Overseas students

Please make sure you arrange to have sufficient funds to pay your tuition and accommodation charges and for other living expenses before travelling.

We will only accept payment in Great British Pounds Sterling, so we recommend that you have made arrangements for a Sterling payment before you start your course.

A European Union law has been passed capping the amount of money you can bring into the EU. You will be required to declare to customs if you are carrying more than €10,000. This could include cheques, travellers' cheques, money orders, etc. Forms on which to make the declaration are available at ports or airports. The HMRC website has a form available to download.

Fee Status

The final decision as to a student’s status for fees will be determined by the University of Exeter in individual circumstances, although our approach to the assessment of fee status is based on “The Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations 2007". Under these terms, certain defined categories of student are exempted from having to pay for the full cost of their tuition, and, consequently, are charged fees at a lower rate.  The University of Exeter also follow guidance given by UKCISA

Students who are liable to pay full cost fees are classified as 'International' for fee purposes where those who are eligible to pay at the lower rate are classified as “Home/EU” for fee purposes.

A student's fees status is determined when a student first applies for their course.  If a student feels their fee status is incorrect please contact:

• Admissions (if applicant) ad-feestatus@exeter.ac.uk
• Student Information Desk (if registered) sid@exeter.ac.uk

The above departments will then send a fee status questionnaire to the student to complete.

The information that you provide on the fee status questionnaire may assist this Institution in determining your fee status classification in accordance with the Fees and Award Regulations and subsequent amendments.

In order to qualify for ‘Home/EU’ fees under this category, you must meet ALL of the following criteria:

(a) You must be 'settled' in the UK on the 'first day of the first academic year of the course'

(b) You must be ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK on the ‘first day of the first academic year of the course’

(c) You must also have been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK and Islands (the Islands means the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) for the full three year period before the 'first day of the first academic year of the course'. For example, if your course begins in October 2012, you must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands from 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2012 (see ‘relevant date’ below),

(d) The main purpose for your residence in the UK and Islands must not have been to receive full-time education during any part of that three-year period.

There may also be further consideration given in certain cases in respect of EU nationals and their family members, EEA/Swiss nationals as designated “workers” in the UK and children of Swiss nationals where the child is ordinary resident in the UK; refugees and their spouse/ civil partner and children; and students on undergraduate degree programmes who are from specified British Overseas Territories or specified overseas territories of other EU member states.

Full explanation of definitions and other advice can be found at UKCISA.

Completion and return of the fee status questionnaire - completed fee status questionnaires, duly signed, must be returned to the Admissions Office/Student Fees Office by post or submitted via sid@exeter.ac.uk within two weeks of receipt of the form.

Relevant date - in a number of sections of this fee status questionnaire, reference is made to what is termed as ' the relevant date'. This is normally defined as the 1st September closest to the starting date of your programme of study at the University of Exeter.

Relevant period - This is defined as the three year period preceding the relevant date.

Students from the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man - “Islands” fee status will normally apply – an agreement is in force between the Island authorities and UK Higher Education Institutions with regard to tuition fee levels.

Temporary Absence

If you would have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands or the EEA during the three year assessment period that applies except for the fact that you, your spouse or parent(s) were employed outside the UK/EEA, the Home Office has determined that you can qualify for Home/EU fee status in accordance with the following definition:

'If you can demonstrate that you have not been ordinarily resident in the relevant residence area only because you were, or your ‘relevant family member’ was, temporarily working outside the relevant residence area, you will be treated as though you have been ordinarily resident for the period during which this was the case.’

On this basis we would request that copies of relevant employment contracts and residence visas be provided to substantiate this residential status.

Full explanation of definitions and other advice can be found at UKCISA.

Where evidence is requested on this questionnaire - or subsequently by the University upon its receipt - in connection with your fee status assessment, it must be provided within the requested deadline. Photocopies or scanned copies are acceptable but the University of Exeter reserves the right to request sight of the original documents and to request additional information or documentary evidence depending upon an individual's circumstances. 

If you need to send copies of a contract of employment or an employer's letter it should be in English; it should relate to the period of time in question (see ‘relevant period’, above) and state whether the contract is fixed, permanent or renewable and, if appropriate, the expected date of return to the UK/EU or country of permanent residence. The onus is on the applicant to satisfy us that they would have been ‘ordinarily resident’ but for a period of ‘temporary’ employment abroad.

EEA - As at 1 September 1997, the EEA (European Economic Area) comprised all member states of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Following the bilateral arrangement between Switzerland and the EU, in April 2002, Swiss nationals can be given special consideration in certain circumstances.

An official decision will only be made once in receipt of the completed questionnaire together with any evidential documentation, as required.

Please note that you remain liable for tuition fees at the originally assessed level until such time as your fee status appeal has been concluded and a revised fee status has been notified to you by the University of Exeter in writing. In the event that your fee status is changed as a result of the appeal/ review, then the tuition fees charged will be adjusted accordingly with effect from:

• the 1st September of that University of Exeter academic year, if the student’s written request for review is received by the Student Fees Team, Student Finance, before 1st June
• the 1st September of the next University of Exeter academic year, if the student’s written request for review is received by the Student Fees Team, Student Finance, after 1st June.

The visa letter issued by our Admissions Office to all full time students classified as international for fee purposes will include details of both the relevant University of Exeter tuition fees and details of any advance payment received by the University of Exeter. This letter will be sent to applicants automatically once their offer is unconditional and has been firmly accepted and can be used as proof of advance payment for a UK General Student visa application.

For more information please visit the International Exeter pages or see the International Students section in the funding area of the website.

Appeal Procedure for Assessing Fee Status as an Applicant

In the event that an applicant to the University of Exeter wishes to appeal against the application of tuition fees, an appeal must be made within one month of the University’s original decision (or the offer letter of a university place being issued) and prior to registration with the University. A request for appeal can be made by the applicant or their nominated decision maker and should be made in writing to the Head of Admissions and UK Student Recruitment. 

Students from countries outside the European Union (EU), and who wish to undertake full-time study at the University of Exeter, are normally required to pay the “international” fee for their programme.

If a student has been assessed as having to pay international fees, and his/her country then subsequently joins the EU, then the date at which he/she can first be considered for eligibility for paying “Home/EU” fees will depend on the date of EU accession and the date(s) at which he/she elected to pay the tuition fees due. (Refer Schedule 1 paragraph 10 of the UK’s Education (Fees and Awards) Regulations 2007).

In the event that a student pays the full international fee at the beginning of an academic year, and their country becomes part of the EU during that academic year, no refund will be available. Students likely to be in this position are recommended accordingly to pay their tuition fees on a termly basis, in order that they may be considered for the “Home/EU” rate of tuition fee in the term(s) following their country’s accession as appropriate.

Students will only be considered for a reduction in fees to the “Home/EU” rate of tuition fee during an academic year if all amounts due in that academic year has been paid within the payment deadlines and in accordance with the Student Finance Regulations. In addition, the student must meet personal eligibility criteria as stated in section 3.15 above.

If accession occurs after the first day of the Summer Term then “International” fee levels remain applicable for the remainder of that year.