This section of the Handbook is about your financial dealings with the College. As a member of the College community you have certain financial obligations to the College, as does the College to you. The College undertakes to deal with you professionally and courteously, and you are expected to deal with the College in a responsible and timely manner.

The College officers and staff primarily concerned with the issues covered in this section are the Bursar, the Bursar’s Secretary, the College Accountant and the staff in the Accounts Department (all to be found in staircase 4).

7.1       Battels

College bills are called “battels”. Battels are issued to students at the beginning of each term and once during the summer in cases where there are charges outstanding. Battels typically include items that fall under Tuition Fees and Domestic Charges.

7.1.1 Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable to both the University and College, and the College collects both fees. They are payable in advance so the fees are included in the Michaelmas Term battels bill. Generally it is not possible to pay in instalments but the Bursar may consider such arrangements in certain circumstances (such as when stipends are received quarterly) – contact him directly to arrange this.

Fees vary between courses and due to individual student circumstances, so it is not possible to provide exact figures here. Some of the fees due may be paid by a third party, such as Student Finance England or a Research Council. However, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that arrangements are in place for the payment of fees when they become due, and to make sure the Bursary has documentary evidence of these payment arrangements.

Special note for Home/EU students

For Home/EU students reading for a first degree the University fee is the responsibility of the individual student or his/her family. However, the College fee is paid directly from central government funds. In order to ensure that this happens, students must apply to Student Finance England (or the SAAS for Scottish students; or the DfEE for EU students) in order to demonstrate that thy are eligible for central government or ‘public’ funding (even if the student is not applying for a loan or any other assistance towards their fees and maintenance costs). This application must be made every year and you must provide documentation confirming that this is the case. If, for lack of application or any other reason, no confirmation is received you are deemed a “self-payer” and are considered personally liable for the College fees. 

7.1.2    Domestic Charges

Battels invoices include items relating to domestic charges. These include

• Accommodation charge (includes gas, water and electricity) in advance;
• Meal charge (provides credit against meals purchased that term; please note that this cannot be used for payment of meals for guests, or for special dinners);   
• Room contents insurance – see Section 9.3;
• Membership of the Lincoln Society - a one-off payment of £10;
• Charges collected by the College at the request of Junior and Middle Common Rooms in order to fund some of their activities (such as finalist celebrations and punt hire). Queries about these charges, including opting out, should be directed to the JCR or MCR President.
• Any payment due for damage to College property in the previous term

Freshers also pay a £200 deposit which is returned only at the completion of your studies, provided you are not liable for damage to College property.

7.1.3          Continuation Charges for Graduate Research Students

 D.Phil. students are usually liable to pay University and College fees for nine terms (three years). Please see http://www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/fees/information/maxlib/#d.en.12070 for more information and exceptions. If the standard period of fee liability is exceeded, termly continuation charges will apply for graduate students starting research study in 2011/12 or later. The University continuation charge is £400 per term and the College continuation charge is £100 per term. This will apply to all students (regardless of Home/EU or Overseas fee status).  Bursary schemes are being developed to which students may apply for support towards these charges.  Further information is available on the University’s Continuation Charge FAQ page.

7.2       Payment of battels

Freshers will be emailed their invoices during 0th week of their first term. Full payment is due by 4pm on Friday of 0th week. Subsequent invoices are sent via email at the beginning of each term.

Payments should be made to the Accounts Office on the ground floor of staircase 4. Payment by debit or credit card can also be made at http://battels.linc.ox.ac.uk. Methods of payment are as follows:

• Cash
• Cheque, in sterling, drawn on a UK bank account or a foreign currency drawn on a non-UK bank account (may be subject to additional charges by the bank(s) and there may be a shortfall due to exchange fluctuations)
• Debit card drawn on a UK sterling bank account
• Credit card (a surcharge of up to 3% may be levied to cover the charges made by the credit card provider).
• Wire transfer from another bank (may be subject to additional charges by the bank(s) and there may be a shortfall due to exchange rate fluctuations). Please ensure your name is included in the transfer instructions.

The College’s bank details are as follows:

Lincoln College Current Account

Lloyds TSB

Carfax Branch

High Street

Oxford

Sort code: 30-96-35       Account Number: 01399296       

for international transfers:

IBAN   :           GB58LOYD30963501399296

BIC      :           LOYDGB21023

If for any reason you cannot pay your battels by the due date you must contact the Bursar in advance. More often than not the College is sympathetic in such cases and arrangements can usually be made to accommodate delayed payments. However, failure to contact the Bursar to make such arrangements is taken to imply unwillingness, rather than inability, to pay. This could result in the following sanctions being taken against you for non-payment.

• A penalty of £5 per week is charged for each week (or part week) for which payment is delayed without prior arrangement. This also applies to late confirmation of eligibility for public funding or Licence to Occupy (see 8.3). This penalty is automatic and will only be waived at the discretion of the Bursar or the Accountant.
• Your name will appear on the default list which is presented to the Governing Body. Defaulter may not

• take their degree;
• attend special College dinners or functions, nor book College rooms for guests or functions;
• access College computing facilities;
• expect assistance from the College in dealing with third parties (e.g. references for landlords or banks etc);
• return into residence until the debt (including any penalty) has been paid. In such cases future rights to College accommodation may be restricted.

If action of this sort is taken against you for non-payment of battels, and you believe you have been treated unfairly, you may invoke the College’s procedure for Complaints and Appeals.

7.3       Complaints and Appeals

It is always hoped that disagreements between College officers/staff and students can be settled amicably and in accordance with regular procedures. Where disagreements do not to allow easy resolution, the College has a procedure for the hearing of complaints with a view to resolving matters quickly and to the satisfaction of all concerned. The Complaints and Appeals Procedure is set out in the College By-law VI:P  which is reproduced in full as an appendix to this handbook. It is intended to be followed where there are disagreements regarding:

• Domestic matters (i.e. accommodation, including allocation of rooms and catering);
• Financial matters (i.e. battels for fees and domestic charges);
• Distribution of hardship funds;
• Complaints against College staff;
• Disciplinary decisions;
• Academic Disciplinary decisions;

If you wish to appeal against a determination of the Governing Body, you may do so to the Appeal Tribunal of the Conference of Colleges, of which Lincoln is a member. You should file such an appeal with the secretariat of the Conference of Colleges within five days of the Appeal Committee’s or Governing Body’s determination.

In the case that the Junior Member is not satisfied by the ruling of the Appeal Tribunal of the Conference of Colleges, he or she may submit a claim to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) within three months of the Tribunal having issued the required Completion of Issues letter. Further details concerning the operation of the Independent Scheme for the review of student complaints provided by the OIA may be found on the OIA website at: www.oiahe.org.uk or by email at  enquiries@oiahe.org.uk.

7.4       Financial Hardship

The College realises that some students do, for quite genuine reasons, experience financial hardship during their College career. This may be because of some unfortunate unforeseen circumstance, or it may simply be the result of the accumulation of debts, etc, during a University career.

There are a number of sources of financial assistance for students who do experience hardship, some of which are at the discretion of the College while others are distributed from the University. Application forms are available from the Bursar or his secretary.

Hardship funds are available to postgraduates and undergraduates, overseas and Home/EU students. However, UK government policy means that a wider range of funds are available to Home/EU students. None of these funds are unlimited and assistance must be distributed fairly. Unforeseen hardship is prioritised when allocating our funds and so students should not build an expectation of receiving hardship funds into their financial planning. Also, due to high cost of accommodation in Oxford a portion of hardships funds are reserved for this purpose.

Any student experiencing financial difficulties, or just needing advice, should make an appointment to see the Bursar in the first instance. It is very likely that he will be able to help you more sympathetically and at a lower cost to you than a bank or other outside source of finance.

7.5       Undertaking paid work for the College

Each year some student members of College undertake paid work for the College, for example in the College’s Development Office on fundraising projects or in Deep Hall. Rates of pay are determined by the Bursary, and payment is made through the College’s payroll system on or around the 25th of each month. Students should note that it is the College’s policy to withhold payment for work done against any outstanding battels obligations.