These Terms and Conditions are effective from the 1^st of January 2023

Please read this document carefully.  You will be required to indicate your consent to its conditions on your programme application form.

Admissions

To ensure a place on the programme of your choice, PCI College recommends that you complete the online application form, plus payment of the booking deposit for your chosen programme at www.pcicollege.co.uk.

Hard copies received by post will also be accepted. Please note the name used on your application must be the same name as listed on your passport.

All programmes have different levels of entry requirements; it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure they fulfil the minimum entry requirements for a chosen programme and ensure that the chosen programme is suitable for the applicants' needs and level of ability. Following acceptance, if

PCI College identifies the applicant has not met the minimum requirement for the programme, and PCI College has the right to withdraw the student from the programme.

Application forms not completed in full, with the accompanying deposit, cannot be processed. Upon receipt of an application, you may be required to attend an interview as part of the application process. Formal notification of acceptance onto the programme will be confirmed to you within 5 working days of the interview. 

To secure your place on a programme, you may be required to pay an acceptance fee which will facilitate PCI College enrolling you on your programme of choice to retain your place at your chosen venue. 

Once an applicant accepts an offer of a place on the programme, the applicant agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of PCI College. Please see the Quality Assurance documentation available on our website.

Student Requirements

All candidates are required to satisfy the College's English language requirements as follows:

Candidates whose first language is not English and who are presenting minimum qualifications other than the Irish Leaving Certificate may satisfy the requirement through the completion of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or equivalent, on the basis that they obtain a minimum band score of 6 for undergraduate degrees and 6.5 for post-graduate programmes, which denotes a very good skill level in English. It should be noted that these are the minimum requirements in English, and PCI College may set higher requirements as required by the programme of study chosen by the applicant.

For more information, please view our Language Requirements table here.

Students are required to have sufficient IT skills and access to appropriate IT facilities to participate in their chosen programme.  All students are assigned an individual email address and given access to an online Student Portal. The Portal includes programme materials, an online library and College announcements etc. Students are required to upload all summative assessments online through our eSubmissions system.

Email is the primary communication method of the College, and all students are requested to access their individual email accounts on a regular basis to ensure receipt of all notices. PCI College does not take any responsibility for students not regularly accessing email. It is the student's responsibility to ensure they are up to date with programme information, announcements, and updates.

Students with a disability may require accommodations to facilitate their learning. These accommodations will be fully evaluated by PCI College's Disability Officer.   On application, students are requested to make PCI College aware of any disability, special need or learning support required to allow the College to offer as much support as possible.

Where applicable, students may be requested to participate in Garda Vetting procedures in relation to programme and accreditation requirements. Garda Vetting deadlines must be adhered to at all times. PCI College has the right to withdraw students from the programme if they do not meet these deadlines. Garda Vetting is charged at £20.00 per person and is included in the Acceptance payment paid prior to enrolment within applicable programmes. See Garda Vetting Policy in section 10 of the Support for Learners Policy.  

Students holding non-EU passports must ensure they have the necessary current authorisation or visa to study in Northern Ireland. Students are responsible for all costs of obtaining and maintaining permits or visa requirements. The College does not facilitate any application or renewal processes for permits or visas. 

Child Protection Policies and Safety Statements

PCI College has created these policies and Safety Statements to ensure best practices in Child Protection within the College and related teaching and placement venues. There are two policies and statements in operation, one for the College and one for the PCI Counselling Service. The policies aim to inform Employees, Lecturers, Group Supervisors, Students and Pre-accredited Therapists,  who have contact with children or who come across information that meets a certain threshold of risk to the welfare of children, of their obligations to recognise Child Protection and Welfare concerns and to respond appropriately.

These policies are intended to ensure compliance with the Children First Act 2015 and are based on Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 – Child Protection Policy & Counselling Service Child Protection Policy

Fees and Refund Policy

PCI College makes every effort to provide academic programmes as described and to avoid altering programme dates, lecturers, venues etc. However, should it be necessary, PCI College reserves the right to make appropriate changes and will notify the student body at the earliest opportunity.  All programmes run subject to demand and the formation of a viable class cohort.  When a location cannot proceed due to the viability of the class cohort, a place will be offered in an alternative location. A full refund will be given to all applicants in the event that the programme/location does not proceed and an alternative venue is not suitable/applicable.  

Alumni discounts can only be used by students and graduates of PCI College's Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes. Anyone who uses a discount and is not a student or graduate of PCI College will be asked to pay the full fee or will be removed from enrolment in the programme.  Discounts may only be used where applicable, i.e. when it is stated that there is a discount available for the listed programme. 

Certificate Programmes

• Applications should be completed in full and returned with the appropriate deposit for the programme of choice. Any deposit paid is deductible from the programme fees.
• Applicants are entitled to a full refund of the initial deposit if they decide to cancel within 14 days of receipt of their application.
• Programmes Fees are non-refundable, and the balance of fees is payable, in FULL, before the programme commences.
• If the cancellation is more than 2 weeks before the programme commences but exceeds the 14 days receipt of an application, any monies held will be left on account for use for a maximum of 12 months from the date of booking and for the level of course relevant to the application, unless agreed otherwise by PCI College. However, upon re-entry into a programme, the new fee structure will apply, and additional fees may be sought, where due. Any monies left on the account exceeding this timeframe will be forfeited.
• If the cancellation is less than 2 weeks before the programme commences, any monies will be forfeited.
• Students who are availing of funding or part-payment by a third party should be aware that responsibility for payment of fees and liaison with these bodies' rests solely with the student. Fees must be paid in full before the programme commences, so it is the responsibility of the student to pay any monies towards the programme as appropriate.
• For online programmes only, the applicant will have the right to cancel their enrolment on the programme if the applicant gives notice of cancellation to PCI College within 14- days following the day on which PCI College received the applicant's Programme Booking Form and/or Payment (as per Distance Selling regulations).  This cooling-off period will not apply where an applicant has already downloaded the programme material from the PCI College Student Portal. If an applicant exercises their right to cancel during this 14-day period, they will receive a full refund of all amounts already paid less the cost of any services already performed by PCI College, before the end of the 14-day period. Whereby the applicant has received log-in details to the PCI College Student Portal and access to the Programme Material as part of the services, £80 will be deducted from the refund amount to cover the cost of Portal set-up and access to PCI College material.
• Online Programmes must be completed within 12 months of the start date. If students require more time to complete their course, they can extend it for another 6 months. An extension fee of £100 will apply so students can continue their studies. Students must request the extension within a month after their course deadline, or their monies will be forfeited.

Undergraduate & Postgraduate Programmes

• Applications should be completed in full and returned with the appropriate deposit for the programme of choice. 
• Any deposit paid is deductible from the programme fees if the applicant is successful in securing a place on the programme. 
• Applicants are entitled to a full refund of the initial deposit if they decide to cancel within 14 days of receipt of their application, and haven't attended the interview.
• If the cancellation is before the programme commences, any monies held will be left on account for use for the next course intake. Any monies left on the account exceeding this timeframe will be forfeited.
• Tuition Fees, including acceptance fees, are outside of the above cancellation policy and are non-refundable in all circumstances. The balance of fees for tuition is payable, in FULL, before the programme commences or by availing of an agreed PCI College Direct Debit Payment Plan. Tuition Fees do not include the costs of additional programme requirements such as Personal Therapy, Supervision and workshop hours/CPD etc.  No refund will be made in any circumstances to students who fail to attend classes or who commence a programme and subsequently feel that the programme does not suit them. 
• Students who are availing of funding or part-payment by a third party should be aware that responsibility for payment of fees and liaison with these bodies' rests solely with the student and not with PCI College. Any overpayment of fees will be held for progression onto the next year of study. If there is a credit balance on completion of the programme, this will be refunded on graduation from the programme of study to the student. It is the responsibility of the student to return any monies to their funder as appropriate as per the agreement they hold with their funder.
• Students who wish to pay fees in advance before commencing a programme may leave monies on account for a maximum of one year unless agreed otherwise by PCI College; however, upon re-entry into a programme, the new fee structure will apply, and additional fees may be sought, where due.
• Students who take a pause on their programme of study can leave monies on the account; however, upon re-entry into a programme, the new fee structure will apply, and additional fees may be sought, where due. Monies may be left on account for a maximum of one year.

Continuous Professional and Personal Development (CPD) Courses

• Applicants are entitled to a full refund if they decide to cancel within 14 days of receipt of their application.
• If the cancellation is more than 10 days before the programme commences but exceeds the 14 days receipt of the application, the balance will be left on account for use for a maximum of 12 months from the date of booking and for the level of course relevant to the application. If course fees left on the account have not been used within 12 months, the credit on the account will expire.
• If the cancellation is less than 10 days before the programme commences, any monies will be forfeited.
• Refunds will be issued through our online payment system/bank transfer.
• Integration day (Day 5) is scheduled for a date that allows sufficient time for students to complete practice hours. If applicants are unable to attend integration day due to not having completed the practice hours, a fee of £140 for sitting the integration day outside of your original class schedule will be applied.
• Alumni discounts can only be used by students and graduates of PCI College's Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes. Anyone who uses a discount and who is not a student or graduate of PCI College will be asked to pay the full fee amount or will be removed from enrolment in the programme.  Discounts may only be used where applicable, i.e. when it is stated that there is a discount available for the listed programme. 
• Students who are availing of funding or part-payment by a third party should be aware that responsibility for payment of fees and liaison with these bodies' rests solely with the student and not with PCI College. If there is a credit balance on completion of the programme, this will be refunded back to the student. It is the responsibility of the student to return any monies to their funder as appropriate as per the agreement they hold with their funder.

Non-Payment of Fees

• If you fail to pay your fees in FULL before commencing your programme of choice, you must be assigned to an agreed PCI College Direct Debit Payment Plan. Failure to engage in either option will result in your Student Account being 'Frozen'. This means you will be unable to access all module materials, programme information, timetables, virtual learning environments, your pcicollege.ie email account and will be unable to submit assignments through the esubmissions system.
• For submission of assignments, you will be required to submit to assignments@pcicollege.ie; however, no results or lecturer feedback will be available to you, and no results will be presented at any Assessment Boards for ratification. 
• If there is ongoing non-communication with PCI College and you are still attending classes at your location, you may be denied access to college classes, and any attendance at these classes will not be recorded. 
• Students with outstanding fees from a previous academic year will not be permitted to progress into the next year of study before clearing all outstanding fees due
• If you are unable to pay any Tuition Fees and administration charges by the dates provided by PCI College, you should contact the College as soon as possible at studentservices@pcicollege.ie as we may be able to assist you and offer additional support, such as an individualised payment plan.

Please note:  You will not be able to graduate if you have outstanding debts on your account. All Tuition Fees must be paid by the Requirements deadline for the Board at which your results are being presented for an award. 

External debt collection:

PCI College reserves the right to refer outstanding debt relating to ex-students to an external debt collection for recovery.

Tax Relief

• It is the responsibility of the student to claim back any tax relief available for PCI College programmes. PCI College will provide a Student Status letter and Statement upon request from the student to assist in their application for tax relief. Students must keep a copy of all electronic receipts; these will not be re-issued. 

Deferral Policy

Each programme has its own individual deferral policy, as follows:

Short Courses: Personal Development, Continued Professional Development and Online courses are not eligible for deferral. These courses can be cancelled, and monies left on account for a maximum of 12 months unless the cancellation falls under the 14-day refund policy and less than 10 days before the programme commences, please see Section 3, Fees and Refund Policy above.

Certificate Programmes: Deferrals from Certificate programmes must be applied for within 2 weeks of the programme commencing. Deferrals will be accepted onto the next available intake date for this programme and no later than 12 months from the date of the original booking. This programme can be cancelled, and monies left on account for a maximum of 12 months, unless the cancellation falls under the 14-day refund policy please see Section 3, Fees and Refund Policy above.

Undergraduate Programmes: Deferrals from Undergraduate programmes must be applied for no earlier than the 1st of August preceding the start of the next academic year and no later than 6 weeks from the date of the programme commencing. Deferrals will be accepted for re-entry onto the next available intake date for this programme.

• Maximum of 8 Year period to complete the BSc programme
• If the student is approved for deferral, they are given a specified date that they must re-engage with the College and return their completed re-entry form so that the college can enrol them on the relevant modules. It is important for students to be aware that they may not be re-admitted to the same venue/day of study from where they interrupted their studies.
• Any student who fails to contact the College at the end of the period of deferral will be withdrawn from their programme of study by PCI College.
• While on deferral, the student will have no access to the student portal, PCI College email or any of the virtual learning environments the College provides. The student shall also not engage in any client work during this period.
• Any student who interrupts their studies without having an approved deferral or pause of programme will fail modules and be charged the standard fee to complete the relevant re-sit. Should the student have already failed a module and its re-sit opportunity in a previous academic year, they are liable to fail their programme of study.
• Students who fail to attend multiple modules throughout the academic year without an approved deferral or pause of programme will be withdrawn from their programme of study.

Postgraduate Programmes:

Deferrals for Postgraduate programmes must be applied for no earlier than the 1st of August preceding the start of the next academic year and no later than 6 weeks from the date of the programme commencing. Deferrals will be accepted for re-entry onto the next available intake date for this programme.

• Maximum of 4 Year period to complete MSc programmes
• If the student is approved for deferral, they are given a specified date that they must re-engage with the college and return their completed re-entry form so that the college can enrol them on the relevant modules. It is important for students to be aware that they may not be re-admitted to the same venue/day of study from where they interrupted their studies.
• Any student who fails to contact the college at the end of the period of deferral will be withdrawn from their programme of study by PCI College.
• While on deferral, the student will have no access to the student portal, PCI College email or any virtual learning environments the College provides. The student shall also not engage in any client work during this period.
• Any student who interrupts their studies without having an approved deferral or pause of programme will fail modules and be charged the standard fee to complete the relevant re-sit. Should the student have already failed a module and its resit opportunity in a previous academic year, they are liable to fail off their programme of study.
• Students who fail to attend multiple modules throughout the academic year without an approved deferral or pause of programme will be withdrawn from their programme of study.

If an applicant wishes to postpone their enrolment onto a programme, their status will be managed under deferred enrolment, whereby the applicant has paid the acceptance fee and moved to student status. The acceptance fee with only be held on account for one year; thereafter, these monies are forfeited. Acceptance fees are non-refundable in all circumstances.

No places can be held by applicants who have not accepted their place on the programme.

If a student is deferring an academic year of their programme, PCI College will freeze students' accounts, including tuition fees paid. Tuition fees will remain on the account for the maximum of one year as outlined above, and on re-entry to the programme current tuition fees will be invoiced minus any monies held on account. No refunds will be provided for part payments or advance payments made when entering deferral status.

If a student applies for deferral and leaves with a module incomplete, including outstanding assignments, they will be required to re-take this complete module in the year of re-entry.

Students who wish to defer their study may do so in writing by applying for deferral within the time period above by completing the Deferral Form and sending accompanying supplementary information. The Deferral Form is available on the Student Portal or by emailing studentservices@pcicollege.ie.

Code of Conduct

PCI College endeavours to recruit students who are naturally empathic, with good communication skills, and who can maintain their emotional balance, empathy and respect for others even when experiencing frustration, discomfort and stress. This ability must be upheld as the most basic standard for students who train in the fields of mental health and wellbeing. The vast majority of our students meet this standard, which allows PCI College to provide a supportive and welcoming place to train.

Students who cannot maintain an emotionally balanced, empathic and respectful position at times of frustration or stress can – intentionally or unintentionally - create considerable ongoing disruption, upset and anxiety for both staff and students and impact the learning experience of others. We expect occasional disagreements and conflicts, which are a natural and healthy part of working and learning in groups, but they must be managed through conversation in which respect and care for others are maintained.

Unacceptable behaviours are unjustifiable in all circumstances for adults training to work with vulnerable people within the helping professions, regardless of any provocation a person feels they have been exposed to, as we have established processes in place to manage such concerns in a professional and fair manner.

Please see the Code of Conduct (Support for Learners Policy) for a full list of unacceptable behaviours and the PCI College procedure for managing the same.

Fitness to Study  

The College is responsible for ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for staff and students. In the rare circumstance in which a student is not in a position to identify their own deterioration in health or wellbeing, the policy will allow PCI College to intervene for the wellbeing of the student and the wider student community. The Fitness to Study policy may be used in cases where a health condition has not been diagnosed or when the College has not been notified of the diagnosis.

The Fitness to Study policy is intended to address concerns that a student's extenuating circumstances are:

• disrupting their own studies; the studies of others; or
• placing unreasonable demands on staff or other students

Financial difficulties are not acceptable as a reason for a Pause of Study, and as such, any student who feels they cannot commit to the financial requirements of the programme should link directly with Student Services to arrange a payment plan to ensure tuition fees are paid and progression is possible; contact studentservices@pcicollege.ie   If progression to the next year is not possible due to outstanding fees from a previous year students should avail of deferral within the guided timeframes above.

The Fitness to Study Policy and Procedure is available in Support for Learners. 

Fitness to Practice

Due to the sensitive nature of working with vulnerable people, students are required to fulfil fitness to practice requirements. These include, but are not limited to:

• Acting in a fair and proportionate manner when dealing with vulnerable individuals.
• Considering relevant professional advice and guidance where appropriate.
• Complying with legal duties and responsibilities.
• Safeguarding the needs of staff and students affected by inappropriate behaviours.
• Considering the impact of any breaks in study holistically and provide appropriate advice, information and guidance to those concerned.

Lecturers and relevant programmes personnel will review and monitor student's fitness to practice on an ongoing basis via the following formal mechanisms:

• Attendance
• Lecturer End of Module Feedback
• Progress Review Meetings
• Progression Boards

Please see the PCI College Fitness to Practice Policy in our Support for Learners.

GDPR, Data Protection

When you fill out an application form on our website, we add you to PCI College’s database management system and finance package to enable us to process your application. When an applicant is enrolled on a programme of study, information is shared with the validating and accrediting bodies where applicable.

Please note that where we are required to share information with external organisations, for example, the Garda Vetting Bureau, consent will always be sought.

For further information, see our Privacy Policy.

Protection of Learners

For students enrolled in Middlesex programmes from academic year 2021/22 and before, you are protected under the Student Protection Plan.

From September 2023, all new enrolments for students based in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) across all programmes which are longer than three months in duration are covered under an Enrolled Learner Protection (ELP) insurance policy provided by Aviva. Under this policy, in the highly unlikely event that PCI College was to stop trading or was unable to continue to offer a programme, for example where appropriately qualified staff are not available, students are eligible to receive a return of the fees most recently paid. 

From September 2023, all new enrolments for students residing in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, across all programmes which are three months in duration or more will be protected through a designated bank account set up by PCI with Ulster Bank to hold student fees so that in the highly unlikely event that PCI was to stop trading or was unable to continue to offer a programme, for example where appropriately qualified staff are not available students are eligible to receive a return of the fees most recently paid. 

The change in providing ELP above was necessitated by a change in regulations following the UK government’s decision to leave the European Union that has prevented Aviva continuing to provide cover to students resident in the UK.