Home student (United Kingdom)

In tertiary education in the United Kingdom, the term home student is used to refer to those who are eligible to pay university tuition fees at a lower rate than overseas students. In general, British and other European Union citizens qualify for home student status, though there are other criteria to be satisfied. All other students who do not qualify as home students are considered to be overseas students and must pay higher overseas students tuition fees at university.

Eligibility for home student status

United Kingdom students

On the first day of the first academic year of the course, to qualify as a home student, all of the following criteria must be fulfilled by the student:

Be free from any immigration restrictions (e.g. British citizenship, exercising EU Freedom of Movement Rights, indefinite leave to enter/remain, right of abode, free from immigration control (as a diplomat or member of air crew))
Be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom
Have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and/or Isle of Man for the whole period of the three years directly preceding the first day of the academic course
The main purpose for the three years' residence in the UK and Islands must not have been to receive full-time education during any part of it, unless the student is a European Union citizen (but not a British citizen) and immediately prior to the three-year period was ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or qualifying overseas territories (see below).

United Kingdom students having lived in Europe

On the first day of the first academic year of the course, to qualify as a home student, all of the following criteria must be fulfilled by the student:

Be free from any immigration restrictions (e.g. British citizenship, exercising EU Freedom of Movement Rights, indefinite leave to enter/remain, right of abode, free from immigration control (as a diplomat or member of air crew))
Be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom
Having previous lived in the United Kingdom free from any immigration restrictions, the student later moved to the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland where he/she exercised his/her Freedom of Movement rights
Have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland for the whole period of the three years directly preceding the first day of the academic course
If the main purpose for the three years' residence in the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland was to receive full-time education during any part of it, the student must have already been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland immediately before the three-year period.

European Union students

On the first day of the first academic year of the course, to qualify as a home student, all of the following criteria must be fulfilled by the student:

Be a European Union citizen, or the spouse or dependent direct descendent of an EU citizen (including British citizen), or the dependent direct descendent of the spouse of an EU citizen (including British citizen), or the self-sufficient direct descendent of an EU citizen (who is not a British citizen), or the self-sufficient direct descendent of the spouse of an EU citizen (who is not a British citizen)
Have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and/or qualifying overseas territories for the whole period of the three years directly preceding the first day of the academic course
The main purpose for the three years' residence in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and/or qualifying overseas territories must not have been to receive full-time education during any part of it.

European Economic Area and Swiss workers and their family members

On the first day of the first academic year of the course, to qualify as a home student, all of the following criteria must be fulfilled by the student:

Be a European Economic Area or Swiss citizen (who is not a British citizen) who is resident in the United Kingdom as a worker (employed, self-employed or a frontier worker (living in the UK but returning to his/her residence in an EEA state/Switzerland other than the UK at least once a week?)), or be the spouse or dependent direct descendent of such a person, or the self-sufficient direct descendent of such a person, or the dependent or self-sufficient direct descendent of such a person's spouse
Be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom?
Have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and/or qualifying overseas territories for the whole period of the three years directly preceding the first day of the academic course