In tertiary education in the United Kingdom, the term home student is used to refer to those who are eligible to pay university tuition fees at a lower rate than overseas students. In general, British and other European Union citizens qualify for home student status, though there are other criteria to be satisfied. All other students who do not qualify as home students are considered to be overseas students and must pay higher overseas students tuition fees at university.
On the first day of the firstacademic year of the course, to qualify as a home student, all of the following criteria must be fulfilled by the student:
Have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and/or Isle of Man for the whole period of the three years directly preceding the first day of the academic course
On the first day of the first academic year of the course, to qualify as a home student, all of the following criteria must be fulfilled by the student:
Be free from any immigration restrictions
Be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for a whole period of five years directly preceding the first day of the academic course
Having previous lived in the United Kingdom free from any immigration restrictions, the student later moved to the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland where he/she exercised his/her Freedom of Movement rights
Have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland for the whole period of the three years directly preceding the first day of the academic course
If the main purpose for the three years' residence in the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland was to receive full-time education during any part of it, the student must have already been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland immediately before the three-year period.
European Union students
On the first day of the first academic year of the course, to qualify as a home student, all of the following criteria must be fulfilled by the student:
Be a European Union citizen, or the spouse or dependent direct descendant of an EU citizen, or the dependent direct descendant of the spouse of an EU citizen, or the self-sufficient direct descendant of an EU citizen, or the self-sufficient direct descendant of the spouse of an EU citizen
Have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and/or qualifying overseas territories for the whole period of the three years directly preceding the first day of the academic course
The main purpose for the three years' residence in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and/or qualifying overseas territories must not have been to receive full-time education during any part of it.
On the first day of the first academic year of the course, to qualify as a home student, all of the following criteria must be fulfilled by the student:
Be a European Economic Area or Swiss citizen who is resident in the United Kingdom as a worker, or be the spouse or dependent direct descendant of such a person, or the self-sufficient direct descendant of such a person, or the dependent or self-sufficient direct descendant of such a person's spouse
Be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom
Have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and/or qualifying overseas territories for the whole period of the three years directly preceding the first day of the academic course
Qualifying overseas territories
The following overseas territories are considered to be 'qualifying overseas territories' in terms of determining home student status:
