UK Student Visa (Studying in the UK)

You must have:

• an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed Tier 4 sponsor
• enough money to support yourself and pay for your course – the amount will vary depending on your circumstances

You can do a course that’s one of the following:

• full-time leading to a qualification that’s at least level 6 on the Ofqual register
• an overseas course of degree level study that’s equal to a UK higher education course and is being run by an overseas higher education institution
• full-time, with at least 15 hours per week of organised daytime study, leading to a qualification which is at least level 3 on the Ofqual register
• a recognised foundation programme as a postgraduate doctor or dentist

Postgraduate doctors and dentists

You can apply for this visa if you’re sponsored to do a recognised foundation programme and you’ve:

• finished a recognised UK degree in medicine or dentistry
• received that degree from a registered Tier 4 sponsor
• spent your final year and at least 1 other year of studies leading to that degree in the UK

Confirmation of acceptance for studies

Your education provider will send you a reference number called a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) once they’ve offered you a place on a course. You’ll need to enter this on your visa application.

You must apply for your visa no more than 6 months after you receive the CAS.

Further study in the UK

You can only get a CAS for a new course if you’ve studied in the UK before and you’re:

• re-sitting exams or repeating modules
• applying for the first time to a new institution to complete a course you started at an institution that’s lost its Tier 4 sponsorship
• applying to complete a PhD or other doctorate that you started studying under your last Tier 4 (General) student visa
• studying for a new qualification at a higher academic level
• studying for a new qualification at the same level and related to your previous course or career aspirations – it must be degree level or above at a Higher Education Institution (HEI)
• applying after working as a student union sabbatical officer to complete a qualification you started studying under your last Tier 4 (General) student visa

You must prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply.

This usually means passing a secure English language test (SELT).

HEIs can choose how to assess a student’s knowledge of English. They must still be at:

• CEFR level B2 if you’re studying at a degree level or higher
• SELT in reading, writing, listening and speaking and CEFR level B1 if you’re not studying at a degree level

If you have to pass a SELT, it must be from an approved provider.

Check the full visa guidance for detailed information.

Exceptions

You don’t need to prove your knowledge of English if you’ve completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• the Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Ireland
• Jamaica
• New Zealand
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• UK
• USA

You also don’t need to prove your knowledge of English if one of the following apply:

• you’re a national of Canada or any of the countries in the list above
• you have studied in the UK before as a Tier 4 (Child) student
• you’re applying to come to the UK for a study abroad programme as part of a university degree course in the USA

When you apply for the visa you must provide:

• a current passport or other valid travel documentation
• proof that you can support yourself and pay for your course – this will vary depending on your circumstances
• proof of parental or other legal guardian consent if you’re under 18
• proof of your relationship with your parent or guardian
• your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test

You need a page in your passport that’s blank on both sides for your visa.

You may also need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.

Your documents will usually be sent back within 14 days.

You must apply online for a Tier 4 (General) student visa.

You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit) as part of your application.

You’ll have to collect your biometric residence permit within 10 days of when you said you’d arrive in the UK (even if you actually arrive at a later date).

You may be able to get your visa faster or other services depending on what country you’re in – check with your visa application centre.

North Korea

You can’t apply online if you’re living in North Korea.




To apply from North Korea you must:

• download the application form and guidance – read the guidance if you need help filling in the form
• read the instructions to find out where to take your completed form

Apply in the UK

Check if you can apply from inside the UK to:

• extend your existing Tier 4 (General) student visa
• switch to this visa from another visa

Your family members (dependants) might be able to apply to join or remain with you in the UK if they’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA)or Switzerland.

A dependant is either:

• your husband, wife or civil partner
• your unmarried or same-sex partner
• your child under 18 years old – including if they were born in the UK during your stay

You can apply to bring a dependant to the UK if you’re:

• sponsored by a higher education institution on a course at level 7 on the Ofqual register or above that lasts 1 year or more
• a new government-sponsored student on a course that lasts longer than 6 months
• a Doctorate Extension Scheme student

They’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of their application. Check how much they’ll have to pay before they apply.

Savings

You must show that your dependants can be supported while they’re in the UK.

Each dependant must have a certain amount of money available to them – this is in addition to the money you must have to support yourself.

The amount of money you need depends on:

• the length of your course
• where you’re studying in the UK
• whether you’ve finished a UK course or are currently studying

You must have proof you have the money, and that it’s been in your bank account or your dependant’s bank account for at least 28 days before you or they apply.