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 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.
Tuition fees from September 2025 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2025-26.
Tuition fees from September 2025 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2025-26.
Tuition fees from September 2025 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2025-26
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:
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.
Tuition fees from September 2025 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2025-26.
Tuition fees from September 2025 for new UK and home fee status students starting in the academic year 2025-26
At this time, we are currently able to accept international students on our online postgraduate degree programmes only.
EU students who hold settled or pre-settled status may qualify
for home fees if:
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.
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.
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 2025/26 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.
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.
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 £9,535.
You will have to pay this loan back, details on repaying your loan can be found at GOV.UK - repaying your student 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.
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 student.fees@falmouth.ac.uk.
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:
GOV.UK - Applying for student finance
Everything you need to know about student finance
The UCAS guide to student finance
The MoneySavingExpert Student Guides
The MoneySavingExpert guide to Student Bank Accounts
