FAQs - University fees and financial help

NO - EU law doesn't exempt you from tuition fees! What it does say is that you must be treated the same as a national from the country you want to study in. In this case, if German students have to pay tuition fees, you have to as well.

YES - under EU law, all EU nationals are entitled to use a host country's education system on the same terms as its own nationals. This means French nationals must be treated the same as Irish students as regards tuition fees.

Primarily the Spanish authorities - EU governments have to give the same support to nationals of other EU countries who are permanent residents as to their own nationals. Permanent residence means 5 years' continuous residence. So if you've been living in Spain for 5 years or more on the date your course starts, you'll be eligible for the same maintenance grant as Spanish students.

MAYBE - EU governments aren't obliged to provide grants or loans to students from other EU countries. Likewise, they aren't obliged to support their own nationals if they choose to study abroad.

These decisions are entirely at the discretion of the governments concerned: some countries' maintenance grants restrict their citizens' ability to study abroad.

Contact the authorities in both countries to find out what help they're willing to give you.

POSSIBLY - your government can choose whether to give you a maintenance grant if you go abroad to study: ask them what their rules are on that. However, if your government does give support, it must ensure the eligibility rules don't create an unjustified restriction on your freedom of movement.

NO - you are entitled to the same grants to cover course fees as Belgian nationals, but you do not automatically have a right to a maintenance grant on the same basis as Belgian nationals. EU countries are not obliged to grant maintenance support to people who are not regarded as habitually resident, unless they are classified as workers, or self-employed persons (or people who retain such status), and members of their families.

NO - as a French citizen studying in the Czech Republic, EU rules mean you cannot be charged higher tuition fees than Czech nationals. However, you may not be entitled to a maintenance grant from the Czech authorities unless you are a permanent resident.

NO - schools in the EU cannot discriminate on the grounds of nationality, so in this case a Polish school may not charge a Dutch citizen higher fees than those paid by Polish students.

MAYBE - you might qualify for a student grant if your training is related to your previous work. In that case you would have the same right to a grant as a French student. The amount of grant awarded depends on household income: the higher the income, the lower the grant.