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Terms and conditions
These terms and conditions form part of your contract with the University, and you should read them and our data protection policy carefully before applying.
- These terms and conditions will form an essential part of any contract between the University of Edinburgh and any student offered a place at the University.
- Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate. The University will take all reasonable steps to provide the educational services described in this prospectus. However, the content of individual courses and the curriculum for any given degree are under constant academic review in light of current circumstances and may change from time to time, with some courses being modified, discontinued or replaced. In addition, external factors such as industrial action or the death or departure of staff may make it impossible, or possible only at disproportionate expense, for the University to provide a previously offered option. In the interest of rational deployment of resources, options offered may be subject to a minimum level of interest being shown in any given year. The University does not generally provide education to UK and EU students on a commercial basis. It is also very largely dependent on public funds, which the University has to manage in a way which is efficient and cost-effective, and on charitable and other sources of funding over which the University may have little control.
- For all the foregoing reasons, the University reserves the right not to provide any particular course, curriculum or facility to make variations to the content or method of delivery of courses, to discontinue courses and to merge or combine courses if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. If the University discontinues any course it will use reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative course and will take all reasonable steps to minimise any disruption, which might result from such changes. Any offer of a place at the University of Edinburgh is made on the understanding that in accepting it the student undertakes to observe the Ordinances and Resolutions of the University and to abide by the rules and regulations which the University makes for its students from time to time. These currently include General Disciplinary Regulations anThese currently include general disciplinary regulations and regulations relating to examinations, libraries, computing, accommodation and our smoking policy.
- Matriculation: matriculation is the administrative act of becoming a student of the University. It carries with it the obligation to abide by the rules of the University, including the payment of fees and other tuition costs. Although a student may have accepted the offer of a place at the University, it is necessary for all students to matriculate at the commencement of each academic year by agreeing to the Sponsio Academica. No one may attend a class or programme of studies without matriculating and no one shall be deemed to be fully matriculated or shall enjoy any of the privileges of membership of the University, including access to student services and facilities, unless he or she is also enrolled as attending a programme of studies or one or more classes and has made arrangements to the satisfaction of the University for the payment of the fees entitling him or her to such attendance. The Sponsio Academica at matriculation is: "I acknowledge that in all matters relating to the teaching and discipline of the University I have willingly placed myself under the jurisdiction of the Senatus Academicus, and I recognise that if, in the opinion of the Senatus, my studies or my conduct are unsatisfactory, it has authority to forbid my continuance upon courses qualifying for a degree."
- Decisions are taken by the University in good faith on the basis of statements made in a student's application for admission. If it is discovered that a false statement has been made or significant information has been omitted from a student's application form, the University may withdraw or amend its offer or terminate the student's registration at the University, according to the circumstances.
- Fees: tuition fees are due in full on or before the advertised final date for matriculation at the start of the session, and are subject to annual revision. While the University will take all reasonable steps to avoid large increases in tuition fees, it reserves the right to implement such increases in fees it deems appropriate. In deciding upon increases in tuition fees the University will take into consideration such factors as inflation, market competition, government and Funding Council policy and other external factors. No student will be deemed to be matriculated until his or her fees have been paid, or satisfactory evidence produced that such fees will be paid by a sponsoring authority on receipt of the University's invoice. Students who are personally liable to pay any part of their fees may be permitted to arrange to pay these under the University's instalment scheme. The payment of fees is the responsibility of the student and, in the event of a student's sponsoring authority failing to make payment, the student will be held personally liable for payment. In the event of arrangements for the payment of the fees satisfactory to the University not having been made within four weeks of the advertised final date for matriculation, the University shall be entitled but not bound to refuse to permit a student to matriculate after that date and forthwith to terminate any contractual obligation which the University has with the student in question, and that without incurring any liability to such student and whether the failure to make payment is the fault of the student's sponsoring authority or the student personally.
- Other charges: in common with most other universities, students on certain courses at the University of Edinburgh may incur additional expenditure on items such as field work, specialist materials and supplementary instrumental tuition. Although some assistance from University funds may be available to meet such expenditure, responsibility for payment will rest with the student. Details of any significant expenditure which students may be required to incur can be obtained from the appropriate College or School. In addition, small charges may be made in some subjects for such items as course materials, photocopying and laser printing; detailed information may be obtained from Schools.
- Students in debt to the University, whether in respect of tuition fees, accommodation charges or any other sums will not be permitted to graduate or to rematriculate until such time as the debt has been paid in full or satisfactory arrangements are agreed for repayment.
- In the event of non-payment by a student of any such sums, the University may raise court proceedings for payment and the student by his or her acceptance of the University's offer of admission agrees with the University that the Sheriff Court at Edinburgh will have exclusive jurisdiction to deal with such proceedings and that in any such proceedings these Terms and Conditions and any contract into which they are imported will be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the law of Scotland. The University cannot accept responsibility, and expressly excludes liability, for loss or damage to students' property including without prejudice to the generality the transfer of computer viruses to students' equipment. Students are advised to insure their property against theft and other risks.
- The University reserves the right to exclude from studies forthwith any student who wilfully and persistently neglects his or her academic work to such an extent that there is no reasonable possibility of him or her being regarded as having duly performed the work of the course or being able to proceed to the next stage of the course. It should also be noted that although candidates may be admitted initially as prospective students for honours, admission to the honours courses is not guaranteed at the outset but depends on performance in courses taken in the first two or, in some cases, three years.
- If any provision of the contract, constituted by acceptance by the student of the University's offer of admission, shall be held by any court or other competent authority to be void or unenforceable in whole or in part, that contract shall continue to be valid as to the other provisions contained in it and the remainder of the affected provision.
- Any notice or other information which either the University or the student requires to give to the other in connection with the agreement entered into between them, maybe given by electronic means, by hand or sent by first-class prepaid post, facsimile transmission or comparable means of communication. On joining the University, each student will get a University of Edinburgh email account and address which will be used for a variety of essential communications. Students must access and manage this account regularly as the University will send vital information from time to time (for example on exam arrangements, library-related alerts and the sending of invoices and reminders) and will assume that students have opened and acted on these communications. It is each student’s responsibility to check the University of Edinburgh account to ensure that all official University communications are received. Any notice or information given by post which is not returned to the sender as undelivered shall be deemed to have been given 48 hours after the envelope containing the information or notice was posted. Any notice or other information sent by facsimile transmission or comparable means of communication shall be deemed to have been duly sent on the date of transmission provided that a confirming copy is sent by first-class prepaid post to the other party within 24 hours after transmission. It shall be the responsibility of the student to intimate to the University any change in the student’s address. Notices or information sent to the last intimated address of the student as provided above shall be deemed to have been properly given. Any notice or other information sent by facsimile transmission or comparable means of communication shall be deemed to have been duly sent on the date of transmission provided that a confirming copy is sent by first-class prepaid post to the other party within 24 hours after transmission. It shall be the responsibility of the student to intimate to the University any change in the student’s address. Notices or information sent to the last intimated address of the student as provided above shall be deemed to have been properly given.
The Data Protection Act 1998
The University of Edinburgh holds information about everyone who applies to the University and everyone who studies here.
We use the information from your application form to administer your application and to compile statistics that may be published or passed to government bodies such as the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) or the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
If your application is successful we will also use the information to administer your studies, to monitor your performance and attendance, and to provide you with support.
The information and data you provide to the University may be used by the University for credit scoring, credit assessment, debt tracing or fraud and money-laundering prevention. Accordingly, the University may disclose this information or data to credit reference agencies or other credit assessment, debt tracing or fraud prevention organisations.
If you have any queries regarding the University's use of your information please contact the University's Data Protection Officer.
This article was published on Nov 10, 2011