Our Admissions teams will assess your fee status prior to your registration with the University.
If you believe that your fee status is incorrect, you should contact Admissions to discuss it as soon as possible, and before you register. However, if we've already assessed you using our standard fee status assessment process, we will not review it again unless you provide information about a change in your circumstances which was not available at the time of the original assessment.
If you think that you have been assessed incorrectly you must complete the Admissions Fee Status Questionnaire and provide all required evidence by the deadline of 31 October of the first year of study, or by the deadline of 31 January of your first year of study, if your course starters in January. If all evidence is received prior to 31 October or 31 January your fee status may be changed even if you have already registered. After this date if evidence is still incomplete you will remain on the same fee status for the remainder of the course unless there is a change as detailed below (under ‘Current Students’).
You can contact Admissions using the following email addresses:
There are some circumstances in which your fee status can change from the start of the next academic year. You might be able to change fee status if you now have settled immigration status and fall into one of the following categories:
However, do note that this isn’t the only requirement that you need to meet to qualify for these categories. You will also have to meet requirements set out in UKCISA’s guide
Firstly, please read the UKCISA guidance. The guidance is very detailed and you must read it carefully. If you believe you meet one of the criteria to be eligible to change your fee status please contact your Student Services Hub with:
Your case will be passed to a specialist within The Funding Team who will fully assess your case. If we have further queries or need further documentation you will be contacted, usually by email to your Essex address.
An application and all documentation required to assess your fee status must be received by the investigator by 31 October in order for any agreed fee status change to be authorised for that academic year. Requests received after this date will be considered for the following academic year.
If we believe your fee status is incorrect, we will seek approval from the Funding Team Manager, or their Deputy to change your status from the start of the next academic year.
You will be emailed on your Essex address with the outcome of the investigation and the Registry will be informed of any agreed change to your fee status.
Please note that fee status enquiries can take some time to investigate thoroughly.
Changes to fee status regulations
If there is a change in fee regulations that may affect you (for example, your country joins the EU), we'll contact you. If you qualify then your fee status will be amended. Your fee status will usually change at the beginning of the next academic year.
Changes to your circumstances
In most cases your fee status can't be amended after you have started your course. However, there are some circumstances in which your fee status can change from the start of the next academic year. You might be able to change fee status if you now fall into one of the following categories:
In all of these cases you must also be able to meet the residency requirements on the first day of the first academic year of your course. Please note that living in the UK for three years does not, on its own, mean that you will become eligible for Home fees.
For October starters the first day of the first academic year of your course will be 1 September.
If you are newly entitled to Home and EU fee status
Firstly, please read the UKCISA guidance. The guidance is very detailed and you must read it carefully. If you believe you meet one of the criteria to be eligible to change your fee status please contact your Student Services Hub with:
Your case will be passed to a specialist within The Funding Team who will fully assess your case. If we have further queries or need further documentation you will be contacted, usually by email to your Essex address.
An application and all documentation required to assess your fee status must be received by the investigator by 31 October in order for any agreed fee status change to be authorised for that academic year. Requests received after this date will be considered for the following academic year.
If we believe your fee status is incorrect, we will seek approval from the Funding Team Manager, or their Deputy to change your status from the start of the next academic year.
You will be emailed on your Essex address with the outcome of the investigation and the Registry will be informed of any agreed change to your fee status.
Please note that fee status enquiries can take some time to investigate thoroughly.
Following the UK's decision to withdraw from the European Union, the Government has confirmed that EU students starting in 2021 will be charged fees at the International rate, and will no longer be eligible to receive a loan from the UK Government.
However there are some ways in which some EU students can qualify for home fees. Please read the information on the UK Council for International Students Affairs (UKCISA) website.
You can search for the legislation listed above on legislation.gov.uk.