In most cases, a student's fee status remains unchanged after it is assessed when an offer is made. However, certain changes in personal circumstances or 'Qualifying Events' allow a student to switch from Overseas to Home fee status from the start of the next academic year. This means that an assessment can change during a course, or between offer and enrolment.
If a student or their parent/guardian/spouse experiences one of the following 'Qualifying Events', they may ask the University or their Admissions / Tutorial Office to review their fee status. This will not happen automatically and will be subject to the student/ their family meeting any residency requirements :
- Gains British or Irish citizenship
- Becomes an EU national with settled status
- Gains Indefinite Leave to Remain or Settlement (see 'Update to the Fee Regulations - August 2024')
- Becomes a family member of a person holding settled status AND living in the UK on the student's course start date
- Is a family member of a non-British citizen serving in the British armed forces since the student's course start date.
- Is an EEA migrant worker, frontier worker, employed or self employed person
- Is a Swiss employed or self employed person, or a Swiss frontier employed or self employed person
- The student becomes the child of a Swiss national
- Is granted Humanitarian Protection, stateless leave, section 67 leave or Calais leave to remain in the UK
- Is granted Refugee status by the UK government (applying for asylum isn't sufficient), or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a bereaved partner or victim of domestic violence or abuse
- Obtains leave to remain in the UK under one of the Afghan Schemes or one of the Ukraine Schemes
Students experiencing one of the changes in personal circumstances listed above must also meet any residency requirements under the relevant Home fee category. Please contact the University fees staff by emailing feestatusandpolicy@admin.cam.ac.uk if you believe that one of these Qualifying Events may affect your fee status.
Update to the Fee Regulations for students gaining ILR or settled status during their course - effective from 1 August 2024
From 1 August 2024, a recent update to the Fee Regulations allows current Overseas students who obtain Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or settled status during their course to switch to Home fees from the start of the next academic year of their course. This change cannot be backdated and only applies to academic years beginning on or after 1 August 2024. Students must also meet other Home fee status requirements to be eligible for this switch, such as three years of ordinary residence in the UK or Islands before their course start date.
What do I need to do?
Due to the time that it can take for visa applications to be processed, you may wish to consider using one of the Home Office's faster processing routes to ensure that you obtain ILR or settled status in time for the start of the next academic year. In line with the relevant Fee Regulations, this date is 1 September for undergraduates, and 1 September, 1 January or 1 April for postgraduates, depending on your course start date.
Postgraduate offer holders: If you have an offer for a postgraduate course at the University of Cambridge and believe this change affects you, please refer to the Postgraduate Admissions Office fee status web page 'What is my fee status?' to see what action you need to take.
All other offer holders and current students: If you hold an offer for an undergraduate place or are currently studying for an undergraduate or postgraduate course at the University of Cambridge and believe you may be eligible to switch to Home fees due to this change, send a completed Fee Status Assessment Questionnaire and a copy of your Indefinite Leave to Remain/Settlement residence permit (the Home Office grant of leave letter isn't sufficient) to feestatusandpolicy@admin.cam.ac.uk. The University's fees staff will review your documents and contact you (and your College) to confirm your eligibility for a change in fee status and the effective date of that change.
Integrated Courses
For degree courses that offer an additional 4th year (Part IIB or Part III), students do not graduate at the end of their 3rd year but progress to a 4th year. These are considered integrated Masters courses, and a fee status assessment will not be conducted before the start of the 4th year. A change in fee status will only occur if the student falls under one of the eligible categories listed above.
Intercalated Courses
students undertaking an intercalated course in another subject part-way through their degree are not eligible for a fee status assessment at the start of their intercalated course. A change in fee status would only occur if there is a change in circumstances that makes the student eligible under one of the categories listed above.