Avoiding overseas student fees
 

Can anyone give us some canny advice ?
We've been living in Oz for 5+ years now & have 2 teenagers. We all want to be based in the UK longterm & both kids want to go to university there. The older (currently 15) will definitely finish his education here , but we think that the younger will need to go to the UK for A levels as she wants to read Medicine & the UK universities seem to have an issue with an Australian HSC for such a selective course. Various factors preclude us from moving back any earlier( we will probably head back 6 months after she has started her A level course).

So it is likely that we will be in the Uk for 18 months or so prior to her university application but from what I can see,despite being UK citizens & having continued to pay tax on UK investments, we will still have to pay overseas fees as we won't satisfy the 3 year residency criteria. Obviously overseas fees for a 6/7 year clinical course are HUGE & we wondered whether ther are any ways to avoid this ? Would buying a house now in the UK ( & picking up the council tax/utility bills etc) be enough to show residency ?

I have to say it seems very unjust that an EU national can use the UK tertiary education service free of charge but a UK citizen can't !

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

If you ain't a resident in the UK or the EU for 3 years, there's no way around it...couldn't you send your kid to school in the UK?

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

We will be sending her back to school for A levels - but can't move back ourselves until she's a bit of the way into the course. The requirements seem to be for the whole family (or rather the main breadwinner) to be in the UK for 3 years - even if she took a GAP year & satisfied them that way I think the fact that her parents had only been in the UK for 2 and a bit years would preclude her from being charged 'local' fees. That's why we wondered whether having a UK address/paying UK council taxes etc would make any difference - or whether the LEA's actually count the number of days you've been in the UK ?

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

Sorry, I'm not trying to be think but if your son completed his education in Australia and wanted to go to a UK university would'nt he also be charged overseas fees as well as your daughter?

I would like to know the answers myself as I will probably also be in that situation.

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

Yes - you are absolutely right - he will be charged overseas fees. In his case though he is likely to do a 3 year Arts based degree which, though expensive, will be nothing like the cost of a 6/7 year clinical degree. Also as we don't have the slightest prospect of being able to get back to the UK for him to finish his education I am not really worrying about it (for Arts degrees too the UK universities seem to be OK with Australian HSC - it's when you hit Medicine/Vet Medicine & their ilk that it becomes REALLY hard !) .

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

The kid could be resident without parents, just have to be resident of the EU for 3 years.....having a home by itself wouldn't make one a resident...but also, depending on how your in Oz, if it was through work and it's an overseas posting, you would still be considered a UK resident for LEA purposes, but if your not on an expat posting, won't help you much.

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

without LEA sponsorship, fee's on average are around £10-15K a year.

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

Can't use the 'posted overseas' excuse sadly - we came out here sponsored by a local company on local terms & now have Permanent Residency (by then we'll no doubt have Dual Citizenship).
Bob - my interpretation of the residency regs was that the main breadwinner of the family had to be in the UK ? I would be absolutely DELIGHTED if this is not the case - as you say my daughter will have been resident for the necessary 3 years (2 years of A level plus a GAP year).Can you remember where you got this information from ? I would love to double check & be proved wrong !! UK tertiary system seems to be undergoing major upheaval at the moment & it is hard to keep a track of it all.

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

My daughter is also going to return to do A levels and then a Med degree, as I do not have $120K for medical school here. The education standards are abysmal and the cost extortionate, not a good combination. To avoid the overseas fees you need a UK address now that you can use and you have to register on the electoral roll - this ensures that you are at least able to prove ;) the three years residency. If you do not have an address to use, there is no way round it other than to file UK taxes as though you were resident there and not OZ. It's a bit erm..dodgy to do that, especially if you are likely to be audited. :)

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

Holy **** Good job my parents decided to bite the bullet and move back home in 2 months :eek:

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

I don't know where, but when I was at uni, this guy found out that he was shy by about 3 months and had to pay international fee's, so he deferred a year...and his folks were still living in Hong Kong.

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

aye, the LEA ain't all bad, even if you do have to pay the first £1-3K a year these days with the LEA sponsorship.

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

your daughter will perhaps have to just start her medical training when she is that little bit older so that you are certain that you have fulfilled your residency requirements. i work with many doctors who did not start their training till they were in their twenties and have still managed to get registrar posts by the time they are 30.
so much can be done in the meantime: GSCE maths if needed or to work a while to help with fees/ to get pocket money, ensuring that her A levels are passed well.
there is no getting away from the fees as universities are hungry for money.
to be honest, dentistry is the game to be in at the moment over here.

Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

Re fees. See story below published in the Aberdeen Press & Journal Daily Newspaper. I am trying to create some support and have contacted my local MP and Scottish Education Minister to try and get this crazy ruling changed.


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Re: Avoiding overseas student fees
 

I am glad that I am not the only one who sees this as ludicrous ! I am very happy to join in any petitioning etc to get this reviewed - just let me know the details ....
I find it particularly offensive as the UK government is quite happy to tax my investments in the UK but not prepared to recognise that I have any rights to educate my children as UK citizens !

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