Fee Status Assessments
Every student offered a place on a degree course at a UK university receives an independent fee status assessment by each university that offers them a place. Your fee status will determine the level of fees you are charged and the financial support available to you, making it crucial to be correctly classified.
If you receive an offer of admission to the University, it will state your fee status based on the information provided in your application and in accordance with UK Government legislation (see the Legislation section below).
At the University of Cambridge, assessments for undergraduates are conducted either by the College that offered them a place, or by the central University. Postgraduate fee status assessments are carried out by the relevant postgraduate admissions team. This assessment determines the tuition fees that you will have to pay - one of either:
- The 'Home' regulated fee capped by the UK government, OR
- The ‘Home ELQ’ rate if you are applying for an Equivalent Level Qualification to one you already hold, OR
- the higher 'Overseas' fee.
Students not classified as Home will be classified as Overseas. The assessment outcome is communicated as part of the offer-making process.
Fee status is determined by a combination of three factors: nationality, UK immigration status and country of ordinary residence throughout the three years prior to the start of the degree course - there are no other options. Please refer to the Glossary for definitions of how these words are used in the context of fee status assessments.
Legislation
When making an assessment, the University is required to comply with UK Government legislation on fee eligibility. The relevant sections of the legislation can be found below:
The Higher Education (Fee Limit Condition) (England) Regulations 2017, as amended, primarily for undergraduate courses classified as ‘qualifying courses’ by the Office for Students.
and
The Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations 2007, as amended. This relates to postgraduate courses.
The Education (Student Fees, Awards and Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 contain important amendments to the above regulations (with subsequent amendments in 2022, 2023 and 2024).
A student's or offer holder's personal finances (and those of their family) do not impact on their fee status. The assessment is not means tested and universities will NOT change a student's fee status if their financial circumstances change.
What is my fee status?
Fee status legislation is complex, but user-friendly guidance is freely available from UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) to help students and institutions navigate the legislation and understand eligibility for 'Home' fee status. The guide is updated with any changes and can be downloaded from their website here. Students and applicants should therefore feel reassured there are no 'hidden' factors in play when a university assesses their fee status.
Although all English universities are governed by the same national fee legislation, each university is required to conduct its own independent assessments based on their interpretation of the legislation. This means that they do not take other institutions' assessments into account, including any decisions made by Student Finance England (SFE). An offer holder may therefore be assessed as eligible for Home fees by their firm choice of university, but not by Student Finance England. For more information, please refer to Student Finance - tuition fees, loans and funding (ucas.com).
How am I assessed?
In most cases, the relevant University Admissions Office can determine an applicant’s fee status based on the information provided in their University of Cambridge application. . If the fee status is not clear, the applicant will be asked to provide more information by submitting a Fee Status Assessment Questionnaire to their respective Admissions Office, along with the necessary supporting documentation.
Data Protection
Any data collected from an applicant or current student during their assessment by the University will be managed in accordance with the University’s Data Protection policies, accessible here. The University takes its record management responsibilities seriously, and its Information and Compliance Office ensures compliance with legal obligations in this area. For more details on how the University collects, retains, and deletes applicant data and documents, please refer to the Statement published by the University's Information and Compliance Office.