Refund and Tuition Fees Policy

1. Introduction

This policy explains the School of Dental Nursing’s (“the School”) course fees, payment arrangements and refund terms. Please read it alongside your course information and application form before making payment.

Your course start date is the date confirmed in your enrolment confirmation. Nothing in this policy limits your statutory consumer rights.

2. Course fees

Fees vary by course and are stated on our website and application form. They may include:

• Initial course fee: an advance payment towards your total course fee that secures your place.
• Tuition fees: the cost of teaching, tutor support and learning resources.
• NEBDN fees: registration, assessment and examination charges, including any applicable resit, deferral or late entry fees.

Your course information will explain which NEBDN fees are included in the advertised price and which are payable separately. Included fees will not be charged again.

Payments must be up to date before examination entry. All outstanding fees properly due under your agreement must be paid before the School releases completion documents, subject to applicable awarding-body requirements and your statutory rights.

3. Paying by instalments

Courses lasting three months or more may be paid for by instalments. You pay an initial course fee, followed by monthly Direct Debit payments. Your payment schedule is shown on your application form.

• Instalments spread the total course fee; they are not a monthly subscription.
• If you withdraw, any refund or outstanding balance will be calculated under Section 6.
• A charge of up to £10 may apply to a failed or missed payment, limited to the reasonable costs incurred by the School.
• Tutor support or examination entry may be suspended if payments remain overdue. We will notify you before taking this action.
• Any separately payable NEBDN registration or examination fees must be paid by the deadline stated in your course information.
• NEBDN resit, deferral and late entry charges are listed in our Schedule of Fees and Charges.

4. Transfers and deferrals

If you request a transfer to a later teaching session or need additional time to complete your Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) or Record of Competence (RoC), additional charges may apply.

We will explain any applicable School and NEBDN charges before confirming your transfer or deferral. NEBDN charges are passed on at cost. Please see our Schedule of Fees and Charges for details.

5. Employment and work experience

For courses requiring workplace evidence, you are responsible for securing and maintaining suitable employment and workplace support.

For the Diploma in Dental Nursing, you must be employed as a trainee dental nurse in a UK dental practice for at least 15 hours per week before starting, and maintain suitable employment until your PoE is complete.

We offer job search and career advice, but employment is not guaranteed. Post-registration learners must meet their course’s workplace and supervision requirements. The Foundation course does not require employment in a dental practice.

If you withdraw before your course starts, your initial course fee will be refunded in full, whether or not you have secured employment or received job search and career advice. For post-registration courses, the specific terms in Section 6 apply.

If you lose employment or workplace support after starting, contact us promptly to discuss your options. Any withdrawal will be handled under Section 6.

6. Cancellations and refunds

Initial course fee

The initial course fee forms part of your total course fee and is not an additional charge. Its amount is stated in your course information and enrolment confirmation.

Withdrawing before your course starts

Except for post-registration courses as explained below, your initial course fee will be refunded in full if you withdraw before your confirmed course start date.

This applies whether or not you have secured employment or received job search and career advice.

Post-registration courses

For post-registration courses, your initial course fee will be refunded in full if you withdraw before your course starts and before we register you with the examination board.

If you withdraw before your course starts but after examination board registration, we will refund your initial course fee less any registration or examination charges already paid on your behalf that cannot be recovered.

Any deduction will be explained and will not exceed the relevant unrecoverable charge. These terms remain subject to your statutory cancellation rights.

Withdrawing after your course starts

If you withdraw after your course starts, a full refund is not automatic.

We will calculate any refund or outstanding balance by considering the teaching and services already provided and any reasonable, unavoidable losses directly resulting from your withdrawal. We will take reasonable steps to reduce those losses and will not charge twice for the same loss.

Any retained payments or further charges will be explained in writing. Remaining instalments will be adjusted to reflect the amount properly due.

These terms also apply if you withdraw because you cannot complete your PoE or RoC following a loss of employment, placement or workplace support.

Your right to cancel within 14 days

If you enter into your course contract online, or otherwise at a distance, you normally have the right to cancel without giving a reason within 14 days after the day the contract is entered into.

If you expressly request services during this period and then cancel, we may charge a proportionate amount for services supplied before cancellation, provided we have given you the required cancellation information.

We will not automatically deduct examination board charges from a statutory cancellation refund. Any deduction must be permitted by law.

Where this policy offers a more generous refund, that entitlement will apply.

If we cancel or significantly change your course

If we cancel your course or make a significant change to its start date, location or delivery format that you do not accept, you may choose to transfer to another suitable session or receive a full refund of the fees paid to the School for that course.

Your statutory rights

These terms do not affect your rights where services are not provided with reasonable care and skill, do not match the agreed description, or otherwise fail to meet applicable consumer law requirements.

7. How to cancel

Email dental@schoolofdentalnursing.com, giving your full name, course and a clear statement that you wish to cancel. You do not need to provide a reason when exercising your statutory cancellation right.

Where a refund is due, we will issue it within 14 days of receiving your cancellation, using your original payment method unless you expressly agree to another method. No refund processing fee will be charged.

If we retain any payment or request an outstanding balance, we will provide a written explanation of the calculation.