Fees and Funding

Information to help you estimate how much it will cost to study on the Access Programme.

Fees

The fee for the Access Programme is £643. Payment will be due shortly after the programme starts. 

You can pay the fees yourself, in a single payment or in two instalments. Alternatively, you may be eligible to apply for SAAS funding. Further information about the different options is provided below. 

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they can pay their course fees. You will only be able to progress onto semester 2 of the Access programme if you have paid the first instalment of the course fee or have SAAS funding in place.

Funding Options

If you earn less than £25,000 per annum and live in Scotland, you may be eligible for funding from SAAS via the Part-time Fee Grant. The Part-time Fee Grant will usually cover the programme fee.

We encourage all Access students to check their eligibility for the SAAS Part-time Fee Grant as soon as possible after you receive and accept your offer of a place on the Access Programme. To check your eligibility and to apply online, visit the SAAS Part-time Fee Grant website.

Please be aware, making a SAAS application does not guarantee you will receive funding. If your SAAS application is unsuccessful, or if the funding you receive does not fully cover the programme fee, you will be responsible for paying any amounts outstanding.

SAAS are separate from the University, and the Access Programme team are unable to provide advice on eligibility. If you have any questions about eligibility or applying for funding, further guidance and contact details for SAAS can be found on the SAAS Website. 

Visit the SAAS website here>


The Joan Gillon Memorial Fund was set up by the family of Joan Gillon, a former Access student, in order to help support Access students in financial need. A single £1,000 bursary is available each year for eligible applicants. 

A single £1000 bursary award is available, and the successful applicant will receive the funds via BACS transfer in two instalments of £500 (the first in September and the second in January), subject to continued engagement with the programme.

The application process is competitive, as the intention of the memorial fund is to support the student with the greatest financial need to enable their Access studies.

Learn more here>


Payment of Fees

Once you receive and have accepted your offer of a place on the Access Programme you should be planning how you will pay your course fees. 

We encourage all students to check their eligibility for SAAS funding. SAAS decisions can take time to process so you should be making an application as early as possible. You are responsible for payment of any balance not covered by SAAS.

If you are self-funding, payment can be made in full or split into two payments. You should notify us of this as early as possible by emailing our team at col.access@ed.ac.uk to confirm whether you’ll be paying in full in September or would prefer to pay via the payment plan detailed below.

Payments for students must be received by the following time frames:

Payment Deadlines

Self-funding | Payment in FullSelf-funding | Payment Plan
£643 due by 30 September£321.50 due by 30 September
 £321.50 due by 31 January

If you do not have SAAS funding in place by the end of September, or if you are self-funding, have not either paid in full or made a part payment of 50% of the fees, you will not be able to progress onto semester 2 of the Access Programme.

Cost of Materials

The course fee does not include the cost of materials. This includes any materials you may need to buy for the Access Art & Design courses. Details of any materials to be supplied by you will be provided prior to the start of the Programme. We estimate that the cost of materials will be around £50-£70 for the full programme.

Support and Advice

It is essential that you keep us informed of your plans, so that we can provide you with the best support at the earliest opportunity. If you have any questions about course fees or funding, please contact us at col.access@ed.ac.uk 

Remember, if you are struggling to pay or experiencing money issues in general, our Centre for Open Learning (COL) Student Support team can help. They are available at col.studentsupport@ed.ac.uk. Please don’t hesitate to ask.

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