UK Universities Without Application Fee
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Several international applicants coming to study in the UK apply for application fee waivers and scholarships to reduce the amount of financial load that they otherwise might have to carry. For this reason, most students start their research by looking for educational institutions that do not charge any application fee. This article presents UK universities without application fee.
Even the modest application fee of £50 to £150 in the UK’s currency would feel heavy on the pockets, as the same would convert to INR 6k to INR 18.5k as per the current exchange rate for Indian students. This is the main reason that Indian students remain on the lookout for UK universities without an application fee.
Universities in the UK that promote quality education and aim to attract the most talented students from all over the world tend to have zero application fee or policies for application fee waivers for selected applications. These universities even offer scholarships to meritorious students, which are provided to them along with their offers.
Since degrees earned from the UK are of higher value than those earned from a domestic private college in India and are also accepted worldwide for the sake of occupation/job hunt, most Indian students want to complete their higher education in the UK at as low a cost as possible. So, we have come up with this article presenting the top universities in UK with no application fee for international students in 2026-27.
- List of 80+ UK Universities Without Application Fee for International Students
- UK Universities Offering Application Fee Waivers
- UK Universities Without Application Fee and IELTS
- Which are the Top Universities with No Application Fee for International Students in Europe?
- UK Universities Without Application Fee FAQs
List of 80+ UK Universities Without Application Fee for International Students
Almost all universities in the UK accept UG applications through UCAS. Resultingly, universities do not directly charge an application fee to students for UG courses. Students need to pay £28.95 to UCAS for making application to any 5 courses.
Here is the list of UK unis with no application fee for international students -
| UK Universities with no Application Fees - When applied directly on the university website |
||
|---|---|---|
| Universities |
UG Application Fees |
PG Application Fees |
| Anglia Ruskin University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Bath Spa University |
00 |
00 |
| Birkbeck University of London |
00 |
00 |
| Birmingham City University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Brunel University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Cardiff University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| City University London |
Application via UCAS |
|
| Coventry University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| De Montfort University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Durham University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Glasgow Caledonian University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Goldsmiths University of London |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Heriot Watt University |
Application via UCAS |
|
| Istituto Marangoni London |
00 |
00 |
| Keele University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Kingston University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Lancaster University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Leeds Beckett University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Liverpool John Moores University |
00 |
00 |
| London Metropolitan University |
00 |
00 |
| London South Bank University |
00 |
00 |
| Manchester Metropolitan University |
00 |
|
| Newcastle University |
00 |
00 |
| Oxford Brookes University |
00 |
00 |
| Plymouth University |
00 |
00 |
| Queen Mary University of London |
00 |
00 |
| Queen's University Belfast |
Application only via UCAS |
00 |
| Royal Holloway University of London |
Application only via UCAS |
00 |
| Royal Veterinary College, University of London |
Application only via UCAS |
00 |
| St. George University of London |
Application only via UCAS |
00 |
| Swansea University |
Application only via UCAS |
00 |
| The University of Manchester |
Application via UCAS |
|
| UCLan University of Central Lancashire |
00 |
00 |
| University College Birmingham |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Aberdeen |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Bolton |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Bradford |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Brighton |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Buckingham |
00 |
00 |
| University of Chester |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Chichester |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of East Anglia |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Exeter |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Glasgow |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Gloucestershire |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Greenwich |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Hertfordshire |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Huddersfield |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Hull |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Leeds |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Leicester |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Lincoln |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Liverpool |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Northampton |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Portsmouth |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Reading |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Sheffield |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Stirling |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Strathclyde |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Sunderland |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Surrey |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Sussex |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of the West of England |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of the West of Scotland |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Ulster |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of West London |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Westminster |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Wolverhampton |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University College London |
Application via UCAS |
|
| The University of Edinburgh |
Application via UCAS |
|
| University of Bristol |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| The University of Warwick |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Birmingham |
Application via UCAS |
00 (small fee for some taught master’s courses might be there) |
| University of Southampton |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Nottingham |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of St Andrews |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of York |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Bath |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Loughborough University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Dundee |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of Essex |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| Heriot-Watt University |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| University of East Anglia (UEA) |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| CITY, University of London |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
| London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine |
Application via UCAS |
00 |
Important points to note:-
- Most UG applications in the UK go through UCAS, which charges a fee (£28.95 1 to 5 courses). However, many universities also accept direct applications, often without fees. Always apply via the university's direct portal to avoid this fee where possible.
- PG applications are mostly made through dedicated online portals of the universities themselves, and the application fees for most PG courses in UK universities are zero.
- While most universities do not charge application fees for their PG courses, some make it mandatory to pay the enrolment fee or deposit fee when they release an offer. Each of such course has a specific amount of fees to be deposited.
- UCAS application fee for any 5 courses (at the same or different universities) is £28.95 (INR 3,551 as per the exchange rate on 13 March 2026). There is no provision to pay less for a single course, you can choose 1 or more courses (up to 5) at the same price.
UK Universities Offering Application Fee Waivers
The most common way to request an application fee waiver is by directly mentioning/ticking mark the option for the same in your online application form.
Several universities, colleges and institutes in UK have tuition fee waiver policies in place for specific applicants coming from a list of countries that generally have low income or for those seeking refugee/asylum status. Students will have to mention the need for an application fee waiver in their application, followed by answering a few questions and they won’t be redirected to the payments page at the time of submission of their applications.
Here is the list of most flexible top universities in UK that offer application fee waivers to international students -
| Top UK Universities Providing Application Fees Waivers |
|
|---|---|
| Universities |
Waivers/Conditions for Waivers |
| University of Bristol |
Applicants can request and get a fee waiver if eligible by following the Application Fee Policy 2026 |
| UCL |
Application fee waivers are available only to applicants experiencing financial hardship due to conflict/displacement or refugee/asylum seeker status in the UK. No waiver is available under any other circumstance, including scholarship applications. |
| University of Oxford |
Application fee waivers are available to those resident in a low-income country or who are/have been a refugee or displaced person, provided they would be unable to apply without the waiver and meet entry requirements. The waiver is requested via the online application form. |
UK Universities Without Application Fee and IELTS
A UK university can have no application fee but still require IELTS or its alternative, and vice versa. Studying in the UK "without IELTS" does not mean no English proficiency is needed - it means alternative proof is accepted. Over 70 top UK universities offer flexible pathways to study without IELTS. The IELTS alternatives commonly accepted by most universities in UK are -
- MOI (Medium of Instruction) Certificate – from your previous institution confirming teaching was in English
- PTE Academic - widely accepted by universities and UKVI
- TOEFL iBT - accepted by most universities but accepted by UKVI only in some certain conditions
- Duolingo English Test - accepted by some but not usually accepted for UKVI
- Pre-sessional English courses - complete a university-run English programme to waive the test requirement
- High Class 12/Bachelor's English scores - some universities accept strong academic English grades
The Home Office approved SELT providers (for students applying from outside of UK) are -
- IELTS SELT Consortium
- LANGUAGECERT
- Pearson
- PSI Services (UK) Ltd
Hence, determining such universities that don’t require an application fee plus IELTS may be possible, but action upon them must be really mindful. The list below presents universities that satisfy both conditions.
| UK Universities Without Application Fee and IELTS for International Students |
||
|---|---|---|
| University |
No Application Fee |
IELTS Alternative Accepted* (TOEFL iBT and Duolingo are not SELT-approved test for UK visa (UKVI)) |
| University of Glasgow |
Direct applications |
PTE, TOEFL, pre-sessional |
| University of Leeds |
PG courses |
PTE, TOEFL, Pre-sessional |
| University of Sheffield |
PG taught & research courses |
PTE, TOEFL, MOI |
| University of Birmingham |
Research and PhD courses |
PTE, TOEFL, MOI |
| University of Southampton |
Most PG courses |
Pre-sessional courses |
| University of Warwick |
Research PG courses with waiver options available |
TOEFL, PTE, MOI |
*Remember, the TOEFL as an alternative to IELTS reflected in above columns is only for the UK universities and not for UKVI.
Which are the Top Universities with No Application Fee for International Students in Europe?
Europe is actually very international-student-friendly when it comes to application fees. Here's a breakdown of application-free universities by country:
| Top Universities with no Application Fee for International Students in Europe |
|
|---|---|
| Countries |
Universities with no Application Fee |
| Germany Almost all public universities in Germany charge no application fee and many are also tuition-free |
|
| Norway Public universities in Norway charge no tuition and no application fee to students |
|
| Netherlands Most universities in the Netherlands charge no or minimal application fees to students |
|
| France Public universities in France often charge very little ir no application fees |
|
| Finland |
|
| Italy Most public universities in Italy charge little to no application fee |
|
This was all about the UK universities without application fee for international students. If you need assistance to start your journey of studying abroad, reach out for Shiksha’s Counselling Services for free.
UK Universities Without Application Fee FAQs
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Commonly asked questions
For UG courses, individual UK universities do not charge their own separate application fees. They accept applications through a centralised portal for application - UCAS which chargs a small amount of fee from students to apply to up to 5 courses.
As far as the PG courses are concerned, many universities handle these directly and some do charge an application fee.
The easiest universities to get into are mostly considered the ones that have low entry requirements or high acceptance rates, meaning more accessibility for students. Some the easiest universities to get into UK for international students are -
- University of Bedfordshire
- Anglia Ruskin University
- London Metropolitan University
- University of Wolverhampton
- Teesside University
- University of Sunderland
There are no fully free universities in the UK for international students. Unlike some European countries (Germany and Norway), the UK does not offer free public university education to international students.
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