Residency

To be treated as a Scottish home student you must meet all of the following three conditions: 

  • Be ordinarily resident in Scotland on the relevant date; AND 
  • Have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands throughout the period of 3 years immediately preceding the relevant date; AND 
  • (i) Be settled in the United Kingdom within the meaning given by section 33(2A) of the Immigration Act 1971 on the relevant date (for example, be a UK national or otherwise have a right to stay in the UK without time restriction, for example ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’); OR 
  • (ii) Be- a person (other than a person who has applied for refugee status) who has been informed in writing by a person acting under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Home Department that they have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK and whose leave has not expired, or 
  • (iii) The spouse, civil partner or child of a person described in (i) or (ii). If the student meets all of the conditions set out above, they may be considered to be eligible for a fee waiver and student support.  

If you don't meet all of the three conditions, you may still be eligible for some elements of support if you meet the requirements of one of the other UK residency categories listed: 

  • You're an EU national, or family member of an EU national with settled/pre settled status and have lived in the UK for more than 3 years. 
  • You're a refugee. 
  • You're under humanitarian protection (as a result of a failed application for Asylum). 
  • You're a migrant worker. 
  • You're a child of a Swiss national; or 
  • You're a child of a Turkish worker. 
  • You're a Syrian Refugee (VPRS). 
  • Children of asylum seekers or young asylum seekers are eligible for full time fee waiver only. The criteria for access to a fee waiver is now: • A child or an asylum seeker or young asylum seeker • Resident in Scotland on the relevant date • Under 18 years of age on the date that the application for asylum was made  

You must also normally be living in Scotland on the first day of the first academic year of the course. 

If you do not meet the residency criteria you will be liable to pay the college tuition fee and you are advised to contact the Finance team sales.ledger@wcs.ac.uk to find out what level of fee will apply. 

EU Students who do not have settled/pre-settled status 

Now that the UK has left the European Union (EU), students from the EU who do not have settled/pre-settled status will no longer be eligible to claim home fee status in relation to tuition fees. 

 Please refer to our Fee Policy