Your tuition fee status
Like other UK universities, we charge differently depending on whether you’re classed as Home or Overseas for tuition fee purposes.
The information you submit on your application to study at the University will be used to determine your tuition fee status.
In some cases, we may require additional information from you. If this is the case, we’ll contact you to request that you complete a Tuition Fee Assessment form and provide supporting documentation.
For most courses, this will be shortly after you have received an offer, but in some circumstances, we may need additional information later in the admissions process. We’ll contact you if this is the case.
Eligibility criteria for Home status for tuition fee purposes can be found on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website. Please note we're unable to act on proposed changes to eligibility rules for home fees status until they are passed and incorporated into UK law and the guidance on 'Home' status eligibility by the UKCISA.
Please note that your fee assessment cannot be carried out before your study application is received.
Key information about tuition fee status
- You should have a clear understanding of the definition of 'ordinary residence' and the concept of being 'settled' in the UK. For definitions, please refer to UKCISA.
- The University's assessment of your fee status is independent of assessments that may be conducted by other institutions (for example student finance bodies, research councils, the NHS, and other universities). Other institutions and organisations may arrive at a different outcome following their assessment of your status. Their assessment has no bearing on our own.
- You are required to provide full and accurate information during the application process.
- Fee status is determined at the start of your studies, and not typically during later years of your course.
- Once you have registered with an agreed fee status, your fee status is unlikely to change.
- By signing the Registration Declaration, you are confirming that the information you have provided at the time of registering is full and accurate. Changes to this information are unlikely to be considered by the University in a request for a change to fee status. Please ensure you have fully read and understood the terms and conditions of your offer.
It is your responsibility to clarify or query your tuition fee status during the admissions process if you believe you have been misclassified. This must be done prior to registration.
For a detailed explanation of each of the categories of people who are eligible for Home fee status for tuition fee purposes, please see the UKCISA website. The University offers a number of tuition fee concessions for applicants in particular circumstances.
If you have been notified of the outcome of your tuition fee assessment and would like to clarify or query your tuition fee status you should:
- Read the guidance provided by UKCISA.
- Email our Tuition Fee Assessment team (feeassessment@manchester.ac.uk) with your full name and Manchester ID number.
We are unable to carry out tuition fee assessments in advance of study applications being received. If you have not yet made an application to the University, UKCISA operates a telephone advice line where you can get free and specialist advice about your eligibility for Home fees.
In many cases, we will be able to assess your tuition fee status without needing any additional information and your status will be confirmed if/when you receive an offer to study at the University. If your tuition fee status is not clear from the information provided in your application, then your status may be classed as ‘Under Review’ and you will be required to submit a Tuition Fee Assessment form and provide copies of supporting documentation.
Your tuition fee status is determined by a specialist Tuition Fee Assessment team which is independent of your School/Department admissions team who make academic decisions on your course application. The tuition fee assessment process is carried out independently of the assessment of your application to study here. The Tuition Fee Assessment team will normally only ask you to complete the Tuition Fee Assessment form once you have been offered a place at the University.
We have a short list of courses which are fee assessed prior to offer. If you apply to any of these, you may be contacted shortly after your application is received to complete a fee assessment.
We strongly advise applicants to submit the required Tuition Fee Assessment form and supporting documentation as soon as possible.
When assessing your fee status for a new course, we will not take into consideration any decision which may have been made by another institution or organisation.
Your tuition fee status may change during the admissions process as your application data is continuously reviewed. If your tuition fee status becomes ‘Under Review’ at any point during the application process, you will need to complete a Tuition Fee Assessment form.
If you do not submit the required Tuition Fee Assessment form or requested additional information by the deadline provided to you, your tuition fee status will be automatically set to Overseas. You will have the opportunity to complete the tuition fee assessment process before registration if you contact the Tuition Fee Assessment team, but your tuition fee status will remain as Overseas until the process is fully completed.
We recognise there may be occasions when you feel that the University has not adhered to fee assessment regulations. If you believe that you have been incorrectly classified as a Home or Overseas student for the purpose of tuition fees you should familiarise yourself with the Fee Assessment Appeal Procedure for Applicants which is available on our Student terms and conditions, policies and procedures page.
There are limited circumstances in which your fee status can change part-way through your course. If you have been classified as an Overseas student for the purposes of tuition fees, your status can only change at the next point tuition fees are due (next registration) and only under specific circumstances in accordance with UKCISA regulations.
If you feel you have grounds under the specific circumstances set out in the UKCISA regulations, please contact the Tuition Fee Assessment team with detailed information about your change in circumstances.
It is never advisable to begin a course unless you have a guaranteed way of paying both your tuition fees and living costs for its entire duration. We strongly advise students not to rely on the possibility of being reassessed.