Inside Fee Status

Many students and parents don’t realise that, in recent years, the fees and funding of UK/EU students has become a hot topic in the Higher Education community.

Student funding, including tuition fee loans, is driven by political and economic changes in each of the UK countries as well as Europe. The rules and regulations governing students funding are somewhat vague and open to interpretation by the Admissions Department in each institution, the onus may fall upon the student to make a case for gaining Home/EU fees and provide suitable evidence to support their case. Quite often, once a family has gained a Home/EU fees decision they breathe a sigh of relief until, increasingly in many cases, they have to start the whole process off again when applying for a tuition fee loan from one of the Student Loan Companies! If you are new to the process, our Introduction to Fee Status article is a great starting point.

 This year I have liaised on two particularly tough appeals: one where a student was in his second year and the university decided that he should be an overseas paying student rather than Home/EU fees status that he had been awarded for his first year of study. The second which is ongoing with a second stage appeal with Student Finance England – student funding had been withdrawn mid-degree course for an expat student and a demand for repayment of all funds has been made.

Many students manage to successfully gain Home/EU fees at their choice of university but increasingly there are many who don’t. You need to be prepared and be made aware of the changes that impact student funding and Home/EU tuition fees. Sign up to IntheKnow to keep up to date or for more urgent help email gr@ukstudyoptions.com.