fulwood

Folks, I'm considering moving back to my homeland. Whether successful or not won't know until I try. How does paying for university work out there? Is it free? I have dual citizenship so would I be considered international student or as any other UK citizen? i have contacted uni interested in attending but got reponse taht due to my situation may take them 5 business days to get back to me. Just wondered what folks know about this...thank oyu..

iaink

I think you need to have been resident for a certain period (12 months?) to qualify for UK resident fee levels.

AFAIK they have been charging tuition fees at various levels for several years now. I imagine every university has a website outlining fee levels for various courses.

ann m

I think it's resident for three years before you can qualify for home rates ....

There have been several threads about this, and a petition was running too ...

Sally Redux

It certainly isn't free, and I believe it's 3 years' residence for home rates, but nobody seems too sure.

clothes.over.bros.xo

I'm returning to Scotland to go to Uni as well -- hopefully in Edinburgh -- it takes twelve months before you'll considered a home student.

dingbat

Three years. I went through this with my daughter.

http://www.universities.co.uk/studen...as_student.htm

alipally

I'm curious now... how long do you have to have been out of the country before this 3 year rule kicks in for university fees?

I'm thinking about doing my midwifery if I go back to the UK.... Should I be leaving Australia, like, NOW?

dingbat

It can kick in immediately, if you emigrate. Emigrating indicates an intention to settle permanantly elsewhere; try arguing anything to the contrary. I have just written an appeal for a woman who emigrated (to Aus) for less than a year, came back, and tried to get into University after about eighteen months home. She has been assessed as having to pay international fees, simply because she emigrated and could not prove UK residency for the preceding three years.

Sammy T

This really stinks, doesn't it? I've worked in the UK for over 25 years (and paid tax for that time) but have now been away for 1 year, this rule means that if I returned now I'd have to pay full university fees for my children?

It's just as well that my kids are not at uni age yet but it will certainly influence when we may decide to return, supporting kids at uni is expensive enough without being clobbered for higher fees (assuming, of course, that they chose to go to uni)

Surely they should take into the time spent in the UK before emigration as well as the time away from the country.

Sam

alipally

FFS!! I guess I'd better get my skates on a move back if I want to do a degree. Otherwise you're just left in nomans land. No Hex here because not a citizen and extortionate fees if you go back to the UK....

Devil.... Deep Blue Sea.... Nice choice! :curse:

micmay3_in_oz

It's worth noting Scotland has a different university system altogether as far as fees ar concerned especially compared to England and Wales hence the apparent difference in length of time fo eligibility. If you can get recognition in Scotland as a home student it is incredibly much cheaper than attending uni elsewhere in the UK.

Mx

PoppetUK

Oh shit! We might have a problem.

Hubby was doing an msc in UK. He stopped with one year left to complete so we could come to oz and give it a go. It's a rolling three year course so if he is to complete he needs to continue in 2010. We want to return.

For fee purposes what will he be classed as considering he has already started the course. His student card shows expiry 2009.

Any advice greatly appreciated. This could be the difference between us getting back to the UK.

Poppet

micmay3_in_oz

The best thing to do is contact the university directly and ask them the question. As it is a course on which he has already enrolled they might have the discretion to keep him in the same fee band in which he currently is. I should do this before his current enrolment expires so that his connection is continuous. It may be that they let him enrol using his current status. I can speak from personal experience that this does happen but I suppose it will depend on the university concerned.

Mx

JAJ

They should - but under the current government, they don't.
(there may be a work-around if absence is clearly temporary in nature).

Part of the problem is being in the EU, as they have to give the same benefit to those from 27 or so other nations.

dingbat

Scotland still requires three years residency to be classed as a Home Student. After that residency requirement has been met, it is really cheap to go to Uni there.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/s..._20090188_en_1