HEFCE Circular 10/96
Differentiated Tuition Fees 1996-97
To Heads of HEFCE-funded Institutions
Heads of DENI-funded Universities
Principals of further education colleges in direct or indirect receipt of HEFCE funding
Of particular interest to those responsible for Planning; Finance; Student Data
Reference 10/96
Response by 19 August 1996
Publication Date July 1996
Enquiries to Alasdair Liddell
Executive Summary
1. The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) annually provides Local Education Authorities (LEAs) with a list of courses eligible to charge Band Two fees even though the indicative fee is Band One, based on Standard Subject Codes. This list is used to verify claims for exceptional fees from institutions.
2. This Circular invites institutions to request changes to their entry in the list published by the DfEE in October 1995 as ACL 7/95. A response is required by 19 August 1996, using Form DF 1, at Annex 3
3. The earlier deadline this year will allow the DfEE to issue the list sooner. Nil returns are requested.
Introduction
3. Full-time and sandwich higher education (HE) courses which qualify for mandatory awards attract Band One, Band Two or Band Three tuition fees. For a particular course, the fee band is normally determined by reference to the course code (see Annex 1). This is called the 'indicative fee band'. In some cases, as explained in Annex 2, the fee band for an individual course will differ from its indicative band. HEFCE Circular 18/95, published in August 1995, invited institutions to update the list of HE courses where the indicative allocation was Band One, but which met the criteria for Band Two fees. The DfEE requires the HEFCE to update this list for 1996-97
4. The HEFCE also provides details of exceptionally-banded courses at the universities funded by the Department of Education for Northern Ireland (DENI). This Circular does not apply to other higher education institutions (HEIs) in Northern Ireland.
5. This Circular does not cover requests for permission to charge Band Three fees for indicative Band Two subjects. DfEE has strict guidelines on this and any queries should be directed to their Mandatory Awards Branch in the first instance (telephone 01325 392822).
6. In 1994-95, a unified system replaced the separate coding systems used for institutions formerly funded by the Universities Funding Council (UFC) and by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council (PCFC). Where the indicative banding for a course changed from Band Two to Band One (but the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) code remained the same as under the previous USCAS or FESR system), the institution was permitted to continue to claim fees at the Band Two rate. For 1995-96, if such a course was already listed by the DfEE as an exceptionally-banded course, the institution only needed to confirm on Form DF 1 that its individual listing of exceptionally banded courses was correct. This remains the case for 1996-97.
7. Last year, a few institutions did not respond to Circular 18/95 in time for their responses to be incorporated into DfEE's Awards Circular Letter ACL 7/95. In these cases, the HEFCE provided a letter which permitted the institution to claim Band Two rates for specified courses, subject to audit and verification. Copies of the letters were presented to LEAs by institutions to support their claim. These cases will not automatically be added to the updated list. Where an institution wishes to claim exceptionally-banded fees in 1996-97 for any course not listed in ACL 7/95, the course must be entered on Form DF 1 at Annex 3, even if the HEFCE subsequently gave written permission to claim Band Two fees.
8. Institutions can apply for exceptional banding for new courses starting in 1996-97, or those allocated a course code for the first time during that year or the previous two years, by completing Form DF 1. The course must meet the criteria set out in this Circular.
9. LEAs are obliged to satisfy themselves that the fee claimed in any specific case is in accordance with the mandatory awards regulations. In that context, self-certification by the head of an institution is not legally binding on LEAs.
Audit and Verification
10. The declaration at Annex 4 must be signed by the Principal Office Holder of the institution, or an authorised deputy. It indicates that all courses for which the institution intends to charge fees different from the indicative band in 1996-97 are either listed in DfEE ACL 7/95 or have been included on Form DF 1; and that the rules in this Circular have been strictly applied.
11. At this stage, the HEFCE does not require institutions to make a written case or explain requests for exceptional fee-banding. However, it may subsequently require an institution to produce evidence that all courses for which it claims Band Two fees have been allocated correctly to that fee band, in accordance with the rules in this Circular and in ACL 7/91, issued by the Department of Education and Science (DES) in July 1991. In particular, these courses must have sufficient practical content as defined in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Annex 2 of this Circular. Failure to produce such evidence may cause the Council to withdraw listing for the courses, in question and it may draw the matter to the DfEE's attention. Queries concerning the rules set out under ACL 7/91 are the responsibility of DfEE Mandatory Awards Branch.
Certification
12. The HEFCE will not issue certificates to institutions. Provided that the Principal Office Holder of the institution, or an authorised deputy, has signed and dated the declaration at Annex 4, institutions may charge the fee appropriate to the courses for which they have requested exceptional banding.
Response Required
13. Institutions for which ACL 7/95 contained details of exceptionally banded courses will be sent a copy of their individual listing under separate cover. Institutions should refer to this when notifying the Council of any changes, using Form DF 1. Form DF 1 should also be used to include courses on the updated list, even if the institution was not listed in ACL 7/95. Annexes 1 and 2 outline the process. Form DF 1 may be photocopied.
14. This is an updating exercise: the HEFCE need only be notified of additions to, or deletions from, the existing list. Two-subject courses (especially modular courses) where both subjects fall under Band Two do not require exceptional banding. If any such courses were included in ACL 7/95, these should be entered on Form DF 1 as deletions.
15. No changes are needed to the existing list, the Principal Office Holder or an authorised deputy should sign the declaration at Annex 4 and return it with a tick in the box marked: 'Details shown in ACL 7/95 are correct - no changes requested'. If no courses at the institution are exceptionally banded, and none are to be added in 1996-97, the box marked: 'Nil return' should be ticked.
HND Courses
16. UCAS allocates codes to HND courses using exactly the same rules as it uses for degree courses. These are described in Annex A. Codes issued for HNDs in recent years have been reversed after allocation to distinguish them from degree courses. Previously, codes issued for HND courses were not reversed, but relied on the written description accompanying the entry to make it clear that the listing referred to an HND course. Many long-established HND courses remain listed in ACL7/95 in unreversed form. The code for an HND course may, therefore, be listed in either 'standard' or reversed form.
In the 'standard' order, the letter comes before the number
C2 Botany (degree course)
In the reverse order the number comes first 2C Botany (HND course)
17. For the purposes of this Circular only, the indicative fee band for any HND course should be determined by treating the code as if it had not been reversed after allocation.
For example, an HND in chemistry, coded 001F, should be regarded as if it were F100;chemistry and statistics (41GF) should be treated as FG14, and chemistry with statistics(4G1F) should be considered the same as F1G4.
After determining the appropriate fee band from the unreversed code, an HND course which needs to be exceptionally banded for the first time in 1996-97 should be entered on Form DF 1 as it appears in the UCAS handbook (in 'reversed' order if it is shown as such). The code order of exceptionally-banded HND courses already listed in 'normal' form in ACL 7/95 need not be changed.
Other Diploma Courses
18. The DfEE has reminded the HEFCE that its regulations do not permit the exceptional payment of Band Two fees for diploma courses other than HND and DipHE. In October 1995, the DfEE removed all non-HND diploma courses (other than those specifically described as DipHE) from the list which formed the basis of
ACL 7/95. Applications for exceptional banding for a non-HND diploma course, should indicate whether it incorporates a DipHE. This applies in particular to DipSW and diploma in youth and community work courses.
Changes to UCAS course codes for 1997 entry
(This section only applies where the revised UCAS codes described below are in use: The changes referred to are not included in Annex 1, which is intended to deal with the existing UCAS codes for 1996 entry.)
19. UCAS announced in 1995 that certain course codes - particularly in sports science, recreation management and creative arts - would be changed with effect from the 1997 entry cycle. The changes may be summarised as follows:
| Principal Subject Area | Code before 1997 | Code from 1997 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports science | X8 | B6(see also Annex 1, paragraph 6). |
| Physical education (QTS course only) | X8 | X8 (Unchanged) |
| Audiology | B6 | B5 (as for ophthalmics) |
| Leisure studies (understood as a study of the social use of free time) | (Not previously a principal subject area) | L3 |
| Recreation management | ||
| (understood as involving management, business and financial skills) | (Not previously a principal subject area) | N7 |
UCAS intends these changes to alleviate difficulties over differentiating between education courses specialising in physical education, Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and disciplines related to sport or leisure. Existing courses will be recoded where necessary by UCAS.
20. The other change to the classification involves Group W, creative arts. In response to the growing number of courses in arts and crafts, new codes for the subjects in this group have been created. A new principal subject group W8, creative therapies, covers subjects taking a holistic approach to health and well-being. Any W8 courses starting for the first time in 1996-97 will attract Band One fees, as will existing courses which have been recoded to W8 from a code that did not previously qualify for Band Two fees (either indicatively or by listing in ACL 7/95). W6 craft courses will, as before, only attract Band One fees. Exceptions are courses previously coded W610, W62, W690 and W691, and courses recoded from another W group code that previously attracted Band Two fees.
21. None of the changes described above will automatically make a course eligible for inclusion in a different fee band. Courses which have been recoded by UCAS continue to attract the same fee band as they did under their previous course code. For example, W9 courses previously coded W910, W921, W922 and W923 will continue to attract Band One fees, even if they have been recoded by UCAS (unless there has been a significant change in the practical content of the course for which exceptional banding is sought under this Circular). Applications for exceptional banding of a recoded course that was listed in ACL 7/95 under its previous code as eligible to claim exceptional Band Two fees should be entered on Form DF 1, using the new code and showing 'A*' in column one and the former course code in column three. Courses starting (or given a new-style UCAS code) for the first time in 1996-97 will attract the indicative fee unless exceptional banding is requested. The course should be entered on Form DF 1 in the normal way (as an 'A' without an asterisk).
22. If changes made by UCAS result in a course having different course codes for subsequent years of study both codes must be listed separately. If exceptionally banded fees are to be charged for all years. Any queries concerning the changes in course codes should be taken up with UCAS (telephone 01242 222444).
Date of Return
23. Completed Forms DF 1 should be returned by Monday 19 August 1996.
24. The DfEE will not accept any changes to the list once it has been published
25. Returns and enquiries should be addressed to:
Alasdair Liddell
Institutions and Programmes Division
HEFCE
Coldharbour Lane
Bristol BS16 1QD
Telephone 0117 931 7312
Facsimile 0117 931 7231
Email a.liddell@hefce.ac.uk
Annex 1
Indicative Fee Bands by UCAS Principal Subjects.
1. Undergraduate Coursesa. Single subject courses, major/minor combinations and other combined or general courses.
| UCAS Code | Principal Subject/Subject Group | Fee Band | Exceptions (with indicative band) |
| Group A - medicine and dentistry | |||
| A1 | Pre-clinical medicine | 2 | |
| A2 | Pre-clinical dentistry | 2 | |
| A3 | Clinical medicine | 3 | |
| A4 | Clinical dentistry | 3 | |
| Group B - Subjects allied to medicine | |||
| B1 | Anatomy and physiology | 2 | |
| B2 | Pharmacology | 2 | |
| B3 | Pharmacy | 2 | B303 (1) |
| B4 | Nutrition | 2 | |
| B5 | Ophthalmics | 2 | |
| B6 | Audiology | 2 | |
| B7 | Nursing | 2 | |
| B8 | Medical technology | 2 | |
| B9 | Other medical subjects | 2 | |
| Group C - Biological sciences | |||
| C1 | Biology | 2 | |
| C2 | Botany | 2 | |
| C3 | Zoology | 2 | |
| C4 | Genetics | 2 | |
| C5 | Microbiology | 2 | |
| C6 | Molecular biology and biophysics | 2 | |
| C7 | Biochemistry | 2 | |
| C8 (unless solely as a social science) | Psychology | 2 | |
| C9 | Other biological sciences | 2 | |
| Group D - Agriculture and related subjects | |||
| D1 | Veterinary science (pre-clinical) | 2 | D123; D124 (1) |
| D1 | Veterinary science (clinical) | 3 | |
| D2 | Agriculture | 2 | |
| D3 | Forestry | 2 | |
| D4 | Food science | 2 | D426 (1) |
| D8 | Agricultural sciences | 2 | |
| D9 | Other agricultural subjects | 2 | |
| Group F - Physical sciences | |||
| F1 | Chemistry | 2 | |
| F2 | Materials science | 2 | |
| F3 | Physics | 2 | |
| F4( without a significant humanities element) | Archaeology | 2 | |
| F5 | Astronomy | 2 | |
| F6 | Geology | 2 | |
| F7 | Oceanography | 2 | |
| F8 | Geography (without a significant social science element) | 2 | |
| F9 | Environmental science and other physical sciences | 2 | |
| Group G - Mathematical sciences and informatics | |||
| G1 | Mathematics | 1 | |
| G4 | Statistics | 1 | |
| G5 | Computer Science | 2 | |
| G6 | Computer System Engineering | 2 | |
| G7 | Software engineering | 2 | |
| G8 | Artificial intelligence | 2 | |
| G9 | Other mathematical and informatics sciences | 1 | |
| Group H/J - Engineering and technology | |||
| H1 | General engineering | 2 | |
| H2 | Civil engineering | 2 | H26 (1) |
| H3 | Mechanical engineering | 2 | |
| H4 | Aeronautical engineering | 2 | |
| H5 | Electrical engineering | 2 | |
| H6 | Electronic engineering | 2 | |
| H7 | Production engineering | 2 | |
| H8 | Chemical Engineering | 2 | H851 (1) |
| J1 | Minerals technology | 2 | |
| J2 | Metallurgy | 2 | |
| J3 | Ceramics and glass | 2 | |
| J4 | Polymers and textiles | 2 | |
| J5 | Other materials technology | 2 | J574 (1) |
| J6 | Maritime technology | 2 | J612 (1) |
| J8 | Biotechnology | 2 | |
| J9 | Other engineering and technologies | 2 | |
| Group K - Architecture, building and planning | |||
| K1 | Architecture | 2 | |
| K2 | Building | 2 | |
| K3 | Environmental technologies | 2 | |
| K4 | Town and country planning | 2 | |
| K9 | Other architectural studies | 2 | |
| Group L/M - Social studies | |||
| L1 | Economics | 1 | |
| L3 | Sociology | 1 | |
| L4 | Social policy and administration | 1 | |
| L5 | Social Work | 1 | |
| L6 | Anthropology | 1 | L603 (2) |
| L7 | Psychology (without significant element of biological science) | 1 | |
| L8 | Geography (unless solely as a physical science) | 1 | |
| M1 | Politics | 1 | |
| M3 | Law | 1 | |
| M9 | Other social sciences (includes women's studies) | 1 | |
| Group N - Business and administrative studies | |||
| N1 | Business and management studies | 1 | |
| N2 | Operational research | 1 | |
| N3 | Financial management | 1 | |
| N4 | Accountancy | 1 | |
| N5 | Marketing and market research | 1 | |
| N6 | Industrial relations | 1 | |
| N7 | Institutional management | 1 | |
| N8 | Land and property management | 1 | |
| N9 | Other business and administrative studies | 1 | N955, N956, N96, N97 (except N971) (2) |
| Group P - mass communications and documentation | |||
| P1 | Librarianship | 1 | (See paragraph 5, below) |
| P2 | Information Science | 1 | (See paragraph 5, below) |
| P3 | Communication studies | 1 | |
| P4 | Media Studies | 1 | |
| P5 | Publishing | 1 | |
| P6 | Journalism | 1 | |
| P7 | Tourism | 1 | |
| Groups Q/R/T - Languages and related disciplines | |||
| Q1 | Linguistics | 1 | |
| Q2 | Comparative literature | 1 | |
| Q3 | English | 1 | |
| Q4 | American studies | 1 | |
| Q5 | Celtic languages | 1 | |
| Q6 | Latin | 1 | |
| Q7 | Classical Greek | 1 | |
| Q8 | Classics | 1 | |
| Q9 | Other ancient languages | 1 | |
| R1 | French | 1 | |
| R2 | German | 1 | |
| R3 | Italian | 1 | |
| R4 | Spanish | 1 | |
| R5 | Portuguese | 1 | |
| R6 | Latin American Languages | 1 | |
| R7 | Scandinavian Languages | 1 | |
| R8 | Russian | 1 | |
| T1 | Slavonic and East-European languages | 1 | |
| T2 | Other European languages | 1 | |
| T3 | Chinese | 1 | |
| T4 | Japanese | 1 | |
| T5 | Other Asian Languages | 1 | |
| T6 | Modern Middle-Eastern Languages | 1 | |
| T7 | African languages | 1 | |
| T9 | Other or unspecified modern languages | 1 | |
| Group V - Humanities | |||
| V1 | History | 1 | |
| V3 | Economic and social history | 1 | |
| V4 | History of Art | 1 | |
| V5 | History and philosophy of science | 1 | |
| V6 | Archaeology (unless solely as a physical science) | 1 | |
| V7 | Philosophy | 1 | |
| V8 | Theology and religious studies | 1 | |
| V9 | Other humanities | 1 | |
| Group W - Creative arts | |||
| W1 | Fine arts | 2 | |
| W2 | Design studies | 2 | |
| W3 | Music | 2 | |
| W4 | Drama | 2 | |
| W5 | Cinematics | 2 | |
| W6 | Craft | 1 | W610; W62; W690; W691 (2) |
| W9 | Other creative arts | 2 | W910; W921; W922; W923 (1) |
| Group X - Education and leisure | |||
| X1 - X9 | (Initial teacher training, PGCE only) | 2 | |
| X1 - X9 | (Taken for any other qualification) | 1 | |
| X206 | Sports science | 1 | (see paragraph 6, below) |
| Group Y - Combined and general courses not otherwise classified | |||
| Y1 | Combined or general science | 2 | |
| Y2 | Combined or general social science | 1 | |
| Y3 | Combined or general arts | 1 | |
| Y4 | Other or combined general courses | 1 | |
| Y6 | Triple combinations | 1 | |
b. Balanced combination courses:
Unless shown as an exception in sub-paragraph 1a, courses which combine two subjects, both of which are coded from the following list, are allocated to Band Two:
A to D; F, G5, G7, G8, H, J, K, or W1-5, W9.
This also applies to a combination of one of these codes and any course which has previously been exceptionally banded as eligible for Band Two fees. All other combinations of two subjects are allocated to Band One.
c. For modular courses, see paragraph 5 of the guidance (Annex 2).
2. All education and leisure courses (coded from within UCAS groups X and L3) attract Band One fees, except Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses, which attract Band Two fees.
3. The following courses normally attract Band One fees, although other courses in their general groups attract Band Two fees:
B303 (dispensing technicians);
D123 (animal management), D124 (pet store management); D426 (meat industry);
H26 (surveying), H851 (gas/governors fitters work);
J574 (packaging), J612 (yacht and boatyard management);
W6, [except W610 (craft techniques and materials), W62 (other crafts), W690 (vocational craft), W691 (vocational design)];
W910 (foundation art and design), W921 (epilation); W922 (make-up/manicure/pedicure); and W923 (trichology).
(If you are using the 1997 UCAS codes, see also paragraphs 19 to 21 of this Circular).
4. The following courses normally attract Band Two fees, although other courses in their general groups attract Band One fees:
L603 (biological anthropology);
N955 (navigation), N956 (yachting), N96 (maritime studies), N97 (fisheries)
except N971 (fishing crew);
However, an institution which previously charged Band One fees for any of these courses should not start charging Band Two fees unless the practical content of the course has changed significantly. These cases must be entered on Form DF 1. The DfEE has asked the HEFCE to inform it of such applications.
5. Before 1993-94, courses in librarianship (P1), information science (P2) and history of art (V4) attracted Band One fees at institutions formerly funded by the UFC, and Band Two fees at other institutions. From 1994-95, to maintain consistency with the rest of Group P (mass communications and documentation) and Group V (humanities), the indicative band for these courses was set at Band One. An institution formerly funded by the UFC which received Band Two fees for any of these courses before 1994-95 may continue to charge Band Two fees, provided that it requested special category exceptional banding under Circular 24/94 (or, in the case of an oversight, Circular 18/95), and the course was last listed in ACL 7/95. All new courses starting for the first time after 1994-95, and all courses that formerly attracted Band One fees, are normally only eligible for Band One fees. They may qualify for exceptional banding as Band Two if they strictly conform under the rules of this Circular, particularly with the definitions in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Annex 2. Such cases should be included on Form DF 1.
6. Sports science courses originally coded X206 by FESR, and which an institution offered in 1993-94 at Band Two rates, continue to attract Band Two fees, even if they have been subsequently recoded as X850 to conform with UCAS requirements. If an institution formerly funded by the UFC received Band Two fees for any of these courses before 1994-95, it may continue to charge Band Two fees, provided it requested special category exceptional banding under Circular 24/94 (or, in the case of an oversight, Circular 18/95) and the course was last listed in ACL 7/95. All other sports science courses attract Band One fees, although they may qualify for exceptional banding as Band Two if they strictly conform under the rules of this Circular, particularly with the definitions in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Annex 2. Such cases should be included on Form DF 1. (If you are using the 1997 UCAS codes, see also paragraphs 19 to 21 of this Circular.)
Annex 2
Guidance on Allocation of Courses to Fee Bands
1. The allocation of courses to fee bands must be consistent with the DfEE regulations for paying student awards. ACL 7/91, dated 10 July 1991, sets out the current regulations. These mean that the maximum tuition fee payable will be the fee for Band One, unless the student is on a course that falls within the exceptional cases listed in Annex 1, or has been allocated to one of the following bands:
Band Two: courses with a substantial laboratory or workshop component (see paragraphs 2-3 below); and PGCE courses.
Band Three: clinical phases of medical, dental and veterinary courses.
Further Definition of Band Two
2. To qualify for inclusion in Band Two, courses must exceed a threshold of laboratory or workshop content, defined as 'practical activity' requiring:
- intensive academic and technical staff supervision and support
- substantial use of materials, services and specialist accommodation.
At least 20 per cent of taught hours should necessarily be spent in 'practical activity', as defined above, averaged across the course as a whole.
3. However, the following are not regarded as equivalent to laboratory and/or workshop content:
- computing, except for advanced use in specialist computing courses (i.e. those commencing with codes G5 to G8)
- specialist applications which are a direct substitute for laboratory and workshop provision
- use of language laboratories and other audio-visual learning aids.
4. The UCAS system is based on about 145 'principal subjects' of academic study. The system uses a four-character code, but for fee banding purposes (with certain exceptions - see Annex 1), only the first two characters in the code are relevant. The following points should be noted:
- a. If the first two characters in the course code are a letter followed by a number, then sub-paragraph 1a of Annex 1 applies. In many cases it is immaterial what the number is, but when the first letter is A, D, G, H, J, L, N, W or Y, the number in the second position is relevant.
- b. If the first two characters are letters, then the course is a balanced combination of subjects, and sub-paragraph 1b of Annex 1 applies. In these cases, both letters have to be within the list at sub-paragraph 1b for an allocation to Band Two.
- c. However, balanced combinations where one of the first two letters in the code is a G or a W are an exception to the rule. In this case, the allocation to a fee band depends on the number paired with the G or W. This number will be the third character in the code if the G or W is the first character, or the fourth character if the G or W is the second character. Where the balanced combination involves a G5, G6, G7 or G8; or a W1, W2, W3, W4 W5 or W9 pairing, combined with a subject coded by one of the other letters in the list at Annex 1, sub-paragraph 1b (balanced combination courses), then Band Two applies.
- d. As all veterinary science courses are coded D1, the clinical phase of these courses should be regarded as comprising the last three years of the course.
5. The DfEE defines modular courses as 'those offering students a choice of ready-made study units from a range covering three or more standard subjects'. The thresholds defined in paragraphs 2 and 3 above have to be met as for single subject or major/minor courses. Generally, the rules under paragraph 1 of Annex 1 will apply, but the following arrangements will apply to modular programmes where the combination of modules taken by individual students throughout their period of study may not be fixed at the beginning of their first year:
- a. Commonly followed 'pathways' (science/technology based; arts/humanities/social science based; mixed arts/science, and so on) through modular provision will be treated as 'courses' for fee banding purposes.
- b. Institutions seeking the allocation of any modular 'course' to Band Two may be asked to provide a justification, unless all its component modules relate to standard subjects whose indicative allocation is Band 2.
- c. An institution must formally enrol a student on a modular 'course' before it can claim the appropriate fee. If most of the modules that student takes in subsequent years relate to another 'course' in a different fee band, the institution should notify the award-making body of a change of course in order to claim the higher or lower fee.
6. An ongoing course (that is, one that was running in academic year 1995-96), which the Council had not previously certified as being exceptionally banded, will not automatically qualify for re-banding simply because of any change in the banding resulting from changes to UCAS course codes from 1997. (See paragraphs 23-25 of this Circular.) In any such case, LEAs should continue to pay the fees that the course attracted under its course code for 1995-96. The institution can apply for exceptional banding if the course strictly meets the conditions set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 above. However, this would imply a change in the overall course content from the previous year, so the institution must be able to provide evidence of this if requested.
Completion of Form DF 1
7. Institutions should only enter on this form full-time and sandwich courses which have been allocated a UCAS, USCAS or FESR code. Where the course code is in doubt, or where the course does not bear a code, institutions should contact UCAS for advice (telephone 01242 222444).
8. Institutions should only include additions to, and deletions from, the list published as ACL 7/95 by the DfEE in October 1995. These should be identified by an 'A', a 'D' or, where a special category of exceptional banding is requested because the institution is using the 1997 UCAS course code (see paragraphs 19-21 of this Circular), an 'A*'
Annex 3
Form DF1 is not included in the electronic version of this circular.
Annex 4
Declaration
(To be signed by the Principal Office Holder of the institution or designated deputy)
(Please tick one box only. Nil returns are required)
I certify that I have completed each Form DF 1 attached in strict accordance with the instructions and notes for guidance contained in HEFCE Circular xx/96 (tick box)
or
ACL 7/95 shows all exceptionally-banded - no courses changes requested (tick box)
or
This is a nil return (tick box)
(Only if no courses are presently listed and none are requested.)
Institution ...................................
(Signed) ......................................
(Position) ....................................
Principal Office Holder of Institution/for Principal Office Holder (delete as applicable)
Date .......................