Graduate Prospectus 2010-11

Fee status

"Fee status" refers to your classification as a Home student, an EU student, or an Overseas student. It affects the University Composition Fee you will be charged. The BGS has responsibility for determining your fee status. If you wish to be classified in a way which is not obvious from the information given on your application form, you must supply documentary evidence in the form of a passport showing Home Office certification, letters from the Home Office and other material deemed appropriate by the University to prove your status.

If we make you an offer, you will be told your fee status and what to do if you believe we have misclassified you. If you are unsure, or require further information, the up-to-date guidance that we use is found at:

• UK Council for International Education - Fees, Funding and Student Support

The University must comply with UK government regulations when it is making fee assessments. The list below shows a summary of the main criteria for classification as a Home, EU or Exchange student. All students not defined as Home or EU will be considered as Overseas students. The definition of Overseas student adopted by the University for the payment of University Composition Fees is liable to be changed from time to time in order to comply with the requirements of UK legislation.

Criteria for classification as Home or EU/Exchange student

There are a number of requirements which must be met in order to be eligible for Home or EU fees. Students must meet the requirements of both 'settled status' and 'ordinary residence':

• "Settled status/nationality" - means that students must be nationals of the UK or another EU country, or have the right of permanent residence or indefinite leave to remain in the UK, ie they must not be subject under immigration laws to any restriction on the period for which they may stay in the UK. Students may also be the 'relevant family member' of an EU national (a relevant family member is generally a spouse or civil partner, a direct descendant, or a dependant).
• "ordinary residence" - means that in addition, students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK, the EEA (defined as the EU together with Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway), Switzerland, or the Overseas Territories for the three years prior to the start date of the course for which they are applying, and that residence should not have been wholly or mainly for the purposes of receiving education.

This is a general summary of the main criteria for fee status classification, but there are exceptions, as well as other requirements, which must be taken into account. There are also other categories of students who might also be eligible for Home or EU fees, for example, Swiss workers and their family members, children of Swiss nationals or Turkish workers, and refugees or those not granted refugee status but allowed to remain in the UK. In addition, students who are admitted onto a course as part of the arrangements for a fully reciprocal exchange of students with an institution outside the UK are also eligible for Home/EU fees. For a full description of the up-to-date requirements and fee status regulations, please see http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/information_sheets.php#tuition_fees.