The International Schools Review Forum

Can anybody give me any further information on the subject of avoiding paying the fees of an overseas student when attending a UK university. We are British nationals and I understand the basic rule is that a prospective undergraduate has to be resident in the UK for three years prior to starting undergrad. course in order to be classed as a 'home' student. I am sure there are all sorts of nuances and different ways of looking at this. I would be grateful if anybody can give me any further info. Thanks.

Can they claim that you have abandoned them and they have no means to pay for uni? What about scholarships?

Was wondering if the only options are to return to teach in UK or to end up paying the overseas student fees. I do not think I could abandon just one! Have no idea how one approaches the scholarship option. Any suggestions?

First of all, talk to your child's counselor at school. School counselors are paid to do these sorts of things. Second of all, contact prospective universities and examine online registries - often they list a wide range of scholarships applicable to the UK or other countries, many of which require quite esoteric things to be granted.

Hope this helps!

Thanks you for your useful advice. I will start looking into the scholarship option now. We are working at a start-up school so not sure how developed the school counsellor role may be! You may be

Here are three or four I found just by a basic Google search...

http://www.scholarship-search.org.uk/

http://scholarships.leeds.ac.uk/

http://www.studyin-uk.com/e/scholarships/

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAn ... /DG_171571

Some are pay, some are advertising, others are government and uni's.

Target the unis your child would like to go to and research their sites very carefully for hints and links for scholarships. Email their admissions officer or their student center office for more information.

You have a nice window of time - UK uni's don't send out acceptances until July...so do your due diligence (wow - alliteration city!) :-)

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice.

One of the sites you suggested has already yielded a worthwhile line of enquiry. May have to give up the day job though!

I know several people, one set of whom had been abroad with their children for over a decade, who obtained resident status for their university-bound children because the children were "ordinarily resident" in the UK. In other words, they went back every year, the parents retained a house and/or close ties there and the children were only abroad because of their parents' work. Each university considers these things on an individual basis and some take more convincing than others, but it is definitely possible. Hope it works because otherwise my own daughter is not going to uni for another 3 years!!

That is interesting. Thank you. So, as far as you understand the status of ordinarily resident or not boils down to convincing the university. Is it not a term which refers to the tax status of an individual's parents? I have found this seems a somewhat nebulous area, not a straightforward definition by any means. I do not know whether to try and seek out an accountant or an international schools counsellor. I wonder where I might get further advice on this matter. Have you any suggestions perhaps referring to your friend's experience? Thank you for any help.

I know what you mean about the nebulous nature of one's tax status/domicile in UK but I believe that it is something the universities decide for themselves. That was certainly the case 3 years ago when my friend's child went. Her older child also went on the same basis. I think they need to apply as residents, then discuss with/persuade the university once they receive an offer. I'm not sure whether to recommend a tax consultant or school counsellor, though a good sc should be able to help.

It has been reassuring to hear that it is not 'cut and dried' and that time abroad during that three years does not necessarily mean being classed as a foreigner! I can also see it is important to get the sequence right, that is to say, to get the place first and then later to start negotiating with a different department concerning the fee status. Thank you for your help.