Tuition Fee Assessment
Tuition fee status is determined at the point of admission to the University by Kent’s Fee Assessment Team. The assessment is based on the information declared in your application to the University.
If your fee status is unclear, you will be provided with a link to a fee questionnaire on page 2 of your offer letter under ‘fee status’. If you are asked to complete a fee questionnaire, it is important that you complete and submit this. You should also send any relevant supporting documents for your tuition fee assessment to admissionsosq@kent.ac.uk. Your offer letter can be found by logging into KentVision.
Failure to complete the fee status form, and provide additional requested information and/or evidence, is likely to mean you will be assessed as an ‘Overseas’ student for tuition fee purposes. The Fee Assessment Team will not be able to make an informed decision about a student’s tuition fee status if there is missing information and/or evidence.
Criteria
The University are guided by Home Fee status regulations issued by the UK Government (Department for Education). The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) provides detailed guidance on fee status including explanations of the legal terms used in the regulations.
Your fee status will depend on multiple factors, including nationality and residency, and you must meet all the criteria under at least one fee category to be eligible for ‘Home’ fees. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
In most cases, to be classed as a ‘Home’ student for fees purposes, a student needs to satisfy BOTH of the following two areas of criteria:
- The applicant should have ‘settled’ status under UK Immigration regulations on the first day of the first academic year of the course. This means that they should have the right to remain in the UK without time limit. For students who start their course in the Autumn term of an academic year, the first day of that academic year is deemed to be 1 September in the fee regulations.
- The applicant must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (the Islands means the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man), for purposes other than education, for the full three year period before the first day of the first academic year of the course. For example, if your course begins in October 2025, you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands from 1 September 2022.
Tuition Fee Appeals
If you have been classed as ‘Overseas’ and you feel that the original decision on your fee status was incorrect, or you feel you now qualify for ‘Home’ fee status you can lodge an appeal against the decision. There are many different categories, so please check carefully to see which may apply to your individual situation. Full list of Categories
New Applicant
If you are an applicant who has completed a Tuition Fee Assessment as above and have not yet begun your studies at Kent, you should appeal your fee status decision by emailing the Fee Assessment Team at admissionsosq@kent.ac.uk.
Current Students
If you believe there are grounds why your fee assessment is
incorrect or your circumstances have changed, and you can provide the evidence
to support this,
you can request a reassessment of your status.
If your fees are amended due to you receiving settled status after the academic
year has begun and you meet the rest of the criteria for that category your
fees will be amended from the next academic year.
Current registered students, please complete the tuition fee status appeal questionnaire. Make sure you log in using your Kent email address.
After completing this, you will be directed to email your supporting evidence to studentfunding@kent.ac.uk.
Please note, for October starters all initial fee appeal requests must be submitted by 7 November (for January starters the deadline is 12 February). Appeals after this date will be considered but any change to your fee status from your appeal will not apply until the start of your next academic year, and not from the start of your course.
Frequently Asked Questions
You do not need to have a British passport, but you should have "settled” status under UK Immigration regulations. This means you should have the right to remain in the UK without time limit. For students who start their course in the Autumn term of an academic year, the first day of that academic year is deemed to be 1 September in the fee regulations. For further guidance please refer to the UKCISA student advice.
You must be the spouse or civil partner of the settled person on the first day of the academic year you are paying fees. You must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the full three-year period before the first day of the first academic year of the course. For further guidance please refer to the UKCISA student advice.
You must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the full three-year period before the first day of the first academic year of the course. For example, if your course begins in October 2025, you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2025. Absences in connection to temporary employment or education are permitted. For further guidance please refer to the UKCISA student advice.
You must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the full three-year period before the first day of the first academic year of the course. For example, if your course begins in October 2025, you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2025. For further guidance please refer to the UKCISA student advice.
This does not mean you will be automatically eligible for ‘Home’ fees. If the University have classed you as ‘Overseas’ fees you will need to complete an appeal for the University to re-assess your fee status. Decisions made by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and the University are independent, and the decision made by one has no bearing on the other.
Documents for evidence of ordinary residence may include bank statements, medical (GP and NHS) letters/appointments, household bills/letters and payslips. Residence documents must clearly show the date, an address and the student’s name to be acceptable.
Further information is required to determine your fee status. Tuition fee status is determined at the point of admission to the University by the Kent Fee Assessment Team. The assessment is based on the information declared in your application to the University. If your fee status is unclear, it will be marked as ‘Query – Overseas until resolved’. Please follow the procedures in your offer letter or under Tuition Fee Appeals to resolve this
The university will use the personal information you provide during a tuition fee assessment or appeal solely to determine whether you are classified as a ‘Home’ or ‘Overseas’ student for the purpose of university tuition fees. This will be processed following the University of Kent Data protection and Privacy policy.
Admissions (applicant) and Student Funding (current students) conduct all fee assessments/appeals at the university and are authorised to confirm fee status decisions. Therefore, information provided by other University staff is advisory only and non-binding.