This article covers universities in England only, for courses starting in the 2026/27 academic year. Being British is not enough on its own: your child generally needs to be settled in the UK and to have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the three years before the course starts. Families abroad may be able to qualify if the time overseas is accepted as a temporary absence linked to work, but that is a possible route rather than an entitlement.

The difference can be large. For 2026/27, the maximum tuition fee that qualifying institutions in England can charge home students on full-time courses is GBP 9,790 a year, while international fees are set by each university and are often much higher. For the full funding picture, see our guide to funding UK university for expat children.

The main home fee test in England

The Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations 2007 set out who can be charged home fees. For most British families, the main category requires your child to:

  • be settled in the UK (British citizens are generally treated as settled if ordinarily resident here)
  • have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man) throughout the three years before the first day of the first academic year
  • not have been resident there mainly to receive full-time education during that period, where they would otherwise not have been

For a family who has lived in Dubai for ten years, the three year condition is usually the sticking point.

Families in Spain or Portugal may have additional routes under post-Brexit arrangements for UK nationals who were living in the EEA or Switzerland. These are time-limited and technical, so check the current rules with the university well before applying.

Temporary absence: a possible route

The rules can help families whose time abroad was genuinely temporary. Where a student was not ordinarily resident only because they, their spouse or civil partner, or a parent was temporarily employed outside the UK, they may be treated as though they had been ordinarily resident.

Whether this applies is fact-sensitive. Universities tend to look for evidence that the move was always meant to be temporary, for example:

  • employment contracts covering the time abroad, ideally confirming a fixed term or secondment
  • a UK home kept during the absence
  • regular returns to the UK and a clear, evidenced intention to come back

A long overseas posting, an open-ended employment contract or a residence visa on its own is usually weak evidence. A family who moved abroad permanently and later decided to return may struggle.

Who decides, and when

Fee status is decided by each university's fee assessors, often through a fee status questionnaire after your child applies. Advisory bodies such as UKCISA publish helpful guidance, but they do not make the decision. Different universities can reach different conclusions on the same facts, so answer the questionnaire carefully and keep paperwork from the start of your time abroad.

Some residence test dates in England are being adjusted for courses starting from 2027, so check the current rules if your child starts in 2027 or later. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own fee and residence rules, which this article does not cover.

Illustrative example only, not a real client. Emma's parents moved from Bristol to Abu Dhabi on a fixed three year secondment, kept their UK house and returned every summer. If Emma applies to a university in England, her family may be able to argue that the absence was temporary, supported by the secondment contracts, but the university will decide. If instead her parents had resigned, sold up and taken open-ended local jobs ten years ago, the university is more likely to assess her as international.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming a British passport guarantees home fees.
  • Not keeping employment contracts and evidence of UK ties from the start of the move.
  • Moving the family back for the final year only, without realising the full three year period is tested.
  • Budgeting on home fees before the university has confirmed fee status.

For families planning for a university in England, fee status can change the budget a great deal, so it is worth planning for both outcomes. A regulated financial adviser can help you build an education funding plan. Get in touch for a free introduction.

Sources and further reading

Last reviewed: October 2026. Tax year: 2026/27; academic year 2026/27 (England). Jurisdictions covered: England, UAE. Rates, legislation and guidance change, so recheck before relying on this. Rules can differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; tax residence is fact-specific; treaty outcomes depend on residence, domicile or nationality provisions; examples are simplified and omit reliefs, costs, exchange rates and anti-avoidance rules. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Take advice in the relevant country before acting.