Fee status assessment
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Your fee status
Before we can progress with your enrolment at UEL, we’ll need to assess the amount of tuition fees you should pay. We do this by determining what is referred to as your ‘fee status’. This will classify you as:
- a home fee payer
- an islands (British Isles) fee payer
- an overseas fee-payer
We may need further information and documents from you to make a fair assessment.
The tuition fees you are charged will depend on:
- your nationality
- your immigration status in the UK
- where you have been living
- what you have been doing for the three years prior to the start of your course.
Admissions staff at the University of East London are the only people who are permitted to determine your fee status for the purpose of tuition fees.
This fee status assessment is made in line with UK regulations and guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).
If you’d like to find out more about these regulations, please visit www.ukcisa.org.uk.
For more information phone our Applicant Engagement team on +44 (0)20 8223 3333 (Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm), or use Live chat: Click the live chat icon in the bottom left of the screen.
Fees and funding information for international students can be found on our International Fees and Funding page.
How we assess you
If we require further information from you to determine your fee status, we’ll send you a Fee Status Questionnaire for you to complete and return to us with supporting evidence of:
- The right of permanent residence in the UK/EU. Examples of documents you’ll need to provide include a copy of the relevant pages of your passport (pages confirming name and nationality) and any other supporting documentation that shows your right to remain in the UK.
- Residence in the UK for the three years immediately before the start of the course and not for full-time education. Examples of documents you’ll need to provide include three years of utility bills and payslips (for a single month from each of the three years preceding the start of your course).
The Fee Status Questionnaire specifies the documentation required depending on your situation.
We carry out assessments for tuition fees on an individual basis and take into account the circumstances of each applicant using the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) guidance.
Assessments cannot be carried out until you have made an application for admission and we have offered you a place.
Please note that all information and documents provided will be treated in confidence and in line with the UEL Data Protection Policy.
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Frequently asked questions
Why do I have to be fee assessed?
UEL is obliged to fee assess all applicants to determine whether they will be charged Home, Overseas or Islands tuition fees in accordance with the provisions of the Education (Fees and Awards) Regulations 1997 (including amendments). The Office for Students and UK research and Innovation regularly audit all universities in the UK to ensure applicants are being correctly and fairly fee assessed.
What is a Home Fees Payer?
In general, to be assessed as a home fee payer you must meet all of the following three criteria:
- You must either hold a UK/EU passport; be a married/civil partner of a UK/EU citizen who is residing in the UK; have a UK/EU parent who is residing in the UK; have Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK; have full Refugee status; or have Humanitarian Protection as a result of an asylum application.
- You must have lived in the UK/EU for at least three years immediately preceding the start of your course and not solely for the purpose of full-time education.
- You must be living in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of your course.
What is an Overseas Fees Payer?
An overseas fees payer will normally fit into one or both of the below categories:
- You will not have settled status in the UK e.g. Limited Leave to Remain; you will not have an EU passport; you will not have a UK/EU spouse/civil partner who is living in the UK or a UK/EU parent who is residing in the UK.
- You will not have been living in the UK/EU for the three years immediately preceding the start of your course.
What is an Islands Fees Payer?
An Islands fee payer will be a citizen of Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Alderney, Sark or Herm. An agreement between universities in the UK and Islands governments means that where Islands students are entitled to financial support from their Island government, institutions levy an agreed rate of fee, paid by their Island government.
What guidance does the University use for fee assessing?
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) provide the guidance to universities on fee assessment. They are external and independent of the University of East London.
The University abides by the guidance for eligibility for Home student fee status as explained on this website without exception so that we can treat all students equally with a fully consistent approach. Further information can be found at the UKCISA website.
Please note that this guidance is applied at time of assessment without exception, and should there be any subsequent change in the fee regulations as stated by UKCISA, these are implemented by the University immediately for any future assessment. These will not affect any previous assessment conducted by UEL unless explicitly stated by UKCISA.
I am a UK citizen. Do I still need to complete the Fee Status Questionnaire?
All applicants where we cannot clearly determine the necessary residency information from their application form are asked to complete the fee status questionnaire and submit supporting documents.
I was a previous University of East London student. Do I need to complete the Fee Status Questionnaire?
You may still be required to complete the Fee Status Questionnaire even if you have completed a course recently at the University. This is because the University is required to obtain up-to-date information about all of its applicants. Fee regulations are subject to change and different criteria may have been introduced since you last studied with us.
I don’t have a passport or my passport has expired. What document(s) should I submit?
If you don’t have a passport or have an expired passport and you are a British citizen born in the UK, you can submit a copy of your expired passport, a full birth certificate AND some form of photo ID such as a driving licence.
If you have submitted your passport to the Home Office, please can you send copies of any UK Visa and Immigrations or Home Office correspondence you have received?
We’ll also ask you for further documentation such as evidence of living in the UK/EU for the three years immediately preceding the start of your course.
Do I need to bring my passport to enrolment?
You’ll be required to bring your passport to your enrolment as the main form of identification required.
What happens to the copy of my passport I have to submit?
Once you submit a copy of your passport, a record of your passport number will be uploaded to your record. The paper copy will be retained for one year after your enrolment as per the Data Protection Policy. Only limited staff are given access to view your passport number against your record.
I have a different name to the one on my passport/relevant ID. What do I do?
If you’ve got married or had a civil partnership and changed your name but still have your original name on your passport, please submit a copy of your marriage/civil partnership certificate.If you’ve changed your name by Deed Poll, you’ll need to submit a copy of your certificate.
Can my Fee Status change part way through my course?
If you’ve been categorised as an overseas fee-payer, you may become eligible for Home fees part way through your course if you already meet the three-year residency condition on the first day of the first academic year of your course and you meet one of the following criteria:
- you become an EU national or the relevant family member of an EU national
- you become an EEA or Swiss migrant worker or the relevant family member of such a person
- you become a Refugee or the relevant family member of such a person with Humanitarian Protection following asylum refusal
- you become the child of a Swiss national
- you become the child of a Turkish worker in the UK
Who can I talk to about student finance?
At UEL we have a dedicated Student Money, Advice and Rights Team (SMART). They provide advice and information on funding, bursaries and scholarships, managing your money and much more.
If you are not sure of your entitlement, would like help apply for any of the funding or would like advice regarding any other student finance matter, please email thehub@uel.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)20 8223 4444
I have additional questions. Who should I contact?
For further information please contact:
Student Admissions
University of East London
University Way
London, E16 2RD
Email: feeassess@uel.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 8223 3333
If you would like some external and independent guidance on tuition fee assessment you should contact the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) or telephone their student advice line on +44 (0)20 7788 9214 (open Mon-Fri 1pm to 4pm, UK time).