can't go to ucl bc intl fees but got home fees for others :(

this is more just a vent or a rant honestly!

i'm so upset because i got into ucl with an unconditional offer and have been living for the past 2 months like i was going, as in talking and following people going there, being in groupchats, telling other people etc. but after leading me on they tell me mid-april i'm under international fees! the thing is, at 4 other also "big" unis i got classified as a home student. technically i haven't been living here for the past 3 years so i'm guessing that's where they got me, but i have british parent/family, citizenship, and have been visiting since i was born, which is why i figured it worked for the other 4 unis during their classifications, so i had hope that ucl would do the same

i've sent in an appeal, but i mean they've already seen all my documents and evidence so i'm guessing they won't change their mind. it's just so annoying because now this news has come crashing down on my plans (esp with people getting accom and everything) and i completely have to change my plans about unis now. of course i'm grateful to still be able to go at ALL and have great choices to choose from otherwise, but it just hurts because i got home fees for the others! financially it wouldn't make sense to into debt for ucl with the crazy high intl fees if i have home fee options available. i'm not afraid to admit that i'm blinded by rankings either, but come on... it hurts because it's not that i didn't get in, i literally got in but just can't go!!

You say "i haven't been living here for the past 3 years". Will you have been ordinarily resident in the UK for three year by the first day the UCL course starts? If you're very close to the three year mark then, it might be down to something as stupid as the UCL course starting a week earlier, or them counting your induction week but the other unis not doing so.
The rules which the unis use to determine whether you are a home or international student are fixed by the UK Government - they are not set by individual universities. This means that, in theory, they should all grant you the same fees status. However, as you've discovered, that doesn't always happen.
Can I suggest that you carefully read Eligibility rules for home fee status and student finance from the 2022 to 2023 academic year onwards to check that UCL haven't made a mistake.