UK University Fee Status Assessments Myths and Assumptions
Myths and assumptions made by expatriates
So, the UCAS application is in at last and now you are receiving emails from individual universities asking you to fill in a Fee Status Questionnaire (FSQ). In this blog we tackle some of the myths that expatriate families may have about fee status.
Universities are part funded by the UK Government. They have to undertake due diligence in identifying students who have a right to UK/EU tuition fees (and subsequently student loans). Particular scrutiny is given to students applying for costly degrees such as lab-based courses, veterinary, dentistry and medicine. Fee status forms are sent to students who are based overseas and some who are based in the UK to establish which category of student they are and whether they are entitled to UK/EU fees. The FSQ forms are for prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Myth: a UK/EU passport is enough to entitle my son/daughter to Home/EU fees.
No, British or EU citizenship is just one of the factors for consideration. It is not enough to have a British or EU passport, you also need to show that you maintain your ‘ordinary residence’ in your home country by visiting as a family often enough and for long enough each year.
Asylum seekers, ‘Leave to Remainers’ and Refugees may also be entitled to UK/EU fees.
Myth: being overseas on a visa means that I have to return to my home country and therefore should be entitled to UK/EU fee status.
Thousands of expat families are based overseas on a visa which is re-issued every two years or so. Being on a visa does not mean that your son/daughter is automatically entitled to UK/EU fees when starting university in the UK. Universities want to know how you maintain your connections to the UK/EU – do you return to the same place, as a family (at least one parent, student and siblings) for a number of weeks each year?
The actual time recommended to spend in the UK/EU is not specified – this is one of the many questions open to interpretation by a Fee Status Admissions Team. While one admissions person may think that six weeks a year is required, another may be of the opinion that three weeks a year is sufficient.
Myth: owning property in the UK/EU should ensure Home/EU fee status.
No. In actual fact, you don’t have to own property in the UK to be eligible for Home/EU fees at a UK university. It does help though if you do have a property and even better if you have a property that is vacant for sole family use each year.
Myth: returning to the UK for long enough each year for the three years before the university application will ensure UK/EU fee status.
Simply returning to the UK may help but it is important to show that you have a single ‘home base’ in order to establish a pattern of ‘ordinary residence’. The universities may also ask for evidence of visits back to your home base before the three years prior to university entry. Some may want to go as far back as the student’s birth.
Establishing UK/EU fee status is not a simple tick box exercise. It is necessary to demonstrate commitment to your home country, showing that you maintain strong family links with a clear intention to return at some point in the near future.
