US universities or back to the UK? UCAS, the SAT and home fees for New York teenagers

Many British families in New York apply on both sides of the Atlantic, and the deciding factor is often not the course but the fees.

The short version

• UK universities are applied for through UCAS. For 2027 entry, the deadline is 15 October 2026 for Oxford, Cambridge, and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, and 13 January 2027 for most other courses [1][2].
• US colleges use the Common App or their own forms, each with its own deadlines and testing rules [3].
• Home fees in England are capped at up to £9,790 in 2026/27 and £10,050 in 2027/28 [4]. Without home status, international fees are usually far higher.
• Home fee status needs three years' residence in the UK and Islands before the course. Living in New York only counts if the move was a temporary absence, such as a fixed-term work posting [5][6].
• UK student loans have their own residence test, so check with Student Finance England as well as the university [7].

Two very different systems

The biggest change for British parents is the timeline. A US application is a year-long project built on school grades, essays, activities and teacher references. UCAS is one form, five choices and one personal statement focused on the subject.

Applying from a New York school

Most British families here have children at an American school, an international school or a school offering the IB. All of these work for UCAS. UK universities publish entry requirements for the US high school diploma, usually alongside AP exams, the SAT or ACT, or the IB Diploma. A US diploma on its own is rarely enough for the most selective UK courses, so look at each university's international pages early, ideally in Year 11 (ninth or tenth grade here). Our guide to schools in New York covers the school side.

The school's college counsellor will know the US process inside out but may have seen only a handful of UCAS applications. Ask early who will write the UCAS reference and predicted grades, and whether the school has its own internal deadline before the UCAS one [1].

The US route: the SAT, essays and money

The SAT and ACT are the American standardised tests. Testing rules vary a lot: some colleges require scores, others are test-optional and some don't look at them [3]. A number of highly selective universities have brought tests back in recent years, so check each college's page rather than relying on what a friend's child did two years ago.

What to plan for:

1. Ninth to eleventh grade: grades count from the first year of high school, and so do activities. Admissions officers like depth, not a long list.
2. Spring of eleventh grade: sit the SAT or ACT if your colleges want it. Many students sit twice.
3. Summer before twelfth grade: draft the main essay and the college-specific essays. The Common App opens for the new season over the summer.
4. November: Early Decision (binding) or Early Action (not binding) deadlines at many colleges.
5. January: most regular decision deadlines.

Money is the big question. Private US universities charge high tuition, though the wealthiest give generous need-based aid, and some meet full need for international students too. Federal student aid is generally only for US citizens and eligible non-citizens such as green card holders, so a family on an E-2, L-1 or H-1B visa usually can't get it. State universities such as SUNY and CUNY charge much less to New York residents, but in-state status depends on residence and sometimes immigration status, so check with the college before counting on it.

The UK route: UCAS from abroad

UCAS works the same from New York as from Nottingham: one online application, up to five choices, a personal statement and a reference. A few things to know:

• Deadlines are UK time. Both the 15 October and 13 January deadlines are at 18:00 UK time, which is lunchtime in New York [1][2].
• The October deadline is early. For Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, the application goes in at the start of the final school year here, before many US seniors have sent anything [1][2].
• Admissions tests and interviews for some courses take place in the autumn. Many can be sat at test centres abroad, and interviews are often online.
• Late applications: many universities keep accepting international applications later in the year, but popular courses fill up, so don't rely on it [1].

Home fees: the question that decides it for many families

In England, home students pay a capped fee. For 2026/27 the maximum is £9,790 at universities with a TEF award and an access and participation plan, rising to £10,050 in 2027/28 [4]. International students pay what the university sets, often several times that. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own fee rules.

Being British isn't enough on its own. To get home fees you usually need to have lived in the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands for the three years before your course starts [5]. For a teenager who's spent secondary school in Manhattan, that looks like a no. But there's an important exception:

• Temporary absence. You may still qualify if you were only living abroad because you, a parent, a spouse or a legal guardian was temporarily employed there [5]. Temporary absences don't break ordinary residence, and for most undergraduates it's the parents' residence that counts [6].
• There's no fixed time limit. Universities look at the original intention and the reason for the absence, case by case [6].
• Evidence matters. Without official documents showing the absence was temporary, a university is likely to treat it as permanent [6].

Sources: University of Liverpool and University of Cambridge fee status guidance [5][6].

Universities decide fee status themselves, usually through a fee status questionnaire, and they'll want documents such as secondment letters, contracts with end dates, evidence of a UK home kept, and UK tax and payroll records. Keep these from day one in New York. Our guide to moving back to the UK covers home fees from the returning family's angle.

Student finance is a separate test

Student Finance England has its own residence rules. GOV.UK says you must have lived in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man for three years before your first academic year, mentioning only temporary absences such as holidays [7]. If you're relying on a work posting abroad being temporary, contact Student Finance England before the course starts. Our guide to UK student loans while living abroad covers repayment if your child later works outside the UK.

Working out costs in both currencies

If you're comparing a UK offer with a US one, put both in the same currency. A home fee of £9,790 is about US$13,190 a year; £10,050 is about US$13,540. Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = USD 1.3476). Add living costs, flights and, in the US, health insurance and the fourth year. Many families find the UK much cheaper at home fees and roughly level with a generous US aid package at international fees.

It helps to talk to families a year or two ahead of you. Our community group for Brits in the US has plenty of parents who've done both applications at once.

Sources

1. UCAS: When to apply
2. Imperial College London: Undergraduate application deadlines
3. Common App: First-year students
4. GOV.UK (DfE): Changes to tuition fees, 2026 to 2027 and 2027 to 2028 academic years
5. University of Liverpool: Definition of a home student
6. University of Cambridge: Fee status FAQs
7. GOV.UK: Student finance – who qualifies

Keep reading

• Schools in New York: British and international schools
• Moving to New York as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Moving back to the UK: the NHS, benefits, school places and home fees
• UK student loans while living abroad