URGENT: Fee classification e-mail from LSE

Hi guys,
I just received the following email from LSE:
Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your UCAS application for a place at the School.

I need to clarify your fee status for the purpose of the payment of fees. I
should therefore be grateful if you would complete a Fee Classification
Questionnaire as quickly as possible. This can be downloaded from
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/graduateAdmissions/FCQ2005.pdf.

etc etc...

I just downloaded the file, and basically it's an application to be considered as a EU Student.

But the thing is, on my application, I put down my fee status as an INTERNATIONAL student, which I am. I simply have a EU passport but do not qualify as a EU student for we don't pay taxes there, my dad lives permanently outside of the EU etc.

What am I supposed to do? Should I just reply to the email letting the admissions assistant know that I am an international student so can't complete the form and that I will be to pay international fees?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks.

Reply 1

Paul_G

Just let them know you're definitely an international student. They're just making sure you didn't make a mistake when completing the UCAS form (quite a few people do).

However, if your dad's employment abroad can in any way be viewed as temporary it might be worth completing the form as this might allow you to be classified as Home-EU for fees.

PG

Reply 2

Marvelous

caramello

But the thing is, on my application, I put down my fee status as an INTERNATIONAL student, which I am. I simply have a EU passport but do not qualify as a EU student for we don't pay taxes there, my dad lives permanently outside of the EU etc.

I don't think it makes any difference where your dad lives or pays taxes. Among the ways to qualify for home fees:

" * you are an EU national, or the child of an EU national, and you have been ordinarily resident in the European Economic Area (EEA) for the three years immediately before the start of your course

OR

* you would have been living in the EEA (for EU nationals) or UK (for non-EU nationals) for the three years immediately before the start of the course if you, your spouse or parents had not been temporarily employed outside the EEA or UK for all or part of the three year period"

See http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa-education-funding-fee-status.htm

If you don't qualify, let them know why, but since you hold a EU passport, LSE may be required to have you fill out the form anyway (to show they aren't making extra money off you :rolleyes:

)

Marvelous

P.S. Note that the EEA includes a few (European) countries outside the EU.

----

OP

bread

BUT...If I am here for a total of 3+ years am I entitled to "home" fees? What confuses me still is:
-does it matter that I have been in full-time education?
-will a GAP year, if some months are spent outside of Britiain, tally up my years "living" in the UK to 3?

Hi,
I think if you have been living in the EU for 3 years prior to university on full time education, such as boarding school (in that your parents still live outside the EU), you do not qualify to pay EU fees. I know someone in that situation and she has to pay international fees because her father works outside of the EU. In the end, it depends on where you are paying taxes. Even if you have not lived in the EU 3 yrs prior to university, if you own property there and are paying property tax, then you will most likely be able to pay EU fees. Also, if your father/mother is employed temporarily outside of the EU and they are planning to return, it is possible that you pay EU fees. But that doesn't work for me since my family has settled permanently outside the EU. Also, say after your 3 years at uni in the UK you want to do a postgrad degree; even if you have already spent 3 years living in the EU prior to the postgrad course, you will still have to pay overseas fees as you were not paying taxes there. All of this is my understanding anyway.

Am not sure about your Gap Year question though.

I have e-mailed the admissions assistant explaining that I will be paying international fees. Do you think this is enough or should I ring her to make sure she got the e-mail and understands the situation?

Reply 5

Eru Lawliet

1

just wait and see. Meanwhile stay cool. After all if you do qualify to pay for Home fees that saves you a lot. No need to trouble yourself too much.

Reply 6

Marvelous

caramello

Hi,
I think if you have been living in the EU for 3 years prior to university on full time education, such as boarding school (in that your parents still live outside the EU), you do not qualify to pay EU fees. I know someone in that situation and she has to pay international fees because her father works outside of the EU. In the end, it depends on where you are paying taxes. Even if you have not lived in the EU 3 yrs prior to university, if you own property there and are paying property tax, then you will most likely be able to pay EU fees. Also, if your father/mother is employed temporarily outside of the EU and they are planning to return, it is possible that you pay EU fees.

It does say somewhere (maybe in the link I quoted above?) that being in the UK for the principle purpose of education does not count towards the three years for qualifying as a home student, but I don't think it specifically depends on where you pay taxes (even if that is probably the basic idea behind the rules).

I suppose that applies to the EU as well, in terms of fees.

In other words, if you can demonstrate (and they accept...) that your main purpose for being in the UK/EU is _not_ to continue your education (even if that is what you are doing), you may be able to qualify for home fees, no matter where you or your parents pay taxes.

I see no mention of "where your parents pay taxes" as a factor on the sites explaining fee status. For instance, as I understand it, if your parent(s) are working abroad, and paying taxes abroad, even permanently, but you remain in the UK/EU country permanently (say you were born and raised there!), you obviously qualify as a UK/EU student.

It's true that being out of the EU/UK for your parent's temporary employment would not disqualify you.

Being in the UK for three years for undergraduate study normally wouldn't qualify you for home fees for graduate school, of course, in line with the rule that if your main reason for being there is to study, those years don't count.

Reply 7

soul272lc

I m in the same situation.
But the problem i hv is that my status shown on UCAS track is still sent.
So does this mean they hv to take how much i pay into consideration before giving me an offer?
So does this increase my chance of getting in by telling them that i m going to pay international fees?
Or there is a delay on my ucas track?
Thanks

Reply 8

Eru Lawliet

1

Hey do they really take into consideration what rates you pay to give you an offer? I don't think so. If you are desperate( which I hope you are not), call them up.

Reply 9

soul272lc

All my other universities ask for that after giving me an offer.
So i wonder why LSE ask for that now..
It's so stupid to complete that form if they are not going to give me an offer..lol

Reply 10

Eru Lawliet

1

soul272lc

All my other universities ask for that after giving me an offer.
So i wonder why LSE ask for that now..
It's so stupid to complete that form if they are not going to give me an offer..lol

Good luck!

Reply 11

caramello

OP

Yeah, LSE has been the first uni to contact me to question/verify my fee status. Although Warwick did specifically state in my offer that my offer was subject to me paying overseas fees. LSE do seem very particular about fee status though, from what I've read on the board.

URGENT: Fee classification e-mail from LSE

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