EU student tuition fee changes

On the 23 June 2020, the UK government announced that EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for home fee status for courses starting in the academic year 2021/22. Find out how this may affect you below.

UK government announcement

On the 23 June 2020, the UK government announced that EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for home fee status, undergraduate, postgraduate and advanced learner financial support from Student Finance England for courses starting in academic year 2021/22.

It will not affect students starting courses in academic year 2020/21, nor those EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals benefitting from Citizens’ Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively.

It will also not apply to Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland whose right to study and to access benefits and services will be preserved on a reciprocal basis for UK and Irish nationals under the Common Travel Area arrangement.

You can view the full announcement here.

How these changes will affect you

• For EU students due to start in 2020-21

  Your fees

  Your fees will remain at the current home and EU rate. To see your fees find your course and check the Fees section.

  Your fees will stay at the home and EU rate for the full duration of your degree course.

  If you are an EU national who has already successfully applied for the EU Settlement Scheme, then it is expected that you will retain home fee status and financial support from Student Finance England for the year 2020-2021 and beyond. We are awaiting further clarification from the government with regard to those with ‘pre-settled’ status.

  Tuition fee loans

  You can apply for the tuition fee loan through Student Finance England and you will be able to do so for the duration (each year) of your degree course.

  Foundation Years

  If you are holding an offer for a place on one of our Foundation Year programmes then this is regarded as ‘Year 0’ of your degree, which, upon passing the year, automatically leads to Year 1 of your undergraduate degree at Sussex.

  As this is a continuous course with no additional UCAS application required, your tuition fee level and any funding you apply for from Student Finance England will apply for the duration of your undergraduate degree.

  Not sure if you’ll be on campus at the start of term?

  Your fees will remain on the current home and EU rate as long as you start your degree between August 2020 and 1 July 2021, either online or in person at the university. You will also be eligible to take the tuition fee loan from Student Finance England throughout this time too.

  Deferring

  If you’re an EU student student holding an offer to start studying in the 2020-2021 academic year, you can defer starting your studies until September 2021. You just need to notify our Admissions Team that you would like to defer your entry.

  However, you will not be eligible for the home fee rate, and will be required to pay international tuition fee rates. There will also be no tuition fee loan available from Student Finance England to cover your fees, so we would really encourage you to think carefully about your decision.

  UK nationals living in the EU

  UK nationals living in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland wishing to start courses before 1 August 2021 will continue to be eligible for home fee status and access to student finance.

• For EU students starting in 2021-22

  Your fees

  From the academic year 2021 onwards, EU students are no longer eligible for home fee status, and will therefore pay international fee rates at universities in England.

  Fees for individual degree will be shown on our course pages shortly. From the academic year starting in autumn 2021, EU students will no longer be eligible for the tuition fee loan from Student Finance England.

  If you are an EU national who has already successfully applied for the EU Settlement Scheme, then it is expected that you will retain home fee status and financial support from Student Finance England for the year 2020-2021 and beyond. We are awaiting further clarification from the government with regard to those with ‘pre-settled’ status.

  Scholarships

  We plan to announce our scholarships for 2021 entry soon. Please check back to this page and our scholarships page for further information in due course.

  UK nationals living in the EU

  For courses starting from 1 August 2021, UK nationals residing in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland will continue to be eligible for home fee status and access to student finance subject to the following conditions.

  If you are a UK national, you can receive support from Student Finance England for an HE course or FE Advanced Learner Loan, or be funded for a 19+ FE course provided that you are living in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland at 31 December 2020, and either:

  • lived in England immediately before moving there, and you have resided in the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar for at least the last 3 years before starting a course in the UK; or
  • did not live in the UK immediately before living there, and have lived in the EU, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar for at least 3 years before starting a course in England. You also need to have lived continuously in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar between 31 December 2020 and the start of your course. The course needs to start before 1 January 2028.

  If your parents are UK nationals but you are not a UK national, you will also be eligible, provided you and they were living in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland on 31 December 2020, and provided that you and they have both lived continuously in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar between 31 December 2020 and the start of your course. The course needs to start before 1 January 2028.

Deferring

If you’re an EU student student holding an offer to start studying in the 2020-2021 academic year, you can defer starting your studies until September 2021. You just need to notify our Admissions Team that you would like to defer your entry.

However, you will not be eligible for the home fee rate, and will be required to pay international tuition fee rates. There will also be no tuition fee loan available from Student Finance England to cover your fees, so we would really encourage you to think carefully about your decision.

Visa information

EU students arriving on or before the 31 December 2020 do not require a visa to enter and study in the UK.

Students arriving from 1 January 2021 will require a visa. We are currently awaiting further information from the government on how the visa process will work for students coming from the EU.

Find out more information on visas.

EU Settlement Scheme

Please refer to the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website for further information on the EU Settlement Scheme and the application process.

More information

For more useful information, check the British Council website.