The University of Sheffield
Prospective Undergraduates

Verification of fee-paying status for undergraduate degree courses

In common with other UK universities, the University of Sheffield charges students different fees depending on whether they are classed as Home or Overseas for fee purposes.

Assessing your fee status

If your fee status is not made clear in your application, our Admissions Service will write to you to ask for more information. We will do this after we have decided whether or not to offer you a place. Please note that a ruling on your fee status is independent from the academic decision to offer you a place.

If your fee status is consistent with the information provided in your application, we will not write to you. However, even if we do not contact you before you arrive at the University, your fee status may still be in question, and you may be asked to provide further information during the registration process.

It is important to raise any query relating to your fee status before you complete your registration at the University. Fee status is only changed part way through a course in a small minority of cases, and for a specific and limited list of reasons.

If we have not written to you, and you wish to query your fee status, you should contact the Admissions Service on +44 (0)114 222 8030 or by email at shefapply@sheffield.ac.uk and ask for a formal ruling.

Once your status has been formally established, your University record will be changed to reflect this.

Students from the European Union

Nationals of the EU who are ordinarily resident in a country within the European Economic Area (EEA), may be eligible for a tuition fee loan.

The criteria are very similar to those used by Student Finance England to determine eligibility, except that the required period of residence must be within the EEA. Please contact the Admissions Service for more information.

You can find more details on the UK government's Student Finance webpages.

Definition of an Overseas student for fee-paying purposes

The two main criteria for Home status are:

  1. "ordinary residence" within the UK for three years prior to the start of the course, providing that residence is not for the main purpose of receiving full-time education; and
  2. that by 1 September of the year of entry the applicant can be considered to be "settled" in the UK. By this, we usually mean the applicant holds a UK passport or has Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. Leave to Remain or visas with an expiry date attached to them do not usually fall into this category.

In most cases status for fee purposes will be clear, but if there is any doubt it is essential that you refer to the Admissions Service for a ruling. In particular, commitments on the level of tuition fees to be charged should not be made without prior consultation with the Admissions Service.

The University will classify a student as being liable to pay the Overseas rate of composition fees unless:

  1. The student is settled in the United Kingdom on the first day of the first academic year of the course, and has been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) throughout the three years immediately preceding that date, and provided that he or she has not been resident therein, during any part of the three year period, wholly or primarily for the purpose of receiving full-time education; or
  2. The student is a national of an EU country or is the relevant family member of a UK national, or the relevant family member of a non-UK EU national who is in the UK as a self sufficient person or student, and has been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area and/or Switzerland and/or specified overseas territories (see note (v) below), or for non-EU relevant family members the EEA and/or Switzerland, throughout the three year period immediately preceding that date, provided that he or she has not been resident therein, during any part of that period, wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education; or
  3. The student would qualify under paragraph (a) or (b) above were it not solely for the fact that he or she was, or their spouse or parent was, temporarily employed outside the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, as the case may be; or
  4. The student is an EU national (but not UK national) on the first day of the first academic year of the course, and was ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course, and has been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the three-year period immediately preceding that date, and if the main purpose of the residence at any time during the three year period was to receive full time education, the student must have been ordinarily resident in the EEA or Switzerland immediately prior to the three year period referred to above; or
  5. The student is an EU national with the right of permanent residence in the UK on the first day of an academic year of the course, or is a family member who is not an EU national but who has lived in the UK with an EU national for five years, and was ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the three year period referred to in paragraph (a), and if the main purpose of the residence at any time during the three year period was to receive full time education, the student must have been ordinarily resident in the EEA or Switzerland immediately prior to the three year period referred to above; or
  6. The student is a non-UK EEA national or Swiss national, and is resident in the UK as a worker, or is the relevant family member of such a worker, and was ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course, and is an EU national who has been resident in the EEA, Switzerland, and/or the overseas territories, or a non-EU national who has been resident in the EEA and/or Switzerland for the three year period referred to in paragraph (a); or
  7. The student is the child of a Swiss national on the first day of an academic year of the course, and was ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course, and has been ordinarily resident in the EEA and/or Switzerland for the three years immediately preceding that date, and if the main purpose of the residence at any time during the three year period was to receive full time education, the student must have been ordinarily resident in the EEA or Switzerland immediately prior to the three year period referred to above; or
  8. The student is a child of a Turkish national, and the Turkish national parent is ordinarily resident in the UK and is or has been lawfully employed in the UK, and the student was ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course, and has been ordinarily resident in the EEA and/or Switzerland and/or Turkey for the three years preceding that date; or
  9. The student is ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of the course, and is a refugee or has been granted humanitarian protection on the first day of an academic year of the course, or is the spouse or civil partner of such a refugee or person granted humanitarian protection, or is the child of such a refugee (or person granted humanitarian protection) or their spouse or civil partner, and has been so since the time the refugee or person granted humanitarian protection made their asylum application, and has not ceased to be ordinarily resident in the UK since the application was granted; or
  10. The student has been admitted to a course as a result of arrangements between the University and an institution outside the UK for the exchange of students on a fully reciprocal basis.

Notes

1. The European Union includes the following countries:

2. The European Economic Area (EEA) includes all countries in the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

3. For students from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, if you are in receipt of an award from your Island authority, there is an agreement between the Island authorities and UK higher education institutions as to the level of fee you pay. If you are "self funding" you should contact the Admissions Service for advice.

4. A person "settled" in the UK is one who is ordinarily resident in the UK and has no restrictions from the Home Office on their right to remain in the UK.

5. Persons recognised by the UK authorities as immigrants, settled persons or refugees are those whose passports have been endorsed accordingly, or who have been issued with an official letter confirming their status by the Home Office.

6. Overseas territories for the purpose of paragraph (b) above are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Isles, St Helena & Dependencies, Turks and Caicos Islands (British); Greenland & Faeroe Isles (Denmark); Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (Netherlands); New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, Mayotte, St Pierre et Miquelon, French Southern and Antarctic Territories (French).

7. Relevant family members for EU (including UK) nationals are classed as spouse or civil partner, direct descendents of the EU national or their spouse or civil partner who are over 21 or are dependent on the EU national or their spouse or civil partner. Also, only where the EU national is not a UK national but is self sufficient, a relevant family member can be a dependent direct ascendant of the EU national or their spouse or civil partner. Relevant family members for EEA/Swiss workers are classed as their child, spouse or civil partner, and dependent direct ascendants of the EEA worker or their spouse or civil partner.

For more information on fee status you can visit the UK CISA website.