Foundation for Buddhist Thought

If you have reserved or paid for a place please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to cancel your application.
If you are already on the course and your circumstances change, please speak first to your tutor and then to the course administrator. It may be possible for you to defer your study rather than cancelling completely.
If you cancel your application at least one month before the start date you will be given a full refund. After this point course materials are sent out. Cancellations less than one month before the start date receive a refund of the course fee, less the cost of the first module.

Sangha Fund

We would like to offer free places to ordained Sangha. Our ability to do so depends on your generosity. If you would like to sponsor a monk or nun to enable them to participate in the course, please tell us in your application form. We will then add your donation to the Sangha Fund, and for each GBP £350 accrued, will be able to offer the course for free to a member of the Sangha.

Sangha Sponsorship and Bursaries

As a Buddhist charity we're not trying to make a profit, and only wanting to receive money from people who value what we're doing and want to support it. We are a registered charity (UK no. 1106802) and we aim to keep the cost as low as possible for the quality of materials and services offered. We are only able to offer the course at this rate because our team of volunteers and low-paid staff are very generous with their time.

There is a bursary fund that helps those who are not able to pay the full rate for the course. We aim to offer four half-fee concessionary places per intake to Sangha or to students with financial difficulties. This will depend on the number of applicants per intake. You can let us know if you want to be considered for a bursary when you apply for the course.

To become a student of the FBT course there are two simple steps to follow:

1) Apply Online.

You can do this from our website, just clicking on Apply. An electronic application will appear in the window. You will need to fill in your details and answer a couple of questions about your previous study of Buddhism. This will help us judge whether this course is suitable for you. You will receive a confirmation email when we have received your completed application form. When your application has been processed (this can take 2 or 3 weeks), you will get an email from us to let you know if you have a place in the next intake, or asking you for more information, etc.

2) Registration and Payment.

We will then send you the registration form, which, by completing, you formally commit to doing the course and let us know which audio option and payment method you prefer. When we receive your completed registration form, we will  assign you to a moderator group.
Starting the course  After you have registered for the course, we will be in communication with you to tell you the exact date the course starts, who your moderator will be, how and when we will send you the course material, etc. The actual start date varies from intake to intake, but it is usually the first week of the relevant month.

Students are accepted for the correspondence course in three intakes each year. Places are limited so you are advised to book early - ideally three months before the beginning of each intake is due.

To secure the place they have been given, successful candidates are required to register for the course at least 6 weeks before it starts.