. they have exemptions), will be charged an administration fee of 25.00 per paper in addition to the examination fee. It may be possible for external candidates who are not currently attending WMA to be able to take SQA examinations at the Academy in certain subjects. An administration charge of 240.00 will be charged for the first examination, and 50.00 for each additional examination taken at the same sitting.

Course Commencement 7. Students should be aware these are very intensive courses, and that many are of modular delivery. Therefore, students who fail to arrive within 15 working days of the course commencement date may be declined enrolment. Overseas students are strongly advised to arrive in the UK up to one week in advance of the course start date in order to carry out personal administration prior to commencing their studies. Note: Students are also reminded they must bring their passport and Discharge Book(if applicable) with them when enrolling at the Academy.

Booking / Deposits / Visa Support 8. To be assured of a place on the course, all self-sponsored students wishing to reserve a place on a Professional Studies course(s) will, at the time of booking, be required to make a deposit payment for each course(s) as detailed below, or to make full payment if the course fee is a lesser amount: Honours Degree top-up courses All other P/Studies courses Notes: UK/EU students 1,000 UK/EU students 300 Overseas students 1,000 Overseas students 1,200

See Guidance Notes 15 r egarding policies on refunds or transfer of course fees and deposits. Students from the Channel Islands or Isle of Man see Guidance Notes 25 and 26. Prospective overseas students will not be issued with a visa letter or Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies until their deposit has been received, course booking confirmed and personal identification details have been verified. Every effort must be made to take your written and oral examinations within the duration of the course and certainly within the initial period of your visa. Visas cannot be extended for the purpose of SQA examinations, MCA resits or MCA oral examinations. In these cases overseas students will need to return to their home country and lodge a new application for a Visitor Visa. Overseas students booked on a course of study who are subsequently refused a visa and fail to commence the course will be eligible to transfer their deposit to the same course of study running at a later date, which is within 24 months of the commencement date for the original course booking. This transfer will be subject to a 200.00 administration and transfer fee. A refund of any course fees, less the deposit payment, will be made on request, See Guidance note 15.

Fees 9. 10. All published UK/EU and Overseas Academy fees are deemed effective for the 12-month period from 1 August following publication of the fees. These fees are reviewed annually. All Academy fees are due for payment before or at enrolment. Sponsored students must bring a letter of authorisation (stating full details concerning the sponsorship arrangement) along with them at the time of their enrolment. The fees levied include all tuition, registration, workshop and examination fees where appropriate. If no acceptable proof of sponsorship is submitted, students will be personally liable for fees which are due at enrolment. Proof of sponsorship may constitute a letter from the sponsor, appropriately authorised purchase order. Note: Any external registration and/or examination fees (e.g. MCA, Edexcel, SQA etc.) shown within fee guides are for information purposes only, and may be subject to change by the external body concerned.

Payment 11. If an advanced payment or deposit is accepted, this does not prejudice the rights of Warsash Maritime Academy/Southampton Solent University as described in Guidance Note 21. 12. Deposit payments may be made by cash, cheque (payable to Southampton Solent University Income Account), or credit/debit card (MasterCard/Visa/Maestro). Payment of deposits should be sent, together with the Booking Form, to: Faculty Office, Warsash Maritime Academy, Newtown Road, Warsash, SO31 9ZL Alternatively payment may be made by bank transfer as follows: Bank Name: Bank Address: Account Name: Account Number: Sort Code: Swift Code: IBAN: Barclays Bank Apex Plaza, Forbury Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 1AX Southampton Solent University Income Account 50795429 20-79-25 BARCGB22 IBANGB58BARC20792550795429

Payment of the balance of fees should be made prior to attending the Academy, as part of the pre-registration on-line process details of which will be sent to you. Notes: Please ensure you quote your full name and course of study when making any type of payment. Students remain liable for any bank handling charge incurred. Please note that Bank Transfer payments can take up to a week to go through the University finance system and to be allocated against your account. Payment by cheque should be made in good time for clearance by the bank. This usually takes at least 10 working days.

VAT 13. Where VAT is payable, this will be clearly stated. Conditions 14. Fees are payable on the following basis: i. Students are personally responsible for the payment of all fees, including course fees, accommodation fees and other charges even where a Local Authority or other sponsor has agreed to pay all or part of them.

ii. Students whose fees have not been paid by the required date may be asked to leave the course. iii. No student will be eligible for the award of a degree or other qualification until all debts to Warsash Maritime Academy have been paid. iv. Warsash Maritime Academy reserves the right to take action to recover any outstanding debts. Withdrawal from Course 15. Students who, for whatever reason, are unable to attend the course, or withdraw from it within the first 21 calendar days from the course commencement, will be eligible for a refund of any fees paid, less the deposit payment, providing that written confirmation of withdrawal has been received by the Course Administrator. This written confirmation should be provided at the earliest opportunity and as a maximum within 21 days of the course commencement. The deposit payment may be transferred to the same course of study running at a later date, which is within 24 months of the commencement date for the original course booking, less a 200 administration and transfer fee. Student who do not comply with this requirement will forfeit any fees paid. Students who enroll on a Guided Studies or Distance Learning programme(s) will not be eligible for any refund once the study material(s) has been despatched to the student. Re-assessment 16. Candidates for internal academic re-assessment will be charged for re-examinations, re-submitted essays, projects or similar work as follows: Re-assessment or re-submission of any element of a Unit of study - 60. Note: This only applies if re-submission or re-assessment can be accommodated within the normal course timetable. Outside this framework, an appropriate fee for each piece of work will apply.

17. Candidates requiring internal re-assessment for MCA Signals examination will be charged 100 per examination. 18. Candidates requiring to undertake a resit in either a Navigation Radar and ARPA Simulation (Operational) or a Navigational Aids and Equipment Simulator Training will be charged the following fees: NARST 375 NAEST 375 Candidates requiring internal re-assessment for other NARAS(O) elements will be charged as follows: i. NARAS Theory 60

ii. NARAS Plotting 60 iii. NARAS Practical 60

Further Education 19. Tuition fees are not charged to any UK and EU students attending an FE course, who are under 19 years of age a t the t i m e of the commencing t h e i r course. All other students are liable for appropriate Further Education tuition fee. Where an allowable registration or other fee is associated with the course, this remains payable. 20. UK and EU students may apply to their Education and Library Board or the Student Finance England European Team respectively for assistance in the payment of fees. For further information, please contact them on: 0141 243 3570. Course Amendment/Closure 21. Warsash Maritime Academy reserves the right to: i. discontinue any course at any time including after its commencement, but an alternative course will normally be offered.

ii. change the validating body for the academic award to which a course leads. iii. alter the structure and content of any course. iv. amend any other information without notice. APL and CATS 22. Warsash Maritime Academy operates Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) and Credit Accumulation and Transfer Schemes (CATS). The Academy reserves the right to charge for Accreditation of Prior Learning. Duplicate Certificates 23. A 50 fee is payable for a replacement certificate. 24. Warsash Maritime Academy reserves the right to levy a charge of 15 where a certificate needs to be amended and reissued through circumstances outside its control. i. A 10 fee will be charged for the replacement of a Transcript.

ii. A charge of 35 will be made for the provision of unit data for accreditation. Channel Islands & Isle of Man students 25. Tuition fees for students from the Channel Islands or Isle of Man are charged at Overseas fee rates. Overseas students 26. Tuition fees for students from overseas are charged at the rates shown in the appropriate fees table. Additional course materials and Field-trips 27. For any course, a charge may be made for additional course materials provided. 28. Additional fees for students attending field trips and/or visits may occasionally be charged and shall normally be paid by the student individually. Campus Card 29. Each student must obtain a Campus Card, which is initially issued free. A replacement card costs 5. Council Tax Certificate 30. A council tax certificate is issued free to all eligible full-time students. A charge of 15 will be made for a replacement Council Tax Certificate. Some local councils, such as Southampton City Council, will be automatically informed regarding students residing in this area. Such students will not need a council tax certificate. Please contact the Faculty Office for information.

Recovery of All Student Debt 31. A student is a debtor to Southampton Solent University if he/she: i. fails to pay any fees and charges by the specified due dates or fails to meet agreed payment plans.

ii. fails to return, or pay for the replacement cost of any library book, software, equipment or kit issued on loan. 32. Sanctions are imposed on students who have failed to pay tuition fees and charges on the due date and on those students who have defaulted on agreed payment plans. Students will be informed in writing of the intention to impose sanctions. The application of sanctions results in the following restrictions; i. the removal of access to University IT network and hardware; ii. the removal of the ability to withdraw books from the Library; iii. the termination of enrolment by the Assistant Faculty Manager. Students in debt will be unable to progress onto further stages of the course; iv. the withdrawal of the invitation and permission to attend the graduation ceremony. In addition to this, students will not receive their award certificate. 34. The University reserves the right to take action to recover any outstanding debts, as per its Debt Management Policy. A copy of the Debt Management Policy is available upon request. This includes the use of debt collection agencies and County Court action. Further information about the Universitys Debt Management Policy may be obtained by contacting the Student Accounts Team, Tel: 023 8031 9970; Fax: 023 8023 3475; e-mail: [email protected] or in person to room A101 (on the first floor of the Andrews Building). Academic Progression of Students with Tuition Fee Debt 35. Students with tuition fee debt will be permitted to re-sit examinations or coursework before the commencement of the next academic session. Enrolment onto the next academic session, however, will not be permitted until the debt has been cleared. Further Enquiries 36. Enquiries about the information shown within this guidance, or the provision of up to date information should be referred to: Assistant Faculty Manager Warsash Maritime Academy Newtown Road Warsash Southampton SO31 9ZL Abbreviations used UK/EU O/seas Fee payable by students ordinarily residing in the United Kingdom or European Union (but excluding the Channel Islands and Isle of Man: see Guidance Notes 26 & 27). Fee payable by students ordinarily residing overseas, (i.e. outside the United Kingdom or European Union). Telephone: Fax: E-mail: Website: +44 (0) 1489 556185 +44 (0) 1489 576908 [email protected] www.solent.ac.uk/wma

33.

Whilst every effort is made by Warsash Maritime Academy to ensure the accuracy of information provided at the time of publication, attention is drawn to Guidance Notes 21 and 36.