This article covers universities in England only, for courses starting in 2026/27. On the assumptions below, a three year degree outside London may cost roughly GBP 61,000 including living costs if your child qualifies for home fees, and around GBP 115,000 or more if they pay international fees. The biggest factors are fee status, location and course length.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own fees and rules, which this article does not cover. For a wider look at saving and funding, see our guide to funding UK university for expat children.

Tuition fees: home or international

Home fees. For 2026/27, the maximum tuition fee that qualifying institutions in England can charge a full-time undergraduate is GBP 9,790 a year (GBP 11,750 for accelerated degrees). Providers without the relevant quality award have a lower limit. The maximum was GBP 9,535 in 2025/26, so further rises over the life of a course are possible.

International fees. These are set by each university and vary by subject. As one published example, the University of Warwick lists 2026/27 overseas undergraduate fees of GBP 27,870 a year for classroom-based courses and GBP 35,530 for laboratory-based ones. Medicine and some specialist courses can cost more.

Which applies depends on your child's fee status, mainly whether they have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the three years before the course, or may be treated as resident because of a parent's temporary work abroad. The university's fee assessors make that decision, usually through a fee status questionnaire.

Living costs

Rent, food, travel and course materials often cost as much as tuition for home fee students. A useful government benchmark is the amount international students must show for a UK student visa: GBP 1,529 a month in London and GBP 1,171 a month elsewhere, for up to nine months. That is about GBP 13,800 a year in London and GBP 10,500 outside it. Real spending can be higher, especially for London rents or where students stay over summer.

For comparison, the maximum maintenance loan in England for 2026/27 is GBP 10,830 for students living away from home outside London, and GBP 14,135 in London. Expat children may not qualify for student finance, so many families plan to cover these costs themselves.

Extras families often forget

  • Flights between the UK and home, often several return trips a year.
  • A deposit and summer retainer on student accommodation.
  • A four year course, a placement year or a year abroad, which adds a full year of costs.
  • Fee and rent increases each year of the course.
  • Currency movements if you earn in dirhams, dollars or euros and pay in sterling.

Rough totals

For a standard three year degree outside London, assuming today's fees stay flat, living costs at the visa benchmark and no flights or extras, a family might expect around:

  • Home fees: about GBP 29,000 in tuition (3 x GBP 9,790) plus about GBP 32,000 in living costs (27 months x GBP 1,171), so around GBP 61,000
  • International fees (Warwick example): about GBP 84,000 to GBP 107,000 in tuition plus the same living costs, so around GBP 115,000 to GBP 138,000

Studying in London, or adding a fourth year, pushes these figures higher. These are nominal illustrations, not forecasts.

Illustrative example only, not a real client. A family in Dubai has a daughter starting a three year humanities degree outside London in 2026. If she pays home fees, they budget GBP 30,000 for tuition, GBP 33,000 for living costs and GBP 6,000 for flights, a total of GBP 69,000. If she is assessed as international at GBP 28,000 a year, tuition alone is GBP 84,000, and the total rises to GBP 123,000. These figures assume no fee rises and no exchange rate movement. Planning for both outcomes until fee status is confirmed can help avoid a shortfall.

Common mistakes

  • Budgeting on home fees before fee status has been confirmed.
  • Using today's fees for a course starting in five or ten years' time.
  • Forgetting that living costs can match or exceed home tuition fees.
  • Ignoring exchange rate risk when saving in one currency and paying in another.

For families planning for a university in England, starting early gives you more options. A regulated financial adviser can help you set a target and plan towards it. 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.