Foundation Year, College, or Uni? (UK/Europe only)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, my situation is somewhat peculiar.</p>

<p>I am a UK citizen but moved abroad at 15. My secondary education was finished abroad and I have completed a semester of uni abroad. </p>

<p>My desire is to pursue further education in the UK and want to know if it would be better (academically and financially) for me to a) go to college and get my A-Levels or b) enroll in some kind of transitional Foundation Year for international students ?</p>

<p>Also, I'm very confused as to whether or not I would pay UK or overseas tuition fees in England, having been absent from the country for five years. The whole issue is whether or not I can be considered to normally reside in the UK, or normally reside in both countries. My absence wasn't my choice (I left as a minor because of parent's decisions) and haven't had the finances to return until now.</p>

<p>Add to that I have no one to guide me (because obviously no one here knows the UK system UCAS etc very well) and haven't the faintest as to how to proceed with financial help, loans, grants, scholarships (ethnic minority/merit-based, etc). </p>

<p>Before leaving UK I was earmarked as a future candidate for Oxbridge and studied at a very good Grammar school. As it is right now, I wouldn't be able to get into Oxbridge, but I wonder if it would be possible to do a foundation year elsewhere and then apply to Cambridge.</p>

<p>Sussex, St Andrews, Warwick, UCL, Imperial all seem enticing.
Jacobs University Bremen and Bocconi in Milan are also interesting, but I'm not sure if my "qualifications" (high school diploma + 1 semester of study) would be enough and again, no idea as how to proceed as regarding financial aid.</p>

<p>Any help is appreciated!</p>

2

<p>I also heard that European universities are very cheap/free - I wonder if being a UK citizen I’d be entitled to the same privileges??</p>

3

<p>Pick up the telephone, and call the closest UK Consulate. Make an appointment with the Education Officer. That person can help you find out everything you need to know.</p>

4

<p>I’ll look into that, thanks.</p>

<p>What about European options? Would I be entitled to public education in Europe?</p>

5

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<p>I’m afraid citizenship is irrelevant. You and your parents need to have lived and been paying taxes in the UK for the last three years to qualify for a government subsidised education.</p>

6

<p>Even if I make a case that I’m “ordinarily resident” in the UK and was absent only temporarily?</p>

7

<p>How can you make a case that you’re a resident in the UK if you don’t live there? If you’ve been away for a matter of months then you might have a chance - anything more and it’s unlikely you’’d be treated as a home student.</p>

8

<p>As Dionysius says it is where your parents are paying taxes which is the relevant factor, not questions of theoretical residence. However, I think you would be entitled to reduced fees if they were paying taxes anywhere in the EU, not just in the UK. Not that the reduced fees are going to be all that “reduced” in the future.</p>