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Eligibility for UK and EU rates
To be eligible to pay fees at the UK/EU rate, you must normally be a national of the UK or an EU member state, or the relevant family member of such a person, and have been ordinarily resident within the UK, European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland or overseas territories for the three year period before the first day of the first academic year of your programme.
This is calculated as below:
| Programme start date between | First day of first year of academic programme |
|---|---|
| 01 August and 31 December | 01 September |
| 01 January and 31 March | 01 January |
| 01 April and 30 June | 01 April |
| 01 July and 31 July | 01 July |
In both instances, absences in connection with temporary employment are permitted. If you are not an EU national, you must usually have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the three year period noted above and have settled status in the UK by the end of that period. In either circumstance, if the purpose of your ordinary residence in the UK, EEA, Switzerland or overseas territories has been wholly or mainly to receive full-time education, you will be ineligible for UK/EU fee status.
A number of other categories of student are eligible to pay fees at the UK/EU rate providing they meet all the residence requirements applicable to that category. These include those who, on the first day of the first academic year of their programme, are:
- EEA/Swiss national “workers” and their family members
- those with a right of permanent residence in the UK under EU law
- those settled in the UK and who have exercised a right of residence in the EEA or Switzerland
- the children of Swiss nationals
- the children of Turkish workers in the UK
- refugees and their family members that are recognised by the UK government
- those granted Humanitarian Protection in the UK and their family members
- those with “long residence” in the UK (the precise requirements for this will vary depending on whether you are under or over 18 on the first day of the first academic year of the programme)
- persons granted stateless leave in the UK and their family members
- persons granted section 67 leave, Calais leave to remain, indefinite leave as a victim of domestic abuse or violence or indefinite leave to remain as a bereaved partner
You may obtain further details from Access and Admissions in Student and Registry Services, by consulting the government regulations or obtain independent advice from UKCISA: The UK Council for International Student Affairs.
Change your status to UK/EU after the start of your programme
UCL's fee status assessment remains in place for the duration of the programme with certain exceptions, including the following circumstances:
- You or a relevant family member obtains EU nationality and you have been ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA, Switzerland or overseas territories for the three year period before the first day of the first academic year of the programme
- The country of which you are a national accedes to the European Union and you have been ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA, Switzerland or overseas territories for the three year period before the first day of the first academic year of your programme
- You become the child of a Swiss national or child of a Turkish worker in the UK and meet the relevant residence requirements in full
- You, your spouse/civil partner, parent or parent of your spouse/civil partner obtains refugee status or Humanitarian Protection following an asylum application. This status must be obtained in the UK. Additional restrictions apply if you are seeking UK fee status as the spouse/civil partner, child or child of a spouse/civil partner. Please refer to the government regulations in such cases.