Understanding your fee status

If you have claimed asylum in the UK but have not received an outcome to your application, you are not eligible for Home (UK) fees under the regulations set out by the UK Government.

If you are intending to study a subject that has been flagged under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS), you will be required to obtain a clearance certificate before you can study. The requirement for ATAS is not limited to the Student visa category. You will also need ATAS if you are going to study your course using other time-limited visa such as Dependant visa, work visa, Standard Visitor visa, or you are an asylum seeker or refugee. You will also require ATAS clearance if you have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement scheme and you do not have an exempt nationality. You will not require ATAS clearance if you have indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Further information can be found on the  ATAS website 

Kingston University offers financial support for asylum seekers through our Sanctuary Scholarships.

If you are living in the UK on a British National (Overseas) visa you will not qualify for Home (UK) fees under the current regulations set by the UK Government.

You will likely become eligible for Home (UK) fees if you are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) having stayed in the UK for five years. However, you must hold this status before you start your course for this to apply.

If you start your course on or after 1 August 2021, new criteria apply to students who would have previously been eligible for Home (UK) fee status due to the UK's membership of the European Union.

UK nationals living in the EU, EEA or Switzerland

If you start your course on or after 1 August 2021, you will usually be eligible for Home (UK) fees providing:

• You are a UK national, you live in the EU, EEA and/or Switzerland (having started living there before 31 December 2020), and you have lived in the UK, EU, EEA and Switzerland for three full years immediately before the start of your course
• You are a UK national, you live in the UK having returned from the EU, EEA or Switzerland since 31 December 2017, and you have lived in the UK, EU, EEA and Switzerland for three full years immediately before the start of your course
• You are the child or spouse of a British national and otherwise meet the criteria in either of the previous two points

These rules apply for students who begin studying before 1 January 2028.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens with pre-settled or settled status

If you are an EU national, you will usually be eligible for Home (UK) fees if you hold valid pre-settled or settled status under the UK's EU, EEA or Swiss settlement schemes. You will need to have lived in the UK, EU, EEA, Gibraltar or Switzerland for three full years immediately before the start of your course.

If you are a non-EU EEA or Swiss national, or are the child or spouse of an EU national, we will normally ask you to provide a share code to demonstrate your settled or pre-settled status. You can provide a valid share code via the UK Government website to prove your settlement status in the UK.

If you have Home (UK) fee status, you will be charged fees based on the UK government's fee level for the year. If you are applying for an undergraduate or taught postgraduate course, you may also be able to apply for a student loan to help you pay your fees.

You are likely to have Home (UK) status if:

• You are a British or Irish national who has lived in the UK, Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands for three full years immediately before the first day of your course
• You hold Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) or Right of Abode and have lived in the UK, Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands for three full years immediately before the first day of your course. Separate criteria apply if you have indefinite leave to remain through the UK's EU, EEA or Swiss settlement schemes
• You have been granted refugee status or have humanitarian protection in the UK, or certain other forms of humanitarian leave such as through the Ukraine schemes
• You live in the UK, you are the spouse, civil partner, or child of a British national and you have lived in the UK for three full years immediately before the first day of your course
• You are a British national (or the child or spouse of a British national) and have lived in a British Overseas territory for three full years immediately before the first day of your course. This also applies if you have lived in the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands for some part of these three years
• You have been living legally in the UK for an extended period (usually half your life)
• You are the child of a Turkish worker, and you and your parent have been living in the UK since before 31 December 2020

In most cases, you will not be eligible for Home (UK) fees if the main purpose of your residency in the relevant area has been to receive full-time education (for example, because you are studying away from home at a boarding school or university).

You may also qualify for Home (UK) fee status if you would have met one of these criteria but:

• You have been living outside the UK because you or your parent, spouse or legal guardian is temporarily employed abroad
• You usually live outside the UK but you also maintain ongoing connections and residency in the UK (and so can be considered resident in multiple places)

If you do not have a Home fee status you will have an Overseas fee status. This is likely if:

• You live in the UK but have immigration restrictions about how long you can stay - for example some ‘Leave to Remain' or ‘Skilled Worker' visas
• You have not lived in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands for three full years immediately before the first day of your course
• You have lived in the UK, but at any point in the three years immediately before the first day of your course your residency was mainly so you can receive full-time education

We may ask you in advance for written evidence that you, your family or sponsor can pay the tuition fees. You must make sure that you have sufficient resources to cover tuition as well as living expenses before you accept any offer we make to you.

If you are intending to study a subject that has been flagged under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS), you will be required to obtain a clearance certificate before you can study. The requirement for ATAS is not limited to the Student visa category. You will also need ATAS if you are going to study your course using other time-limited visa such as Dependant visa, work visa, Standard Visitor visa, or you are an asylum seeker or refugee. You will also require ATAS clearance if you have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement scheme and you do not have an exempt nationality. You will not require ATAS clearance if you have indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Further information can be found on the ATAS website.

If you have been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK by the Home Office, you will normally be eligible for Home (UK) fee status.

This includes applicants who hold:

• Refugee status
• Humanitarian Protection
• Limited Leave to Remain granted for humanitarian reasons (including some Ukraine schemes)

You are usually eligible for Home (UK) fees from the date your status is granted. You do not normally need to meet the three‑year residency requirement if your previous residence outside the UK was because you were seeking asylum.

We will ask you to provide evidence of your immigration status, such as:

• A Home Office decision letter, and/or
• A Share code demonstrating your immigration status in UK

If you are intending to study a subject that has been flagged under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS), you will be required to obtain a clearance certificate before you can study. The requirement for ATAS is not limited to the Student visa category. You will also need ATAS if you are going to study your course using other time-limited visa such as Dependant visa, work visa, Standard Visitor visa, or you are an asylum seeker or refugee. You will also require ATAS clearance if you have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement scheme and you do not have an exempt nationality. You will not require ATAS clearance if you have indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Further information can be found on the ATAS website.