Additional Course information

Below are additional costs that you are likely to, or may, incur during your undergraduate studies.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) may* be required by employers before students can begin their Year 2 (level 5) work placement.

Find out more about completing the DBS application form and the related additional costs.

*e.g., courses in subject areas such as Early Childhood Education and Care, Health and Social Care, and Youth and Community Work, where the placement involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults.

lease note that a DBS is a mandatory entry requirement for all Nursing, Allied Health and Teacher Training courses.

Travel Costs

Travel to and from work placement (dependent on distance and mode of transport used).

Optional visit(s) costs may include travel.

Software

Students may have to download software onto laptops/desktops and be subject to the subscription cost for said software.

Fines/Penalties

Students who have to retake a module, may become liable for fees for that module

There are fines for overdue items borrowed from the library.

Library

Newman provides eBook access to core texts, wherever possible and purchases some hard copies of core texts. You may wish to purchase your own copy of core texts, and this will typically cost £200 per annum.

Find out more via from the Library

Graduation

Most students like to celebrate their success at the end of their degree by attending graduation. Hiring a gown for the ceremony can cost between £45 – £65 in 2025.

In addition, PGCE course students may occur costs during their studies, relating to Travel costs; Software; Fines/Penalties; Library and Graduation.

Changes are made under the following circumstances:

• A member of staff, using their professional judgement determines that a module would be improved if a minor change were made to it, for example to the method of assessment, or that a programme would be improved if a minor change were made to it, for example, to replace an existing module with a new module;
• Feedback from students indicates that they wish to see changes made;
• There are external changes made to the subject nationally, such as changes to the QAA subject benchmarks or an external professional body requires changes (such as BPS (British Psychological Society), NCTL (National College of Teaching and Leadership)).

Before minor changes can be made, the relevant External Examiner is consulted. The proposed changes have to be approved by an academic committee and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Major changes to a programme have to be considered by a Programme Approval Panel. Such panels normally include both an external expert and a student.

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) revalidation of programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their modules, there will be consultation of students and others.

Modules

It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave.  Not all optional modules will be offered every year and programmes will inform students of the optional modules running for their next year of study in good time to assist choice.

Some optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. There are also minimum numbers of students required for some optional modules to run. Where the first choice does not run or there are insufficient number for the module to run, the University will endeavour to inform students promptly.

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) revalidation of programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their modules, there will be consultation of students and others.

It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. 

Not all optional modules will be offered every year and programmes will inform students of the optional modules running for their next year of study in good time to assist choice.  Some optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice.

There are also minimum numbers of students required for some optional modules to run. Where the first choice does not run or there are insufficient number for the module to run, the University will endeavour to inform students promptly.

The University appreciates the need for applicants to access timetable information as early as possible to make lifestyle arrangements and commitments, prior to starting their course. 

Normal practice at Birmingham Newman University is for your timetable to be made available four weeks before the start of enrolment for new students and four weeks before the start of each semester for returning students, and be viewable via your MyNewman portal.

Whilst the University will endeavour to deliver sessions in accordance to your timetable, this cannot always be guaranteed.

Your timetable is subject to change and whilst the University reserves the right, without liability, to vary the time and place of classes and other teaching events as circumstances dictate, we will attempt to ensure that you receive as much notice as possible of any timetable changes.