overseas and home fees again

Hello,
If you are married to an overseas student getting a PhD
in the UK, and you are from overseas, are you entitled
to pay UK home fees if you are accepted into a PhD program?
Such a situation isn't so ideal (I want to apply for a studentship, which should offer money and a waiver),
but I'm thinking about my options should I move to the UK.

No, you would have to be resident here for at least 3 years, but not for the purposes of full time education, before you would qualify for home fees.

My husband was offered a place at a local university but was told he would have to pay overseas fee's until he had been in the uk for 3 years ,so we looked at the further education (college) to be told he WAS classed as a uk student as we had been married over 12 months.

It seems the university does not want to change the situation for their fee's,so college was the way for him to go.

I found a very tiny loophole to this three year rule. My university does not have a fee set for international students studying part-time. This is logically because international students need a visa and so must study full-time. However I am married to a Brit and so don't need a visa. So this year I will be paying home student rates to study part-time. The only provision was that I have to be working at least 25 hours per week.

It draws out the time it takes to finish your degree but it saves THOUSANDS!

Wow! What a nice bit of advice there Anne!

AnneR,


So, I was wondering, how did you do this?  ARe you on any visa at all? or does the marriage get you in. 

Since I will be on a 5 year work permit visa instead of a student visa, do you think I might be able to find a similar loop hole?

Much thanks,
Grant

AnneR,


So, I was wondering, how did you do this?  ARe you on any visa at all? or does the marriage get you in. 

Since I will be on a 5 year work permit visa instead of a student visa, do you think I might be able to find a similar loop hole?

Much thanks,
Grant

In your case, if you chose a part-time course of study, yes.  Americans who come here on a student visa must be in full-time study.  But those who are here on a different visa - work permits, marriage, etc. - can use the part-time loophole.  Similarly, after 3 years they can go full-time and be considered for home fees.  It just doesn't apply to those who come here on student visas - for example, there's no switching to home student fees after 3 years as a full-time student once you came here on as an internationl student on a student visa.  In such case, your status remains the same.

So, I was wondering, how did you do this?  ARe you on any visa at all? or does the marriage get you in. 

Since I will be on a 5 year work permit visa instead of a student visa, do you think I might be able to find a similar loop hole?

Just sent you a pm, Grant! I think you'll be able to do this no problem! 

It just doesn't apply to those who come here on student visas - for example, there's no switching to home student fees after 3 years as a full-time student once you came here on as an internationl student on a student visa.  In such case, your status remains the same.

Actually, that's what I did!  I was here on a student visa and completed a year long course full-time paying international fees. Last year I started on my MSc course part-time paying home student part-time fees. All at the same uni, so they did allow me to switch fee schedules when I got my FLR!

Actually, that's what I did!  I was here on a student visa and completed a year long course full-time paying international fees. Last year I started on my MSc course part-time paying home student part-time fees. All at the same uni, so they did allow me to switch fee schedules when I got my FLR!

Our university (Edinburgh) never allows a full-time student to pay anything other than international fees for full-time study unless he/she can prove they've been here for 3-years on something other than a student-visa.  Otherwise, every PhD international student who comes here - whose fees keep A LOT of departments afloat - would do this and the university would lose mega money.  Our department sees students who've been here on straight student visas for 3 years trying this every year to get out of paying international fees.  Their requests are always turned down. 

This even applies to British nationals who have not been resident in Britain for the past 3 years, which always comes as a nasty shock to some school leavers who have had to live abroad w/a parent whose work took them out of Britain. 

Oh, sorry, I think I misunderstood what you were saying. I don't think ANY UK uni will let someone study full-time without that 3 years of residence. What I was saying is that I pay home school fees to go part-time. I paid international fees the first year and was full-time, then got my FLR visa and switched to part-time since I didn't need the student visa. And since there wasn't a set fee schedule for international students studying part-time, I'm paying home-school fees.... If I was full-time I'd be paying international fees regardless of my visa!

So since I'm an EU national (doesn't require a student visa), I could come and study part-time and only pay home fees? I suppose I can just check the part-time fees to see which schools have this loop-hole.

So since I'm an EU national (doesn't require a student visa), I could come and study part-time and only pay home fees? I suppose I can just check the part-time fees to see which schools have this loop-hole.

This loophole would indeed be open to you as an EU national, as you do not need the student visa in order to live legally in the UK. 

In the Edinburgh area, Napier and Queen Margaret Universities offer some part-time degree courses at post-grad level.  In the Glasgow area, you'd be spoiled for choice - the offerings are quite numerous, particularly in the fields you're interested in.  University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian and Glasgow Universities all offer part-time courses of study.

I looked at some school though, and they specify fees for overseas students on a part-time basis as well. It's usually 50% of the full-time fee, so it seems like some universities (such as Edinburgh) has closed this loophole.

Either way, it may be nice to be able to only study part-time since a job would be a higher priority, and it would be nice to be able to be part of the British job market right away.

I looked at some school though, and they specify fees for overseas students on a part-time basis as well. It's usually 50% of the full-time fee, so it seems like some universities (such as Edinburgh) has closed this loophole.

Either way, it may be nice to be able to only study part-time since a job would be a higher priority, and it would be nice to be able to be part of the British job market right away.

Have you tried the Glasgow schools?  They seem to have the loophole open more often than not, and as the study is all online or 2 lecture nights/week, you could easily commute for Edinburgh or the 'burbs.