Fee status terminology

Universities use a variety of different terms in relation to fee status assessment, and the meaning of these terms within this context is often different to their use in everyday conversation. The more frequently-used terms are explained below, but other terminology and definitions can be found in the UKCISA 'Who pays home fees?' guide. Please note that references to 'students' also apply to applicants and offer holders, and references to 'the University' also include its Colleges. 

Immigration status

The University will look at a student's immigration status in the UK as well their nationality when assessing their fee status. These two factors provide some indication of what a student's fee status might be, but there are many other variables that might affect the University's decision. Holding a British passport does not guarantee that you will be assessed as holding Home fee status. Equally, being a non-UK citizen does not necessarily mean that you will be classified as an international student with Overseas fee status. 

Home fee status

Rather confusingly, “Home” does not necessarily refer to someone's home or nationality. It is shorthand for “entitled to the regulated (capped) tuition fee”, which is determined by the UK government in the case of undergraduate courses (currently £9,250 p.a.). Postgraduate fees are determined by the institution providing the course. Tuition fees for undergraduate and postgraduate students with Home fee status are set at a significantly lower rate than the fees paid by international students. There is one exception to this rule: undergraduates with Home fee status who are classified as ELQ students (i.e. they already hold an Equivalent Level Qualification to the one for which they are applying) will pay an ELQ fee that is higher than the capped tuition fee, but is still significantly lower than the fees paid by international students.

There are a number of different categories of student who are eligible for Home fees; an offer holder only needs to meet the requirements for one category in order to claim Home fee status for their course. 

Overseas (sometimes known as "international") fee status

Institutions are able to set the course fee rates for "Overseas" students, including both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Their fees are unregulated by the UK Government, and therefore there is no cap on the amount that an institution can charge students with Overseas fee status. Overseas students at the University of Cambridge are also required to pay a College fee as well.

Holders of pre- or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

Most students holding pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will be eligible to pay Home fees. However, there are some differences between the residential requirements for status under the EU Settlement Scheme and those required for a student to be eligible for the Home rate of tuition fees. Consequently a small percentage of students holding pre-settled status will be liable for Overseas tuition fees. 

Ordinary residence

Each Home fee category has its own associated 'ordinary residence' geographical area, normally a variation on the UK / Islands / EEA / Switzerland / their overseas territories. In fee status terms, a student's ordinary residence is where they habitually, normally, lawfully and voluntarily live. Temporary absences can be discounted and do not prevent a student from being considered ordinarily resident in a country during the period of temporary absence. Most Home fee categories require that a student has been ordinarily resident in a specific country or area throughout the 3 years leading up to their course start date, and also stipulate that the student must not have been living there mainly, or solely, for full-time education. The easiest way to determine this is to establish where the student would have lived during those three years if they had not been in full-time education. 

Note the importance of the term 'throughout'. If a student is considered to have been ordinarily resident outside the relevant area for any part of the three-year period, they do not meet the ordinary residence requirements, even if they lived outside the area for just 2 or 3 months. However, a student may be considered resident in two countries simultaneously - see 'Dual Residence'.

Most undergraduates will be deemed ordinarily resident in the same country as their parents during this three-year qualifying period. The residence of other family members is generally less significant unless the student can show they were dependent on or caring for a wider family member during the years leading up to their degree course.

Habitual residence

This refers to the place in which a student normally lives and can demonstrate ongoing 'ties' to during the three years leading up to their course start date (in contrast with temporary residence whilst travelling to another location). Examples of habitual residence would be:

• Utility bills showing energy consumption (aside from any standing charge) at an address within the nominated country for each of the three years.
• Council Tax bill (alongside other proofs of residency, as some landlords remain liable for Council tax bills whilst the property is let)
• Bank statements showing in-person activities within that country/geographical area
• Evidence of National Insurance Contributions (NICs) or tax paid on earnt income
• Travel tickets within that country/geographical area
• TV licence
• Confirmed attendance at face-to-face training courses or group meetings
• Evidence of medical appointments / GP registration letter(s)
• Home deliveries to a particular address e.g. food delivery or other online delivery confirmation emails (ideally for a selection of dates over the three year ordinary residence period)
• Membership of a local or national organisation or society e.g. attendance at a place of worship, music lessons, youth group attendance, the National Trust

This list is not exhaustive; students may have other documents that they can provide to help admissions offices accurately assess the nature of their residence in a particular country or wider geographical area (e.g. the EU). 

Dual residence

Occasionally an offer holder or student is able to demonstrate that they have equally longstanding and sustained links with two countries. In these cases, fee assessors will be willing to consider the possibility that the individual is ordinarily resident in two countries at once, subject to receipt of the appropriate documented evidence.

Temporary absence

This covers medical or work trips, holidays and gap years to a country or countries outside the student's usual residence, as well as longer stays in another country - provided these absences are clearly temporary in nature. It also covers periods of education, fixed-term employment or assignments (by the student or immediate family member) in a different country.

If an offer holder claims a period of residence is temporary, they must provide appropriate documents as evidence, such as an internship award letter, exchange scheme offer letter, or copies of all employment/assignment contracts (including extension letters) covering the three year period used to determine ordinary residence. The University will also require evidence of where the family/offer holder would reside once the employment or assignment ends.

There is no fixed rule that stipulates the maximum length of time that can be considered as temporary absence, so fee assessors will evaluate the original intention and reasons for absence on a case-by-case basis.

It is worth reiterating that periods of temporary absence do not break the continuity of ordinary residence in the relevant area, and can therefore be disregarded when calculating the duration of ordinary residence in that area.

Course Start Date

Although degree courses at the University of Cambridge begin several days or weeks later, the official 'course start dates' as stated by the Fee Regulations are:

1 September for undergraduate courses

1 September, 1 January or 1 April for postgraduate courses

Consequently these are the dates used by the University in relation to fee status assessments.