Fee status
University tuition fees are charged at one of four rates depending on your fee status. These rates are: Home/EU (standard), Home/EU (ELQ), Islands, Overseas.
- How is my fee status decided?
- What are the criteria?
- Can my fee status change?
- Example situations
- Further information
How is my fee status decided?
Which rate you are charged depends on your nationality, your immigration status in the UK, where you have been living and what you have been doing for the three years prior to the start of your course. The University applies government regulations to assess which rate a student should be charged. The same regulations are applied at all English universities (other UK universities use similar regulations) but each institution is expected to make its own assessment. The definitions adopted by the University to classify students as 'Home/EU' or 'Overseas' for fees purposes can be found in the Special Appendix of the Examination Regulations. More detailed information is also available on the fee classification page.
The information provided here is intended as a guide only. Assessments of fee status are carried out on an individual basis and take into account the circumstances of each applicant. Assessments cannot be carried out until an application for admission has been made. General information is also available from the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), a national advisory body that provides advice for international students. Please note that UKCISA does not carry out assessments of individual circumstances.
What are the criteria?
The table below gives a summary of each classification. For more detailed information on the different categories, visit the fee classification page.
Home/EU (standard) |
Generally speaking, if you are a UK or EU national and you have lived all of your life in the EEA or Switzerland, you will pay fees at either the Home/EU (standard) or Home/EU (ELQ) fee rate. If you are reading for your first qualification at your intended level of study, then you will pay fees at the Home/EU (standard) rate. |
Home/EU (ELQ) |
If you are a UK or EU national and you have lived all of your life in the EEA or Switzerland, and you already hold a qualification at an equivalent or higher level to the qualification you wish to apply for, then you will usually pay fees at the Home/EU (ELQ) rate if there is a separate (ELQ) rate for your course otherwise you will usually pay fees at the Home/EU (standard) rate. |
Islands |
If you are a UK national who is normally resident in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man and wanting to read for an undergraduate qualification, you will be charged fees at the Islands fee rate. If you want to read for a graduate qualification, you will usually be charged fees at the Home/EU (standard) or Home/EU (ELQ) rate unless there is a separate Islands rate for your chosen programme of study. These are clearly marked on the University fee pages. |
Overseas |
Generally speaking, if you are not an EU national and you have not lived in the EU, you will pay fees at the Overseas fee rate. Even if you have been living in the EU, it is unlikely that you will pay fees at one of the Home/EU rates if you need a time-limited visa to live in the UK. |
Can my fee status change?
It is not usually possible for your fee status to change once your course has started. If you become an EU national, or the relevant family member of an EU national, or your country joins the EU then you may become eligible to pay fees at the Home/EU rate. However, a change in fee status is not automatic. It is not possible for your fee status to change for year 4 of an integrated Master's qualification (e.g. MMath) even if it is possible to leave after 3 years with a BA.
If you start a new course, then your fee status is re-assessed. If your circumstances have changed since you started your previous course, it may be possible for your fee status to change, although this is not automatic.
Example situations
I am a dual UK/Canadian national, but I've never lived in the UK or EEA. Can I pay fees at the Home/EU rate?
No, fee status is based on your nationality and where you were living for the three years immediately before the start of your course. Although you are a UK national, you have never lived in the UK or EEA so you do not qualify to pay fees at the Home/EU rate.
I have permanent residency in an EU country and I've been living there for over 3 years but I am not an EU national. Can I pay fees at the Home/EU rate?
No, you would be considered an Overseas student because you do not have permanent residency in the UK. If you are married to or are the civil partner of an EU national, you may qualify to pay fees at the Home/EU rate.
I'm in the UK on a Tier 1 visa, can I pay fees at the Home/EU rate?
No, you have a time limit on the length of time you can stay in the UK. You need to have indefinite leave to remain in the UK, i.e. no restrictions on your residence in the UK, and have been in the UK for at least three years prior to the start of your course not for the main purpose of education to be considered for Home/EU fee status.
I'm not an EU national but my partner is German and we live in the UK. Can I pay fees at the Home/EU rate?
If you are married or in a civil partnership (same-sex), you may qualify to pay fees at the Home/EU rate. If you are not married, it is likely that you will pay fees at the Overseas rate.
I'm not an EU national but my partner is Spanish although we don't live in the EEA or Switzerland. Can I pay fees at the Home/EU rate?
It is unlikely that you will qualify to pay fees at the Home/EU rate because you haven't lived in the EEA or Switzerland for the required period.
I'm a UK national but I haven't lived in the UK for 3 years because my parents are working abroad. Can I pay fees at the Home/EU rate?
It depends on your circumstances, on the nature of the employment, and on the time you have spent in the EEA or Switzerland since your parents started working abroad. We recommend the UKCISA information sheets for further information. Please note, UKCISA does not carry out assessments of individual statuses.
Further information
If you have made an application for admission, have read all the information here and on the UKCISA website, but are still not sure what fees you are likely to pay, you can contact the Fees Clerk for an assessment. You should complete the fee questionnaire and return it to fees.clerk@admin.ox.ac.uk or to Exam Schools, 75-81 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BG. We regret that we are unable to carry out assessments if you have not yet made an application for admission to the University.
Fee questionnaire: Fees Questionnaire V4.2 
(80kb)