When it comes to securing Home fee status at a UK university, there is a lot at stake, potentially tens of thousands of pounds. Every year, British and Irish families living overseas try to manage the process themselves, assuming it’s just a matter of completing the right forms. But this approach can be risky, stressful and, in many cases, unsuccessful. At UK Study Options (UKSO), our expert team works closely with families to guide them through the complexities of the fee status process. In this article, we explore the difference between doing it yourself and working with UKSO. We break down the four key stages where UKSO makes a real impact: preparation, choosing universities, completing the Fee Status Questionnaire (FSQ), and appealing a decision.

You’re Unique: An Individual Approach

Many families begin their journey by searching online or asking around. Unfortunately, this often leads to confusion or pitfalls. Other families who have faced fee status assessments themselves, only have their own experience to go on which can be limited or misguided. Taking their advice doesn’t mean you will achieve the same outcome as them, as each fee status case is unique and needs an individual approach.

University websites can be vague about who they consider Home or Overseas, funding legislation is difficult to  interpret, and every institution applies the rules in slightly different ways, meaning the information available to you online doesn’t clarify what your fee status will be. When you go it alone, it is easy to miss crucial things that will ultimately impact your chances of getting Home fees years down the line, such as if or when to return to the UK, how to maintain your home-country connections, or understanding what qualifies as a ‘temporary absence’.

The fee status rules evolve regularly and with four different sets of rules across the UK nations it is easy to miss changes that could affect your particular case for Home fees at specific universities. UKSO advisors receive regular training on all aspects of the fee status rules and will ensure that any amendments to the requirements are fully considered when planning and preparing your application so that you don’t get caught out.

UKSO has worked with thousands of families of all different circumstances for over 10 years and has extensive experience advising them on how to navigate this process. The team are familiar with fee status assessments at most of the universities in the UK and can advise you how best to present your individual case to get the Home fees you are entitled to.

Choosing Universities: They All Do Things Differently

Most families shortlist universities based on league tables, subject rankings or location. These are important, but there is little awareness of how individual institutions assess fee status differently and how it can affect your child’s chances of getting Home fees.

Each university makes its own decision about whether a student qualifies for Home fees based on their interpretation of the fee status legislation. It is very common for a student to get different fee statuses from different universities, even though they are all applying the same legislation. Some universities are very strict in their interpretation while others are more flexible.

UKSO is familiar with the fee status assessments at hundreds of universities and can help families make informed choices. We can share our deep insight and extensive experience to help you understand which universities give you the best chances of success and being fully prepared for the process at your final choices. This could mean the difference between receiving offers with Home fees or Overseas fees, maximising the chances of being able to accept offers at preferred universities.

Completing the FSQ: Simple Mistakes Can Ruin Your Chances

After submitting a university application, many students are asked to complete a Fee Status Questionnaire (FSQ). This is a crucial document and your chance to demonstrate your eligibility. However, it often catches families off guard.

An FSQ can be a lengthy and complex document that requires you to provide a lot of information about your family’s life, accompanied by supporting evidence, in order to make your case for Home fees. One vague answer, missing piece of evidence or poor explanation of your circumstances can lead to an Overseas fee classification, even when the student should qualify as Home. Each university has their own FSQ, therefore you may need to complete up to five of these, all with different questions and requests according to what each universities deems relevant to their assessment.

UKSO provides expert support with completing FSQs. We help you understand exactly what each university is asking, ensure your answers reflect your situation transparently, and advise on the right documentation to include. Our experience helps families avoid common pitfalls and submit strong, well-evidenced responses.

Appeals: When Things Don’t Go to Plan

If a university decides that a student does not qualify for Home fees, there is usually an opportunity to appeal. But the process can be daunting without expert help.

Appeals must be carefully structured and based on the relevant legislation, guidance and facts of the case. Many families don’t know where to begin or how to challenge the university’s interpretation of the rules. Some universities have up to three rounds of appeal following an FSQ which can take many months to complete before their decision is made. It can be a time-consuming, stressful and bewildering process.

UKSO has helped many families navigate the appeals process to the end successfully. We help you prepare detailed appeal letters referencing the relevant legislation, and present your case clearly and professionally. In most cases, we have overturned decisions and secured Home fee status for students who were initially misclassified.

So, Should You Do It Yourself?

It is certainly possible to succeed by doing it yourself. But in practice, managing the fee status process alone comes with risks. A single mistake in a form, choosing a university that interprets the rules more rigidly, or missing out on critical preparation steps can lead to an international classification. This means significantly higher tuition fees and no access to UK student finance.

UKSO helps families avoid that outcome. Our team offers clarity, strategy and support at every stage. Whether you are just starting your journey or already dealing with fee assessments, we can help you move forward with confidence.

Get Started Today

Securing Home fee status is not about luck. It requires planning, an understanding of how universities make decisions, and knowing how to present your case in the strongest way possible.

Working with UKSO means:

• Personalised advice tailored to your situation
• Expert help completing FSQs accurately
• Professional assistance if you need to appeal

Make sure you’re ready for fee status assessments. Try our Fee Status Checker.

Understanding Eligibility for UK Home Fee Status when living in Hong Kong

Moving abroad is exciting, but it also comes with many decisions—especially around your child’s education. One of the most important (and often overlooked) factors is Home fee eligibility. This can make a huge difference to university tuition costs in the UK. At UK Study Options, we help expat families understand and navigate the complex rules around fee status. If you’re based in Hong Kong and planning for UK university, it’s essential to get clarity on your child’s eligibility for Home fees as early as possible.

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What Is UK University Fee Status?

Your fee status determines how much you’ll pay for university in the UK. There are two main categories:

• Home fees: Government-capped and significantly lower
• Overseas fees: Often two to three times more than Home fees

Each UK university assesses applicants based on government guidelines, but the specific rules vary between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The location of your chosen university will determine which rules apply.

If you don’t qualify for Home fees, you could face much higher tuition costs—so it’s important to understand and prepare for these rules early.

👉 Learn more in UK University Fee Status – The Basics Part 1

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Can I Qualify for Home Fees if I Live in Hong Kong?

Yes—it may be possible, depending on your circumstances.

There are several categories of eligibility for Home fee status. Most require that you are settled in the UK, which typically means holding British or Irish citizenship, or a visa that allows you to live in the UK indefinitely.

However, eligibility isn’t based only on nationality. You also need to show ordinary residence in the UK (or another eligible area) for the three years immediately before your course starts.

If you’ve been living in Hong Kong due to work, you may still be eligible—especially if the move is temporary and you maintain strong links to the UK.

📌 For more detail, read UK University Fee Status – The Basics Part 2

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Do I Need to Live in the UK Before Applying to University?

No—this is one of the most common myths. A student does not need to live in the UK immediately before starting university to qualify for Home fees.

If you’re based in Hong Kong, you might still meet the residence criteria, particularly if your absence is classed as temporary or employment-related.

The British National (Overseas) visa (BNO), recently introduced, is especially relevant. While it does not provide settled status by default, it may support Home fee eligibility in Scotland, and could lead to Home fee eligibility in other UK nations during later years of a degree.

It’s crucial to understand how your visa or residency arrangement will be viewed by different universities.

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Why Is It Important to Get Expert Advice when living in Hong Kong?

Fee status assessments are complex. Many families don’t realise the impact of their residency or visa history until it’s too late—and end up paying significantly more in university tuition fees.

Understanding these rules early can save you time, money, and stress. We always recommend keeping a clear record of:

• UK addresses (if applicable)
• Travel records to and from the UK
• Employment contracts and work-based absences

Having the right documents ready can make a big difference when universities assess your case.

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Where Can I Get Personalised Advice?

At UK Study Options, we are experts in UK university fee status for expat families. With over 10 years of experience, we’ve helped more than 1,000 families worldwide understand their eligibility for Home fees and make confident decisions.

To simplify the process, we’ve created a powerful online tool—our Fee Status Checker. It gives you an instant summary of your child’s likely eligibility and provides personalised next steps.

✅ Fast and easy to use
✅ Understand your fee status in minutes
✅ Get guidance on whether you need further support

🔎 Try the tool now: Fee Status Checker

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Plan Ahead, Save Thousands When Living in Hong Kong

Getting your child’s fee status right can save your family thousands of pounds in tuition fees. By planning ahead, you can avoid mistakes, prepare the right documents, and give your child the best possible start to their UK university journey.

If you’re unsure about your situation or need tailored support, our team is here to help.

📩 Get in touch with UK Study Options today for expert advice.

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Have you received an offer from a UK university with a fee status that doesn’t seem right? For example, if you’ve been given Overseas fees but believe you are eligible for Home fees, you have the right to appeal. To appeal, you will need to submit additional information and evidence to support your case. This can help the university reconsider your status. In this article we will look at tips for appealing a fee status decision.

A Common (and Costly) Surprise

Once UCAS applications are in and offers start arriving, many parents are shocked to see their child listed as an Overseas student. This can mean tuition fees of up to £423,324, depending on the university and course. This is far more than most families expect to pay. In many cases, it makes accepting the offer impossible, even after all the student’s hard work to secure a place.

Why Do Errors Happen?

Most universities get fee status decisions right. But in some cases, especially where families live or work abroad, things get complicated. Universities rely on limited information from the UCAS application or a Fee Status Questionnaire. This can result in mistakes. That’s why it’s so important to appeal if you think the decision is wrong. To succeed, you’ll need to provide full and clear evidence of your circumstances. This will help universities review and, where appropriate, correct the decision.

Appealing Isn’t Easy — But It’s Worth It

The responsibility is on the student to prove they qualify for Home fees. That includes providing documentation and identifying which eligibility category applies to them. It’s important to read the rules carefully and be ready to explain your case clearly. At UK Study Options, we’ve worked on thousands of fee status cases and helped many students win successful appeals.

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Our Top 3 Tips for Appealing a Fee Status Decision

1. Don’t Accept the Offer Until Your Fee Status Is Resolved

As exciting as it is to get an offer, don’t accept it yet if the fee status is incorrect. Accepting an offer means accepting the fee status too. Universities are not required to change your fee status once you accept. Check the deadline to respond and use the time wisely to raise and resolve your appeal.

2. Follow the University’s Appeals Process

Every university handles appeals differently. Some will ask for a formal document, while others may use email.

Make sure to:

• Contact each university directly
• Follow their instructions carefully
• Meet any deadlines they give
• Keep copies of all communication

Appeals can take time and may go through several stages. Staying organised is key.

3. Organise Your Information and Evidence

Make it as easy as possible for the university to review your case. Here’s how:

• Use bullet points or tables to show timelines or evidence
• Arrange documents in chronological order
• Clearly label everything you submit

Some appeals involve hundreds of pages, so a clear and structured format will help university staff review it quickly and fairly.

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About UK Study Options

UK Study Options are the leading independent experts in UK university fee status for the British and Irish expat community. We’ve been advising families, schools, and students for over 10 years. Our expert team has helped thousands of students achieve the correct fee status — and go on to study the degree of their dreams.

[i] Based on the highest Overseas tuition fees for the 2025 academic year.

 

Baffled by UK university fee status and not sure how it applies to you? Get to grips with the basics with our two-part blog on fee status.

This UK university fee status blog post answers the question:

• Who is eligible for Home fees?

See our blog UK University Fee Status – The Basics Part 1, to answer the questions:

• What is a fee status assessment?
• What are the different fee statuses?
• What are the tuitions fee and funding options for the different fee statuses?

Who is eligible for Home fees?

Being a British citizen or holding a British passport is not enough to qualify you for Home fee status. Nor does owning property in the UK or having lived there previously. If you have left the UK and now live abroad or have recently returned to the UK after a period away, you may have lost your eligibility. Too many people take it for granted that when they return to the UK, they will automatically get Home fees but the reality is, it’s very easy to lose your Home status and have to pay much higher Overseas tuition fees for your UK university course.

If you want to fully understand the rules and regulations around fee status, then we recommend that you visit UKCISA who publish comprehensive guidance with a full summary of the rules. They are quite dense and complicated, so here we give you a brief overview.

Firstly, to be eligible for Home fees, you must meet the necessary immigration criteria by having one of the following statuses (this is a bare minimum of what is required):

• A British citizen,
• A Republic of Ireland citizen
• Indefinite Leave to Enter/Remain in the UK,
• A Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the UK,
• ‘Settled’ status under the EU Settlement Scheme (and in some circumstances ‘Pre-Settled’ status).

Secondly, you need to demonstrate that you have been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for at least three years prior to starting university. This means having a “regular and habitual mode of life in a particular place, the continuity of which has persisted despite temporary absence” (UKCISA), i.e. maintaining strong connections that demonstrate that the UK country is your permanent home country even if you don’t currently live there. This can be demonstrated through a number of ways including, regularly visiting your home country, owning property, having family based there and others.

Thirdly, if it’s not clear whether someone has ordinary residence in the UK, then universities will look to see that any absence from the UK home country is of a temporary nature and that it is your (or your family’s) intention to return to the UK at some point. For this, universities will look at the parents’ current and previous employment, property ownership, rental agreements etc. There is no concrete rule about how long ‘temporary’ is – universities will take a different stance on this; some will have a strict cut off period and others will be flexible based on the student’s circumstances.

Generally, if a student fulfils the criteria for ordinary residence or temporary absence and is able to provide solid evidence for this, then they will be perceived as Home, although there are always anomalies! Completing university applications and forms correctly and presenting the right evidence is vital for a successful outcome. Whether you have Home fee eligibility is dependent on your specific background and living and working circumstances. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if your friend got home status, so will you. Every family’s circumstances are unique and fee status assessments are made on individual, case-by-case bases.

Also note that it is possible to be eligible for Home fee status even if you can’t show an ‘ordinary residence’ in the UK. There are many different categories of Home status and you may be eligible if you can demonstrate an ‘ordinary residence’ in the Republic of Ireland, a British Overseas Territory or, until 2027, in Europe (a country in the EEA or Switzerland).

UKSO are the leading experts in UK University Fee Status. We have been advising schools, families and students around the world on this complex topic for 10 years and have helped over 1,000 expat families with their fee status queries.

Fee Status Checker Tool: To make the process of determining eligibility even easier, we’ve introduced our new Fee Status Checker. This online tool allows families to quickly assess whether their child could be eligible for Home fees, providing instant results and relevant resources for further research. By simplifying this crucial first step, we ensure that families can move forward confidently with the university application process. Visit our Fee Status Checker to get started.

 

When considering a UK university education, one critical aspect that can often be overlooked is fee status—whether a student qualifies for Home or International tuition fees.

This distinction can result in significant cost differences, with international fees often far higher than Home fees. Navigating the rules around fee status can be complex, especially for British and Irish expats. That’s where the UK Study Options Fee Status Checker comes in.

Designed as an essential first step, the Fee Status Checker helps families understand their initial eligibility for Home fees and sets the stage for more comprehensive support if needed.

What is the Fee Status Checker?

The Fee Status Checker is an online tool created by UK Study Options to help students and families gauge their potential eligibility for Home fee status at UK universities. As the only dedicated tool of its kind, it simplifies the fee status assessment for British and Irish expats and international students with UK connections.

Using the Fee Status Checker provides a quick and clear indication of fee status eligibility based on residency, citizenship, and other important factors. It also directs users to further resources to understand their eligibility more deeply.

Who is it for?

1. British and Irish Expat Families

Expat families who currently live abroad or have done in the years preceding a student starting university, often struggle to determine if their children will qualify for Home fees. These families’ backgrounds may not easily fit the Home fee criteria and understanding the can be daunting. The Fee Status Checker offers a starting point to know if their fee status is straight-forward or requires further clarity.

2. International Students with UK Connections

Students who hold non-British or non-Irish passports who have UK ties may not realise they could qualify for Home fees. These students can benefit from the Fee Status Checker, which highlights their current eligibility and gives an overview of the next steps.

3. Families with Complex Residency Histories

For students with complicated residency backgrounds, such as having lived in multiple countries, determining fee status can be particularly challenging. The service simplifies the first step by reviewing the student’s history, offering initial insights.

Next Steps: Our Three-Step Approach

The Fee Status Checker is Step 1 of our three-step approach to  fee status support. From there, families can opt in for more tailored services, as needed:
Step 2 – the Fee Status Appraisal includes a detailed personal report to understand your fee status more deeply and gives relevant advice and recommendations.
Step 3 – our comprehensive Fee Status Support, provides ongoing, one-to-one guidance on from our specialist team over a number of years for those who wish to maintain their Home-fee eligibility.

A Trusted Service

With a 15-year track record of providing fee status expertise, UK Study Options has achieved a 99% success rate in securing Home fee status for British and Irish expat students who have used the Fee Status Support service in 2024.

To begin your journey and access the Fee Status Checker, visit href=”https://ukstudyoptions.com/fee-status-checker/”>UK Study Options. From there, you can explore the other services available, including the Fee Status Appraisal and full Fee Status Support package, to help you navigate the complexities of UK university fee status.