Fees vary greatly, but expect to pay about £100 per week for large-class tuition and £300 per week or more for intensive, small class tuition.

The cost depends on several factors such as the type, the duration and the location of the course. For example a general course of English comprising 15 hours tuition per week and accommodation plus one full day and one half day excursion in the south of England costs between £244 - £250 per week.

Day pupils (those living at home) pay £1,500-£4,000 per term and pupils at boarding schools pay £3,000-£7,000 per term. Students boarding in independent schools will not need to budget separately for accommodation, food and laundry costs, it is usually included in the fee. It is important to check what else the fees include, such as textbooks and exam fees.

Gifted children are invited to compete for academic, musical and other specialist scholarships, which can cover up to fifty per cent of fees.

Fees depend on what qualifications you wish to study for. If you are attending a state-funded college and you are an EU national you will only have to pay the "home rate" of tuition fees which is the same as for UK nationals.

If you are under 19 years of age it is likely that your tuition will be free in a state-funded college.

You should always obtain specific information on the cost of your further education course directly from the college.

Universities and colleges in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have tuition fees. Students from other countries in the European Union are under European law entitled to pay the same tuition fees as UK students.

Under the new Higher education Act the universities can charge variable fees for its undergraduate degrees. You can expect tuition fees to be around £ 3000 per year. At the same time from 2006 you will no longer have to pay your fees before you start your course or whilst you are studying. You will be able to take out a student loan for fees to match the level of tuition fees you have to pay. All students taking a loan are required to sign a declaration agreeing to repay. You will only start repaying this loan uprated annually with inflation once you have finished studying and are earning in Estonia more than £9,000 a year (the repayment threshold differs between countries). You start paying back at the rate of 9p in the £ earned.

Application forms and Guidance notes can be downloaded from www.direct.gov.uk. If you applied through UCAS by July, you will be sent the application form for student finance automatically. New EU students only need to complete Parts 1-5, complete the loan request form and sign the declarations in Part 11.

Please note that EU students are not entitled to maintenance loans.

EU students studying or intending to study in Scotland (click here) or Northern Ireland (click here)

Because Scottish funding is organised differently, EU students studying at an institution in Scotland are entitled to free tuition. The Student Awards Agency of Scotland (SAAS) will pay undergraduate tuition fees for students - they need to apply through their website at www.saas.gov.uk.

Tuition fees for postgraduate courses for home students start at £3,300 per year, but each university sets its own postgraduate tuition fees annually, and you should always contact the institutions directly to obtain the most recent fee information.

Funding for some postgraduate courses may be available from the various Research Councils.