Tuition Fees &
Student Funding Explained

Considering studying at dBs Institute? Navigating through course fees and funding options is a crucial part of your preparation. We understand it might seem daunting, with elements ranging from tuition fees to living costs. But don't worry, we're here to make things simpler. Here you'll find easy-to-understand breakdown of our course fees and overview of the funding you might be eligible for.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are the cost to study with us. Our Access to HE diplomas are run in partnership with Access Creative College, while our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are run in partnership with and validated by, Falmouth University. Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. Falmouth University and dBs may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

A group of students discussing a lesson

Diploma Fees 2023-24

UK & Home Fee Status Students

Tuition fees from September 2023 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2023-24.

Course Type
Annual Tuition Fee
Music Production / DJ & Electronic Music Production Access to HE courses, 1 year, on campus
£4,835
Games Development
Access to HE courses, 1 year, on campus
£3,384
A student works with headphones at a iMac

Undergraduate Fees 2024-25

UK & Home Fee Status Students

Tuition fees from September 2024 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2024-25.

Course Type
Annual Tuition Fee
BA(Hons) / BSc(Hons) courses, 3 years, on campus
£9,250
BA(Hons) top-up degree, 1 year, on campus
£9,250
FdA courses, 2 years, on campus
£9,250

Channel Island & Isle of Man Students

Tuition fees from September 2024 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2024-25

Course Type
Annual Tuition Fee
BA(Hons) / BSc(Hons) courses, 3 years, on campus
£9,250
BA(Hons) top-up degree, 1 year, on campus
£9,250
FdA courses, 2 years, on campus
£9,250

International Students

At this time, we are currently unable to accept international students on our on-campus undergraduate degree programmes.

EU students who hold settled or pre-settled status may qualify for
home fees if:

  • You have settled or pre-settled status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme
  • You are an Irish national living in the UK or Republic of Ireland
  • You are a British national living in the EU/EEA or Switzerland

If none of these exceptions apply, you'll be classed as an international student and will not be eligible to study on-campus at dBs Institute.

A group of students stand around a desk making music, with electronic equipment

Postgraduate Fees 2024-25

UK & Home Fee Status Students

Tuition fees from September 2024 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2024-25.

Course Type
Annual Tuition Fee
MA (Hons), full-time, on campus, 1 year
£8,500
MA (Hons), part-time, on campus, 2 year
£4,250
MA (Hons), full-time, online, 1 year
£8,500
MA (Hons), part-time, online, 2 year
£4,250

Channel Island & Isle of Man Students

Tuition fees from September 2024 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2024-25

Course Type
Annual Tuition Fee
MA (Hons), full-time, on campus, 1 year
£8,500
MA (Hons), part-time, on campus, 2 year
£4,250
MA (Hons), full-time, online, 1 year
£8,500
MA (Hons), part-time, online, 2 year
£4,250

International Students

At this time, we are currently able to accept international students on our online postgraduate degree programmes only.

Course Type
Annual Tuition Fee
MA (Hons), full-time, online, 1 year
£8,500
MA (Hons), part-time, online, 2 year
£4,250

EU students who hold settled or pre-settled status may qualify
for home fees if:

  • You have settled or pre-settled status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme
  • You are an Irish national living in the UK or Republic of Ireland
  • You are a British national living in the EU/EEA or Switzerland

If none of these exceptions apply, you'll be classed as an international student and will not be eligible to study on-campus at dBs Institute.

A student working at a computer

Access to HE funding

Depending on your circumstances, you may need to rely on funding to cover your tuition costs for our Access the HE courses. 

If you require funding, you may be able to access this through an Advanced Learner Loan provided through the UK government. Head to the GOV.UK website to find out about Access to HE funding and how to apply.

Advanced Learner Loan

The Advanced Learner Loan covers your tuition fees and the loan is paid directly to Access Creative College.

If you’re a full-time UK Home student, you can get the full amount (£4,835) to cover your tuition fees. 

If you complete an undergraduate degree after completing an Access to HE course, Student Finance England will ‘write off’ the debt of the Advanced Learner Loan. This means you do not have to repay it. 

If you do not complete an undergraduate degree after completing an Access to HE course, you will have to pay back the loan. If you receive an Advanced Learner Loan for 2024/25 your yearly threshold will be £27,295. You will be required to repay 9% of your income over the threshold. If your income drops below this threshold the repayments will pause.

Close up of two student laughing

Undergraduate Funding

Most students will need to access funding to help with the cost of their studies. For UK students, the primary source of funding is a student loan from the UK Government, to help pay for university or college tuition fees and to help with living costs.

Head to the GOV.UK website to find out about undergraduate funding and how to apply.

Tuition Fee Loan

The tuition fee loan covers your tuition fees and the loan is paid directly to Falmouth University.

If you’re a full-time UK Home student, you can get up to £9,250.

You will have to pay this loan back, details on repaying your loan can be found at GOV.UK - repaying your student loan

Maintenance Loan

The maintenance loan is funding to help with day-to-day costs, such as rent or food while studying. The maintenance loan is a student loan provided by the government and it’s paid directly to the student.

You apply for the Maintenance Loan through the same process as Tuition Fee Loans.

Head to the GOV.UK website to find out about undergraduate funding and how to apply.

A group dBs students working a track in studio 3

Postgraduate Funding

The majority of postgraduate students fund their studies with a Master's Loan, and eligible students can apply for a master's loan to help with the cost of studying at postgraduate level.

A Postgraduate Master’s Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate master’s course. Head to the GOV.UK website to find out about eligibility criteria and how to apply.

The Master’s loan system is different to undergraduate student finance. Postgraduate student finance is provided as one loan to help with tuition and/or living costs and paid directly to the student. The student will be expected to then use the loan according to their individual circumstances (a contribution towards tuition fees and/or living costs). You will be responsible for paying your course fees directly to Falmouth University. If you want to then pay your tuition fees in three instalments, aligned with your loan instalments, please contact the Falmouth Income team at [email protected].

Female tutor relaxing in a common room

Online Postgraduate Funding

To qualify for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan for distance learning, you’ll need to be living in England on the first day of the first academic year of your course. You’ll also need to live in:

  • England for the whole of your course, if you’re an EU national
  • The UK for the whole of your course, if you’re not an EU national

Frequently Ask Questions