Home student criteria for HE student support in England

The purpose of this note it to outline the criteria used for the classification of students as home or overseas students for higher education student support. Home students may apply for tuition fee support and eligible students may be able to access other forms of publicly funded student support such as maintenance loans and grants. Students classified as overseas student are liable for higher fees and are not eligible for any public funding. The assessment of students as home or overseas is dependent on the circumstances of each individual student and can be rather complicated. An organisation called the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) provides advice and information for overseas students on issues including fee classification.

This note sets out the requirements for home student classification for higher education purposes in England and outlines some of the situations which may cause students difficulties – such as British citizens who have been living overseas and students with discretionary leave to remain.