Fee Status and Payment

For universities in the UK, like Durham, there are two tuition fee rates – a lower rate for applicants assessed as ‘home’ and a higher rate for applicants assessed as ‘overseas’. Whether you pay a ‘home’ fee or an ‘overseas’ fee depends on you meeting certain criteria.    

Fee status criteria are set out in regulations and guidance published by the four countries of the UK – the criteria which apply to Durham is for “Higher Education in England”. The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) publishes advice and guidance on fee status which is helpful if you are in doubt about what your fee status might be.  

The Admissions teams are responsible for assessing fee status for applicants and students. Because fee status assessments are carried out by each university you apply to, it’s possible that in borderline cases different universities may come to different decisions.  We’re not able to comment on decisions made by other institutions. 

When you apply to us, a decision will be made on your fee status at the point of offer, based on the information provided in your application.  This will be communicated to you in your offer letter (undergraduates) or via your offer letter and your applicant portal (postgraduates).   

If your status is not clear, you may be asked to complete a full fee assessment form before a decision can be made. If you do not complete this form by the required date, you will be classed as overseas for fee purposes and a decision on your application will be processed on that basis. 

The decision made on your fee status will apply for the entire duration of your course.  

Appealing a fee status decision

If you think your fee status has been assessed incorrectly, you can appeal this decision by providing the UKCISA category that you believe you are eligible under, by 31 July in the year you applied.  For any offers made after 31 July, you must appeal the decision by 31 August in the year you applied. (Deadlines do not apply for PGR applicants) 

When you enrol on your course you're accepting the fee status assigned to you, unless an appeal is already underway. 

Please read our Fee Status and Assessment section of our Admissions Policy for further information about our fee assessment and appeals process. 

Undergraduate applicants or students should contact us at feestatus.admissions@durham.ac.uk  

Postgraduate applicants or students should contact us by raising an enquiry in your applicant portal or by using our enquiry form.  

Communicating about your fee status and Data Protection

To comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, communication regarding fee status assessment by the University will, by default, be only possible with the applicant or student directly. If you wish to nominate a third party (e.g., parent, teacher, or agent) to discuss your fee status on your behalf, you should complete our enquiry form  and provide the name, telephone number, email address for the third party who you are giving permission and your relationship to this person. You should also state what you are nominating access for (i.e., in this instance your fee status assessment).