Tag Archive for: fee status

Meet the Experts at UK Study Options

Meet the Experts at UK Study Options

At UK Study Options, we are dedicated to providing bespoke university guidance and fee status advice to students and families worldwide. With a strong reputation for saving families thousands on tuition fees, we help both international and UK students gain entry to top universities through tailored support packages.

Fee Status Team

  • Kate Raison: Managing Director
    Kate has over 15 years of experience in higher education, working across admissions and student recruitment teams, and more recently specialising in UK university fee status. Her expert advice has saved many British expat families from unnecessarily paying overseas fees.
  • Sam Goodwin: Head of Global Engagement
    Sam brings a wealth of experience in international education policy and operations. He is expert in the UK university fee status rules and how they affect British and Irish expatriate families.
  • Dannielle Elster: Fee Status Manager
    Dannielle is known for her detailed and accurate fee status assessments, helping students navigate complex regulations.
  • Sarah Lewis: GCC Representative
    Based in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, Sarah provides personalised support to families, helping them with university applications and fee statuses.
  • Puvani Gazi: Fee Status Consultant
    Puvani excels in understanding fee status regulations, offering precise and individualised assessments to students.

Counselling Team

  • Geraldine Raison: Director & University Guidance Counsellor
    Geraldine combines her extensive knowledge of the education sector with a personalised approach, guiding students to their ideal university choices.
  • Steve Martin: University Guidance Counsellor
    With a strong background in education, Steve helps students identify and apply to universities that align with their goals and aspirations.
  • Iram Lone: University Guidance Counsellor
    Iram provides compassionate and strategic advice, ensuring students are well-prepared for their university applications.

Marketing Team

  • Judith Burt: Project Coordinator
    Judith manages our projects with precision, ensuring smooth and effective execution of our initiatives.

How UK Study Options Can Help

We offer expert support for both university applications and fee status assessments, ensuring students and families navigate the complex landscape of higher education with confidence. Our tailored support packages are designed to meet individual needs, providing guidance on everything from undergraduate and postgraduate courses to funding and visa options. With our help, students can achieve their educational goals while potentially saving thousands on tuition fees.

For more details and to get in touch with our team, visit UK Study Options.

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What does Fee Status ‘Ordinary Residence’ mean for expat families?

Understanding Ordinary Residence for UK University Fee Status

Navigating the intricacies of fee status regulations for UK universities can be a daunting task, especially for expats living abroad. Among the key terms in these rules, “ordinary residence” stands out as a crucial determinant for fee eligibility. However, its ambiguity often leads to confusion among prospective students.

Because the fee status rules do not provide a definition of ordinary residence, each university will have their own policy and interpretation. This means that different universities can legitimately come to a different outcome when looking at the same case. Universities will often refer to the guidance provided by UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) when assessing ordinary residence. UKCISA point to case law and government guidance which is helpful to understand ordinary residence and provide a useful summary on their website.

In this article, we delve into the concept of ordinary residence and how it impacts your fee status.

The Significance of Ordinary Residence

In most cases of Home fee status, applicants must demonstrate ordinary residence in a specific location for a continuous three-year period before commencing their university studies. Despite its importance, the fee status rules offer no clear definition of ordinary residence, adding to the complexity of the process.

University Policies and Interpretations

Since the fee status rules lack a definitive definition, each university sets its own policy and interpretation regarding ordinary residence. This means that different institutions may arrive at varying conclusions when assessing fee eligibility. Many universities refer to guidance provi ded by UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs), which relies on case law and government directives to offer clarity on ordinary residence.

 

Eligibility Criteria for Home Fees

It’s essential to note that various categories of Home fees exist, each with distinct eligibility criteria. Depending on your nationality or immigration status, you may qualify for Home fees by demonstrating ordinary residence in a location outside the UK, such as Ireland, certain British Overseas Territories, or Europe (EEA or Switzerland) until 2027.

Defining ‘Ordinary Residence’

Legal precedents, such as the case of Shah, provide some clarity on ordinary residence. It is defined as a “regular and habitual mode of life” for a settled purpose, emphasizing the lawful nature of the residence. To establish ordinary residence, universities assess various aspects of an applicant’s life through a Fee Status Questionnaire (FSQ). This includes evidence of a permanent UK address used regularly and habitually, along with a pattern of travel indicating the UK address as the primary residence.

Conclusion

Understanding ordinary residence is paramount for determining fee status eligibility at UK universities. While the concept may seem nebulous, legal precedents and university policies provide guidance for applicants. By gathering sufficient evidence and meeting the criteria outlined by universities, prospective students can navigate the fee status process with confidence, ensuring fair access to educational opportunities.

UK Study Options are experts in UK University Fee Status who provide personalised advice to expat families helping them to achieve Home fee status. We visit schools all over the world on a regular basis to present seminars for parents – check our events page to see if we are in your region soon. Complete our  online form to receive a free appraisal of your case and see if you need expert guidance for your application.

UK University Fee Status: The basics

You may never have come across the term ‘fee status’. But your university will give you one and it will make a difference to the tuition fees you pay. 

 

What is fee status? 

Your fee status determines the level of tuition fees you will pay when you go to a university in the UK that is publicly funded. There are two levels of fee status – a lower ‘home’ fee which is set at a capped amount by the government and ‘overseas’ which is often much higher and is not capped. Each university will follow regulations and guidance from the relevant UK government to determine each applicant’s fee status and charge tuition fees accordingly. 

How do I know my fee status?  

This is where it can get complicated. Each of the four UK nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have a different set of fee status rules. Therefore, you will need to look at the rules that are relevant to the university you are applying for. If you apply to universities that are in different countries then, under each set of rules, it could be possible that you have a different fee status in say England as opposed to Scotland. You can find the rules for each country on the UKCISA website but the rules are complex and open to interpretation.

This means that for expatriate families, who are often to be considered to be on the borderline between home and overseas, each university may view their case differently. It is common that applicants could be classed as a home fee payer at one university but an overseas fee payer at another university, even in the same UK nation. This reflects the very subjective nature of the assessment that universities are required to undertake. It is however each university that has been given the autonomy to make the final decision on the fee status for those applicants on their courses. 

What are the requirements for home fees?  

It is important to understand that there are many different categories of home fee status and each have different eligibility criteria. A key step is to check the specific requirements that will be applicable to you and your application rather than rely on the experience of friends or family members. For British and Irish expatriate applicants you will generally have to demonstrate how you have an ‘ordinary residence’ in the UK or Ireland for the three-year period prior to starting university. Universities will ask for many details of your life including your home address in the UK, nationality and dual nationalities, travel pattern and parents employment. They will be looking to see that you have a regular and habitual life at your UK home or else otherwise that you have are only temporarily absent from the UK to take up employment abroad.

It is also possible to achieve home fees if you have a ‘relevant family member’ who is a British citizen even if you are not one yourself. If you have Indefinite Leave to Remain or another ‘settled’ status in the UK this could mean you get home fees if you can also meet the ordinary residence requirement. Additionally, temporary rules after Brexit mean that those who can show an ordinary residence in the EEA or Switzerland might also be eligible for home fees status. 

Where can I get help with my fee status case? 

UKCISA, the UK Council for International Student Affairs, provide guidance on how to understand the rules. This is a good place to start your research. We are experts in university fee status and provide personalised advice to expat families helping them to achieve home fee status. This service gives you comprehensive advice and support from the moment you engage our services until your child starts university. This includes support with any university fee status queries during the application cycle.

For a free review of your fee status case, complete our online form and we’ll get back to you with some initial feedback on your chances of obtaining home fees.

UK University Fee Status Myths and Assumptions

Common myths and assumptions made by expats. 

Myth: A British passport will get my son/daughter home fees at a UK university. 

Not quite. British citizenship is just one factor that make you eligible. Alone it is not enough to meet the full eligibility criteria, there are other criteria you need to meet additionally to this. Actually, you might not have a British passport but you might still be eligible for home fees. There is provision for people with other UK immigration statuses, such as Irish passports holders, EU passports holders with EUSS pre-settled or settled status, ‘Leave to Remain’ or ‘Permanent Right of Abode’, that may be eligible (providing they meet the full criteria). Essentially, your passport alone doesn’t tell you much about whether you are eligible for home fees so more understanding of the full criteria is needed.  

Myth: We’ll have to live in the UK for three years to get home fees. 

Not necessarily. If you do live in the UK three years before UK university (and you meet the rest of the criteria), then you will qualify for home fees. However, it is not the case that if you don’t live in the UK, you won’t get home fees. Luckily for expat families living outside the UK, the legislation isn’t quite as explicit as this. What you need to do is maintain an ‘Ordinary Residence’ in the UK for three years prior to the start of university. This is not the same as living in the UK – see our blog ‘What Does ‘Ordinary Residence’ Mean For Expat Families (for fee status)’ to learn more about this term. Therefore, it is possible to live outside the UK and still achieve home status at a UK university.  

Myth: We don’t have to think about fee status until the university application.  

By then, it might be too late. Fee status assessments used to decide if you are eligible for home fees typically look at the three-year period before university. By the time the university application comes around, much of this three-year period has passed and therefore you are less able to build a strong case for meeting the eligibility criteria. You should be planning for fee status 3-4 years before the start of university so that you can adapt your living/working/travel plans to make sure you have a good case for home fees by the time you are fee assessed (during university admissions).  

Assumption: People we know got home fees, so we will too. 

Fee status is highly personalised and everyone’s fee status case is unique as it is dependent on many factors such as citizenship, immigration status, residence history, travel pattern, employment terms, employment history, the university shortlist, the course applying to…the list goes on! It’s unlikely that anyone you know will have a similar fee status case to you and therefore, their chances of getting home fees will be different to yours. It’s recommended to get personal advice on your fee status eligibility as what supported another person’s case for home fees may not support your case.  

Assumption: Owning property in the UK will get my son/daughter home fees. 

More important than owning a property is the status of that property and how it is used. If the property you own is rented out to a tenant then it’s unlikely that it will support your fee status case. Rather than talk about properties, we talk about the ‘home’. There is an expectation that you have a home in the UK to claim that you are maintaining an Ordinary Residence. This may not necessarily be a property that you own, for example, it could be a rented property, but it should be somewhere that you use as a home when you are in the UK. Everyone’s circumstances are different so what might be a home in the UK for one family might look different to another’s.  

 Assumption: Moving my child to a boarding school will get him/her home fees.

This may not be the case, even if your child has been going to boarding school and living in the UK for more than three years. The fee status rules include the ‘main purpose test’ which excludes any residence in the UK where the main purpose was to receive full-time education. If your child is at boarding school but you, the parents, live outside of the UK then universities are likely to apply the main purpose test and take the view that, if not at boarding school, your child will be resident with you. This means that they will not be able to give Home fee status on that basis and you will have a more complicated case to argue your eligibility. 

UK Study Options are experts in UK University Fee Status who provide personalised advice to expat families helping them to achieve Home fee status. We visit schools all over the world on a regular basis to present seminars for parents – check our events page to see if we are in your region soon. Complete our  online form to receive a free appraisal of your case and see if you need expert guidance for your application. 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you now eligible for Home fees in Scotland? 

Recently there has been a significant change to the Home Fees rules in Scotland, meaning that more people could be eligible for Home fees.  

The Scottish government has introduced a new, amended regulation that came into effect on August 1st 2023. The regulation sees a change to the category ‘Relevant connection to Scotland’ and will also see the ‘Long residency’ category being removed after a recent court case. You can read more in this UKCISA article. 

A new Home fees category has been established for individuals who do not possess “settled status” but maintain valid leave to enter or remain in the UK that has not yet expired. From now on, you don’t have to go through the hassle of proving that you’ve lived in the UK for half of your life to get Home tuition fees and financial aid for your studies.  If you are starting your course this year or in following years, check the new eligibility requirements to see if you are now classified as a Home student. 

And the good news is that even if you’re entering your second or third year, the changes to mean that any future fees you need to pay can be on the basis whether you would have fit into this category when you started your course. UKCISA explain that this has been confirmed by the Scottish Government. It is expected that many students may be able to change their fee status and pay less tuition fees for the remaining years of their course. If you believe that you could be eligible you should ask your university to reassess your fees based on the new rules.  

Each nation in the UK has different fee status rules, so you may be eligible for Home fees in Scotland, but not in England. We understand that changes to Home Fees rules may be confusing. UK Study Options are fee status experts and are fully trained on fee status rules. If you would like to get in touch regarding a free appraisal for your home fees case, please complete our online form. Alternatively, if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@ukstudyoptions.com.  

Will I get Home fee status after Brexit? The rules explained for expats in Europe.

Brexit seems a long time ago but its effects will still impact the way universities assess tuition fee status for a number of years to come and this will affect British and Irish expats living in Europe.

The rules for British and Irish expats living in Europe are complicated. The current rules in place are also only temporary and are different in each UK nation so their impact on expats is about to get even more confusing. As an expat, whether you are eligible for Home fees at a UK university is highly dependent on your personal circumstances such as where you have been living, for how long and for what purpose, and where in the UK to are applying to university, among many others things. It is crucial that you get personal advice on your circumstances if your family is living in Europe or you are advising such students applying to UK universities.

Brexit Withdrawal Agreement

Under the fee status rules, British and Irish expats living in Europe currently have protection under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. In England this is in the form of a category of Home fee status called ‘Brexit temporary offer for courses starting before 2028: UK nationals and family with residence in Europe or overseas territories’. Expats are eligible if they were living (‘ordinary resident’) in the EEA or Switzerland on 31st December 2020 and have maintained their ordinary residence there or in the UK since then. As the name suggests, this is a temporary category that will end after 2027, at which point expats will no longer have this protection and will need advice on whether they are still able to be Home fee-payers.

Crucially, if you have moved to the EEA or Switzerland from 2021 onwards, you are not eligible for Home fee status under this category. This is because you’ve moved to Europe post-Brexit and are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.

The rules are even more complex when applying to universities in Scotland as it is necessary to show your ordinary residence in Scotland for the three years immediately prior to living in Europe (as well as the requirements above) to get Scottish Home fees (£1,820 per year). Confusingly, Scotland have another rate of fees called RUK (Rest of UK) which is at a level equivalent to Home fees in England (£9,250). It is separately possible for British citizens resident in Europe to qualify for RUK fees in Scotland without living in the UK before moving to Europe.

What to expect

If you do live in Europe or anywhere else outside of the UK you can expect universities to question your eligibility for Home fees when you apply. They will ask for information and supporting evidence by sending you a fee status questionnaire (FSQ) to understand your circumstances and see if your meet the requirements for Home fees. You must gather and maintain relevant evidence of where you live and the date of your move, as you may be required to provide this information. You may need to show different evidence depending on which UK nation your university choices are located.

Make sure you understand the rules and check your eligibility for Home fees as early as you can before the university application. If you will be starting your university course after 2027 or you moved to Europe in 2021 or later your case will be much more complex and it may be harder for you to get Home status. 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 11 years and have helped over 1,000 expat families with their fee status queries. Get in touch for a personalised Fee Status Appraisal.

UK University Fee Status Rules

If you are going to a UK university, your fee status, i.e. whether you are charged home fees or overseas fees, is determined by a set of rules.

The rules are set by the government, but they are published online by a charity called UKCISA who support students in understanding their fee status eligibility. Anyone can access and read the rules online.

These rules differ in each of the four UK nations. The rules that apply to you are based on where the university you are applying to is located. For example, if you are applying to Scottish universities, you need to understand the Scottish fee status rules. If you are applying to English universities, you need to understand the English fee status rules and so on. If you are applying to universities in different parts of the UK you must apply all the relevant rules.

Here’s where to find them:

English fee status rules

Scottish fee status rules

Welsh fee status rules

Northern Irish fee status rules

The rules are largely derived from case law of previous immigration or student finance court cases. This is often where certain terms and definitions within the rules are defined so you may also want to read this information also.

Ordinary Residence Case Law

We understand that these rules can be confusing and it’s not always clear how your fee status would be determined.

UKCISA, who train us at UKSO and university staff on how to apply the fee status rules, offer free advice to students on their fee status and can be contacted here.

The UK Study Options team has extensive training and experience of fee status issues that specifically affect expat students. If you would like some feedback on your fee status case, complete our online form and we’ll get back to you.

PLEASE NOTE: The guidance on fee status rules is regularly updated and the link to the latest guidance may change. The above links are the latest guidance at the time of writing, May 2022.

UK University Fee Status – A Guide for Expats (Part 2)

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 blog post answers the question:

  • Who is eligible for Home fees?

See our blog UK University Fee Status – A Guide for Expats (Part 1), to answer the questions:

  • What is a fee status assessment?
  • What are the different fee statuses?
  • What are the tuition 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. Therefore, you have to pay much higher Overseas tuition fees for your UK university degree.

If you want to fully understand the rules and regulations around fee status, then we recommend that you visit UKCISA. UKCISA publish them in full detail. 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,
  • Indefinite Leave to Enter/Remain in the UK,
  • A Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode in the UK,
  • Right of permanent Residence in the UK,
  • Republic of Ireland citizen.

Ordinary Residence

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). For example, 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, having a UK home and regularly visiting the UK, among 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 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 and temporary absence and is able to provide solid evidence for this. Then they will be perceived as Home. Although there are always anomalies due to the interpretable nature of fee status assessment. 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.

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 11 years. We have helped over 1,000 expat families with their fee status queries. Get in touch for a personalised Fee Status Appraisal.

UK University Fee Status – A Guide for Expats (Part 1)

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 blog post answers the questions:

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

See our blog UK University Fee Status – A Guide for Expats (Part 2), to answer the question:

  • Who is eligible for Home fees?

What is a fee status assessment?

The fee status assessment is part of the Admissions process of all UK universities which aims to establish what fees a student should pay based on where the student is from. They need to make this distinction because they receive funding (tax-payer money) for Home students but not for Overseas students and therefore, Overseas students will pay more for their degree than Home students. The process of assessing a student’s fee status is to determine if they are eligible for that funding or not.

In order to do this, universities apply a set of rules and regulations published by UKCISA to a range of different student backgrounds and circumstances. UKCISA do not write the rules, they simply publish them to help universities understand the relevant government legislation which can be quite complicated.

For the most part, this assessment is quite straight forward but for some ‘borderline’ students it may be harder to assign a fee status. Such students might be British citizens living overseas (expats), refugees, asylum seekers or leave to remainers, for example. Here universities use their discretion and interpretation of the rules to determine fee status.

In these instances, universities may automatically assign an Overseas status and leave it to the student to contest it or they may require students to submit further information to assist with the assessment of their fee status. Because each university is using their discretion in these instances (and therefore, applying a slightly different policy), it’s often the case that a student will receive some Home offers and some Overseas.

What are the different fee statuses?

There are two factors that determine the different fee statuses; firstly, where in the UK (i.e. which UK country) is the university that the student is applying to. Secondly, where is the student themselves from.

Fee statuses differ depending on whether the university is in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. At the moment, they are categorised in the following way, however, once Brexit takes effect, the EU fee status is likely to change but as of yet, we are not sure how. Universities have fixed their fees until 2020 for EU students.

Universities in England and Wales have two fee statuses; Home (which applies to students from all UK countries and the Common Travel Area) and Overseas.

In Scotland, Universities have three fee statuses; Home (which applies to Scottish students), Rest of UK (which applies to students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Overseas.

In Northern Ireland, Universities also have three fee statuses: Home (which applies to Northern Irish students), GB (which applies to students from England, Scotland and Wales) and Overseas.

All UK countries follow the same government legislation but may differ slightly in their assessment criteria and processes.

What are the tuition fees and funding options for the different fee statuses?

Tuition fees differ depending on where in the UK the student is applying to university. For universities in England, Home fees are currently set at £9,250 per year for any course. In Wales, they may be a little lower at £9,000 per year. Overseas fees range from £14,950 to £58,600 per year depending on the course and university.[1] Generally speaking, the more competitive the course or university, the higher the Overseas fees.

For universities in Scotland, Home students currently pay £1,820 per year for any course.  These Home places are capped so they can be very difficult to obtain by people with borderline eligibility. RUK students pay £9,250 per year for any course. Overseas fees range from £14,600 to £49,900.[2] Scottish undergraduate degrees are usually 4 years (at other UK universities they are typically 3 years depending on the course) – it’s important to factor this in when budgeting for university.

For universities in Northern Ireland, Home students pay £4,275 per year for any course. Students from England, Wales and Scotland pay £9,250 per year for any course. Overseas students can expect to pay between £16,000 and £38,000. [3]

In any of the four countries, most students who are eligible for Home fees are also eligible for a student loan (and sometimes a grant) to cover or part-cover their tuition and maintenance costs. Depending upon where the student lives, applications for student loans have to be made via the relevant student loans company such as Student Finance England  http://www.sfengland.slc.co.uk,  Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) www.saas.gov.uk, Student Finance Wales www.studentfinancewales.co.uk or Student Finance Northern Ireland www.studentfinanceni.co.uk. Student loan companies will make their own fee assessment of each student who applies for a loan, they do not always concur with the fee status concluded by the university. It is not uncommon for a university to categorise a student as Home but the student loans company to categorise them as Overseas and therefore, reject their application for a loan.

Overseas students may have to pay additional fees, such as college fees at Oxford or Cambridge, that can be around £10,000 per year on top of tuition fees. Maintenance (or living) costs for all students are around £10,000+ per year of study.

Overseas students cannot apply for student loans to cover their tuition or maintenance costs, so their funding options are very limited. They also may be required to pay more of their tuition fees upfront and/or pay an interest fee if they wish to pay in instalments.

An additional factor to consider is that some courses, such as Medicine, cap the number of places available to Overseas students and therefore, the competition to get in is much higher. Some Medical degrees have as few as 4 places for Overseas students but will still receive hundreds of exceptional applications.

[1] Reddin Survey of University Tuition Fees 2020-21

[2] Reddin Survey of University Tuition Fees 2020-21

[3] Queen’s University Belfast 2020

Getting the Fee Status Questionnaire Right – Dos and Don’ts

If you are a borderline case for Home fees when applying to UK university, you may receive a Fee Status Questionnaire (FSQ) from one or more of the universities you are applying to. Borderline cases will be anyone who has lived outside the UK/EU for any period of time during your life. The FSQ form aims to get more information about you and your family’s background on which the university can make their final decision on your fee status. They will also ask for corresponding evidence to match what you write on the form.

Each university produces their own form and may ask for different information. Some will ask for information and evidence for the three years prior to the start of university (the most important years for establishing Ordinary Residence), others may ask for the last five years or even as far back as the birth of the student. So be prepared to explain your circumstances over a decade or more and dig out the evidence ahead of time so you’re not searching for it when you’re up against a tight deadline!

Most FSQs will ask for the following information:

  • Your immigration status.
  • Your residential history – and an explanation for any time lived outside the UK.
  • Details of visits to the UK when living outside of the UK/EU.

Dos for completing this form:

  • Explain your background fully yet succinctly – preferably use bullets points rather than paragraphs so it can be quickly read and understood.
  • Only include information/evidence that the university has asked for or that you think is very relevant.
  • Keep details/evidence in chronological order.
  • Be explicit – spell out strong evidence so they don’t miss it and explain any gaps or missing evidence.
    Clearly label corresponding evidence so it’s easy to find.
  • Get someone to sense check the form before you submit it to make sure it’s clear and logical.
  • Be aware of the deadline to return the form by.
  • Be transparent and honest.

Don’ts for completing this form:

  • Don’t lie on the form – if it unravels, you’ll jeopardise your university offer, not just your fee status.
  • Don’t waffle or write in long paragraphs which are hard to follow and time-consuming to unpick.
  • Don’t send masses of documents that have not been asked for or that are not absolutely relevant. There should be an opportunity to send further evidence later on, if necessary. If you’re not sure what is needed, give a list of available evidence on request/if required or call up the university and clarify what they need.
  • Don’t expect universities to work stuff out, hunt for information or fill in the gaps themselves. The onus is on you to explain your circumstances clearly.

UK Study Options are leading experts on UK university fee status and we have helped over 1,000 families with their fee status queries. We offer personalised support pre and post application. Get in touch for a Fee Status Appraisal or see our other blogs on Fee Status.

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