Home-fee status for expats: Universities must take control

Universities UK has welcomed the UK government’s recognition of the importance of international students after the recent budget but expressed concern that the flat-rate international student levy could result in unintended consequences for the higher education sector.

With fears looming about how this will play out in a competitive market, now is the time to highlight an overlooked opportunity for UK higher education within the growing number of British system international schools.

In a recent Times Higher Education article, British nationals living abroad have called on UK universities to introduce a new tuition fee tier to put an end to the requirement that they pay international student prices.

Instead of waiting for the Treasury policy that we are pretty sure will never materialise, universities themselves could take decisive, unilateral action by offering home-fee status to the children of UK nationals teaching and studying in British-curriculum international schools overseas.

Such a move would not only strengthen domestic recruitment at a time of declining applications, but it would also transform the UK’s international appeal. The British-curriculum international school network represents one of the most powerful, and under-leveraged, pipelines for global student recruitment. It is time for universities to take back control of it.

The hidden network

The English-medium international school sector has grown exponentially over the past two decades. According to ISC Research, there are now more than 15,000 international schools educating around 7.7 million students worldwide.

Around half of these schools offer a British-style curriculum, meaning between 3.5 and 4 million pupils are currently being taught in environments aligned to UK education standards.

The Council of British International Schools (COBIS) represents more than 330 member schools in over 80 countries, educating about 200,000 to 260,000 students and employing more than 17,000 staff. Many of these teachers are UK-trained and maintain strong professional and personal ties to the UK.

British-curriculum schools are one of the United Kingdom’s most successful educational exports. The Department for Education’s British Schools Overseas (BSO) register lists hundreds of accredited institutions across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Collectively, they form a network of families and educators already steeped in British values, culture and qualifications. Yet when their children seek to apply to UK universities, they are often charged international fees, even if they are UK citizens.

Unexpected penalty

British expatriate families face an unexpected penalty when their children apply to UK universities.

“Many people who move abroad don’t realise that when their kid finishes school and they go back to the UK, they are probably going to have to pay international fees,” explained one expatriate parent interviewed by the British Overseas Voters Forum. Families spend months proving links to the UK, with wildly inconsistent outcomes between institutions. Some universities are “soft” on fee status, others are “impossible”.

This is not a question of government policy but of institutional choice. Universities are free to interpret eligibility for home-fee status within certain parameters. A collective sector decision, led by Universities UK, could create a fair, transparent and globally strategic rule set: that children of UK citizens working and studying in British-curriculum schools abroad qualify for domestic-fee rates.

The government is unlikely to prioritise this reform, particularly considering their latest proposals for those leaving the UK to join expatriate communities overseas. Public sentiment remains focused on curbing immigration and taxing wealth, not extending educational benefits to expatriates.

The Guardian recently reported that the overhaul of the non-dom tax regime has triggered concerns among wealthy British nationals overseas. It is therefore improbable that any new concessions for expats will emerge from Whitehall.

The beauty of this idea is that it requires no legislation. It sits entirely within the universities’ own remit. If the government’s proposed international student levy becomes reality, then it is all the more reason for institutions to find new domestic pipelines they can own and sustain.

How universities would benefit

This approach offers three direct advantages. First, it strengthens domestic recruitment. Many of these pupils are UK nationals who may choose destinations such as Australasia, Europe or North America, which already have targeted outreach to British-curriculum schools. Offering home-fee status would bring them back to the UK, reversing years of leakage.

Second, it amplifies international recruitment through influence. British-curriculum schools rely heavily on UK-trained teachers who act as trusted advisers to families on university applications.

When those teachers see their own children benefit from a home-fee offer, they will champion the same universities to the wider student body. One university decision could ripple through thousands of classrooms and counsellor offices, encouraging thousands more applications from overseas students.

Third, it reinforces global reputation and alumni networks. Students who attend British-curriculum schools abroad already have strong English proficiency, cultural familiarity and internationally orientated aspirations. Their success stories become the next generation of global ambassadors for UK higher education.

Consider the numbers again. The 3.5 to 4 million pupils studying under British curricula abroad represent an enormous, under-tapped market. Even capturing 5% of their upper-secondary graduates each year would generate tens of thousands of high-quality applicants.

The COBIS network alone accounts for a potential annual pipeline of more than 20,000 students with A levels or equivalent qualifications recognised by UK admissions applying to universities annually.

Each of these students represents not just potential tuition revenue, but future alumni influence. A small proportion of targeted offers could materially offset declining domestic applications while boosting diversity in a way that aligns with Britain’s educational values.

Implementation would be straightforward. Participating universities could create an institutional policy defining eligibility on a combination of one or all of the criteria as follows:

• UK citizenship of the student or parent;

• Employment of a parent in a recognised British-curriculum international school (COBIS member, BSO-accredited or equivalent);

• Minimum period of service overseas, confirmed by the school; and

• Application through a designated admissions route or code.

Verification would be simple, relying on employer certification from the school head. Universities could then market this policy through British-curriculum networks, counsellor conferences and school partnerships abroad.

Taking back control

This is what “taking back control” could look like in higher education. Instead of waiting for immigration policy to stabilise or for the Treasury to reform fee structures, universities could act unilaterally in their own interest and in the interest of the UK’s global reputation. The government has neither the bandwidth nor the political incentive to champion this idea. The sector does.

As we have argued previously, the most successful universities in the next decade will not be those that simply recruit the most, but those that can prove the greatest value to students and societies.

Offering home-fee status to British-curriculum families abroad demonstrates both values and value: values of fairness and belonging, and value in cultivating globally minded graduates who maintain lifelong links to the UK.

The global competition for international students has intensified. Australia’s new Ministerial Direction 115 will ration visa processing by provider allocation. Canada has introduced a national cap on study permits, with Indian application rejections reaching record levels.

The UK faces an uncertain future with an international student levy and reduced post-study work rights. In this environment, differentiation matters.

Universities cannot simply buy reputation with branding campaigns. They need policies that demonstrate genuine partnership with their stakeholders. A home-fee offer for British-curriculum families abroad would show leadership, not dependence. It would anchor the UK in the very ecosystem that exports its influence worldwide.

The teaching staff in British-curriculum schools is the critical vector. Thousands of UK-qualified teachers work abroad, many with families of their own. They are the authentic ambassadors for UK higher education. If even a fraction of them saw their own children treated as “home” students, they would promote that message organically through classrooms, assemblies and counsellor networks.

That influence is exponential. Teachers and headmasters in these schools shape perceptions for both British and non-British pupils considering the UK. Their endorsement carries far more credibility than paid advertising or digital marketing.

Beyond domestic politics

Universities UK should seize this opportunity to coordinate a sector-wide agreement. By creating consistent criteria and a shared communications campaign, it could deliver a nationwide message of welcome to British families overseas.

This is the kind of proactive, values-driven policy that could reframe the narrative about UK higher education from one of dependency on foreign income to one of global inclusion and reciprocity.

The international education landscape is changing fast. If universities want to future-proof their recruitment, they must act beyond government and beyond the confines of domestic politics. Offering home-fee status to British-curriculum families abroad would not only fill seats but also rebuild trust, strengthen Britain’s soft power and reaffirm the sector’s autonomy.