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For students invoiced at module level

Please note that the information below relates only to those students undertaking any of the following King's Digital online postgraduate courses and where you enrolled prior to July 2024 on those marked with an asterisk (*):

Students undertaking one of these online distance learning programmes are responsible for ensuring that the payment of their module fee is received by King's College London before the fee payment deadline.

Paying your fees

  • your invoice will be issued approximately four weeks prior to the module start date
  • you will be given 12 calendar days to make payment.
  • Payment must be received by King's College London at least 14 days prior to the module start date.

 Failure to pay your fees and have them allocated on your account by the payment deadline will result in your access to online material being suspended.

 International payments may take several additional days to process and allocate to your module fee and to reflect on your fee statement on your student records portal. It is therefore very important that you make arrangements well in advance of the start of each module to ensure that the funds are available, and steps taken to ensure the university receives your payment before the fee deadline.

Once your payment has left your account it will be processed by Convera then transferred to King’s for further processing. We therefore recommend making payment well in advance of the payment deadline.

  • If paying by bank transfer – You should make payment at least 7 business days before the deadline
  • If paying by card – You should make payment at least 3 business days before the deadline

If you wish to interrupt or withdraw from your programme, or if you have any questions or concerns around how you are progressing please contact the Student Success Team by email onlinestudentservices@kcl.ac.uk or by telephone on +44 (0) 207 848 7983.

Exceptional late payment panel

Students are not ordinarily permitted to start their module if their payment has not been received and allocated prior to the payment deadline, regardless of when the payment was initiated. However, we do recognise that there may be unforeseen events or changes in your personal circumstances, which might have a direct impact on your ability to meet the payment deadline.

We therefore have an exceptional late payment panel which can consider your late payment and whether this can be accepted, allowing you to continue your programme as planned.

The exceptional late payment panel consists of senior operational representation who oversee the payment processes of the online programmes, rather than faculty teaching staff or student success.

Please note:

  • The decision reached by the panel is final.
  • Only cases which are received in full prior to the panel sitting will be considered.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure the panel has all the relevant information and evidence to support your case.
  • Incomplete submissions will normally be rejected without review.

Exceptional late payment eligibility

A late payment may be exceptionally accepted if it meets the following criteria:

  1. Payment has been initiated before the payment deadline.
  2. Student has submitted evidence of attempts to initiate payment prior to the payment deadline and of any additional relevant extenuating circumstances.
  3. And at least one of the following criteria.
      • Payment is detected in King’s systems no later than 48 hours after payment deadline, when the panel sits.
      • The outstanding sum was less than 5% of the module fee, in line with the academic year fee-increase rates.
      • Non-acceptance of payment will result in an immediate enforced study break of 6 months or more (3 Teaching Periods).
      • Non-acceptance of payment will result in an immediate enforced study break midway through a 30-credit module.
      • Student submits sound justification of extenuating circumstances throughout the two weeks preceding payment.

In the context of this policy, 'extenuating circumstances' to substantiate a reason for late payment can be understood as severe adverse circumstances during the payment window, such as (but not limited to):

  • Severe health complications
  • Involved in a serious accident
  • Family loss
  • National/international incident, such as natural disasters or conflict.
  • Being victim of a crime
  • Issues with the Convera payment platform/administrative process – Please note, issues relating to any other third-party system is not accepted (e.g. your bank). Only cases where the processing of your payment took longer than the advertised processing time on the Global Pay for Student portal, which therefore made your payment late, will be considered.

Students will be required to provide the appropriate evidence of their exceptional circumstances, for example, provide a doctor's note for illness, or a screenshot of the payment platform for technical issues.

How to be considered at the exceptional late payment panel

Students who fail to meet the payment deadline will receive an email from credit control within 24 hours, confirming that the deadline has been missed and access to the module content will be removed.

Students who wish to be considered at the exceptional late payment panel must follow these steps:

  1. Speak to the student success team as soon as possible to receive the late payment form.
  2. Submit the form with all information and all supporting evidence within 48 hours of the payment deadline (UK time). All requests submitted after this deadline will not be considered

You are encouraged to speak with the student success team for support with your application form. However, it is your sole responsibility to read the eligibility criteria above and submit all relevant evidence within the 48-hour timeline.

What happens after the exceptional late payment panel?

The exceptional late payment panel sits on the Friday after the payment deadline. All submitted cases will be reviewed, and outcomes will be communicated to you by the student success team on the same day.

If your case is accepted, you will maintain access to your module content and be able to start your studies.

If your case is rejected, your access to your module content will be revoked and you will be ‘opted out’. Any payment made will be held on your account as a credit, to be automatically applied to your next available teaching period.

If you have questions on any of the above, please contact the student success team by email onlinestudentservices@kcl.ac.uk or by telephone on +44 (0) 207 848 7983.

For students invoiced at course level

Please note that the information below relates only to those students undertaking any of the following King's Digital online postgraduate courses where you are billed for the whole course:

Paying your fees

Where you are invoiced at course level, you are required to pay your fees in two instalments. You must pay your fees by the due date stated in your invoice. Fees are payable within 14 days from the date of the invoice.

September Starters

You will be invoiced your tuition fees for the year at the beginning of October:

  • The first instalment is due 31 October, or 14 days from the date of the invoice (whichever is the latest)
  • The second instalment is due 31 January.
January Starters

You will be invoiced your tuition fees for the year at the beginning of January:

  • The first instalment is due 31 January, or 14 days from the date of the invoice (whichever is the latest)
  • The second instalment is due 30 April.
April and May Starters

You will be invoiced your tuition fees for the year at the beginning of May:

  • The first instalment is due 31 May, or 14 days from the date of the invoice (whichever is the latest)
  • The second instalment is due 31 August.

 You can find information on the payment options available through the Global Pay for Student platform here.

If you have any queries regarding the above or concerns around how you are progressing please contact the Student Support Team. 

Sales tax (GST) charges for distance learners

Please be aware that if you are studying your course from outside of the UK and the provision of your course by King’s is subject to sales tax in your country of residence, then we reserve the right to pass on any sales tax to you.

It is important to keep your address accurate and up to date in the Student Records Portal to ensure the correct rate of tax is applied.

The list of countries that King’s are registered in, along with the current rate of sales tax can be found on our web page:  Goods and Services Tax, which we encourage you to check regularly for updates or new countries added.

Any sales tax will be individually itemised on your fee invoice where applicable.