Fee status
Students will be classified as either Home or Overseas for tuition fee purposes. This classification is largely determined by your Immigration status and residence history. Fee status assessments are conducted in line with UK Government regulations for who pays home fees for higher education and are based on guidance provided by UKCISA, the UK Council for International Student Affairs.
Your fee status will then determine the tuition fees that you will be required to pay for your course of study.
You can find out more about Undergraduate tuition fees and Postgraduate tuition fees on our webpages. We also have a range of bursaries and scholarships available for applicants which you may like to consider.
All fee status assessments are carried out on an individual basis depending on each person’s unique circumstances, and with consideration of the information and evidence available to us.
We are not able to provide advice regarding a person’s potential fee status, or carry out any fee status assessments, before an application has been submitted. Prospective applicants should review the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) guidelines for who pays home fees, or contact the UKCISA advice line for fee status advice.
How we decide your fee status
To determine a person’s fee status we must apply the regulations set by the UK Government’s Department for Education. You can find a summary of the regulations from UKCISA.
Your fee status is initially determined using the information provided within your application form and is largely determined by your immigration status and areas of residence. The admissions team will review your fee status in more detail when your application is assessed.
If your fee status cannot be determined based on the information provided in your application form alone, we will contact you by email to ask that you complete a fee status questionnaire and provide evidence to support a more detailed fee status assessment.
Before you accept an offer you must carefully check the fee status that has been determined for you to ensure that it is correct. Please contact us as soon as possible to request a review of your fee status if you believe that it is incorrect.
UKCISA also offers further advice and support for international students.
If you are applying for deferred entry, your fee status will be based on your circumstances in the year that you applied. However, if this changes before you start your course, you should let us know as we may need to reassess your status.
Request a review of your fee status
If you have received an offer and think the fee status that has been determined for you is incorrect, please do not accept your offer and contact us as soon as possible for additional advice and guidance.
Undergraduate applicants and applicants to our International Foundation courses should contact choosebristol-ug@bristol.ac.uk, quoting your UCAS ID number.
Postgraduate applicants should contact choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk quoting your applicant ID number.
Please use the subject line “Fee Status Review” within your email to allow us to quickly direct your query to the appropriate team.
Complete a fee status questionnaire
Only complete this questionnaire if you have been asked to do so. We are unable to make any fee status assessments before an application has been submitted.
If you have been asked to complete a Fee Status Questionnaire, it is important you do so in as much detail as you can, and provide appropriate evidence to support the assessment of your fee status.
Please complete the fee status questionnaire (PDF, 874kB) and return it to us by the deadline given to you. We may not be able to make a final decision on your application until your fee status is decided.
Failure to return the fee status questionnaire or provide appropriate supporting evidence may result in you being incorrectly charged at the Overseas tuition fee rate. This can cause significant delays to your registration process if it is not resolved in time.
You must ensure that your fee status is correct before you accept an offer so that you are aware of the tuition fees you will be required to pay. If you do not agree with the fee status decision we have made, please contact us as soon as possible to request a review.
Suitable evidence to support your fee status assessment
The fee status questionnaire provides examples of the types of evidence and appropriate documentation you should submit to support your fee status assessment.
Please refer to the Supporting Evidence checklist on page 4 of the fee status questionnaire to find out what is required from you. Further information about acceptable evidence is available on page 5 of the questionnaire.
Please ensure you have uploaded all required documents to your applicant dashboard/portal, and choose ‘Fee Evidence’ as the document type to ensure we can make the assessment without delay.
Wherever possible, please consolidate your evidence into one document (in chronological order where applicable) and upload to your applicant portal as one PDF. This will enable the fees assessor to review your evidence and come back to you much more quickly with the final outcome or any requests for further information.
We will contact you if we need further information to determine your fee status.
Tell us about a change in circumstances
If you are an applicant:
If you are an applicant and your circumstances change between completing your questionnaire and beginning your course you must notify us immediately by emailing admo-fees@bristol.ac.uk.
Please provide details of your change in circumstances as well as the title of the home fees category that you believe you now satisfy (as provided in the UKCISA guidelines).
If you are a current student:
If you are a current student and you believe that you are now eligible for Home fees due to a change in circumstances, please first refer to the information provided by UKCISA on Becoming ‘home’ after the course has started.
Although your circumstances can change so that you stop being an ‘overseas’ fee payer and become a ‘home’ fee payer for the second (or later) year of your course, it is extremely unusual.
In the past, obtaining indefinite leave to remain during your course did not result in a change to ‘home’ fee status. However, the regulations have changed, and for academic years that start on or after 1 August 2024, it may make a difference. However, you will still need to meet all other requirements within any one category of the regulations.
Further details of the exceptional circumstances under which fee status may change are listed on the UKCISA website.
If you believe you now meet one of the eligibility criteria for home fees, you must contact admo-fees@bristol.ac.uk as soon as possible to provide details of your change in circumstances as well as the title of the home fees category that you believe you now satisfy (as provided in the UKCISA guidelines).
If you are requesting a review of your fee status at the beginning of an academic year, you must supply all relevant information by the end of the third week of teaching.
Our student finances information pages also provide useful information about paying your tuition fees, general money advice, and useful contacts for current students.
Appeal your fee status
If you feel your fee status classification is incorrect you should first request a review of your fee status.
If your circumstances have changed and you believe you may now be eligible for home fees, you should contact us as soon as possible to tell us about your change in circumstances so that we can review this for you.
If you have already followed the appropriate review procedure and believe your fee status remains incorrect, you can appeal the decision in line with the Applicant Complaints and Appeals policy.
You must submit your appeal to admissions-compliance@bristol.ac.uk within 28 days of receiving the final outcome of your fee status review, providing a clear explanation of why you disagree with the outcome. The Admissions Compliance Team will then review your case and respond to confirm our final decision on your fee status.
Appeals must be submitted as soon as possible, and within 28 days of receiving the outcome of your fee status review, to allow you to accept your offer and to avoid significant delays and disruption during the registration process.