Tuition fee status and appeals

There are two levels of tuition fees that the University charges, depending on whether you are classed as a "Home" student or an "Overseas" student. The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process.    

The method of allocating tuition fee status is complex and follows guidelines issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). These can be viewed via UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - England: HE fee status. Your 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.    

Tuition fee status is determined at the point of admission to the University by the Admissions Office. The assessment is based on the information declared in your application to the University.

If your fee status is unclear, you will be sent a questionnaire to complete in your offer letter. If you are asked to complete a fee questionnaire, it is important that you complete and submit it. Students who do not submit this questionnaire will be automatically assessed as being "Overseas". You should follow the link in your offer letter to submit a fee questionnaire.

Criteria

The method of allocating tuition fee status is complex and follows guidelines issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).  

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 (or in some circumstances a relevant family member) 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 1st 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 September 2025, you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands from 1 September 2022.    

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.

If you are an applicant and have not yet begun your studies at Kent, you should appeal your fee status by emailing admissionsosq@kent.ac.uk. If you are a currently registered student, please follow the guidance below.    

To appeal, 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 financialaid@kent.ac.uk.