UK Student Visas

What is a UK student visa?

A UK student visa is permission to come to, or stay in, the UK to study a course with an approved education provider. It covers school pupils, college and university students, and people taking a short English language course, under a group of routes that share a common framework.

A student visa is tied to a specific course and sponsor. It is granted for the length of the course plus a short period before and after, and the holder must remain enrolled and studying to keep it. It is different from a Standard Visitor visa, which allows only short courses of up to six months and does not lead to longer study or settlement.

The route a person needs is set by their age and the type and length of their course. Most people aged 16 or over studying at degree level use the Student visa; children aged 4 to 17 at an independent school use the Child Student visa; and a short English language course uses the Short-Term Student visa.

• Studying in the UK on a visitor visa

The UK student visa routes

The student visa a person needs depends on their age and their course. Each route has its own detailed guide; the table below shows which route fits which situation.

The Student visa is the main route for university and college study. The Child Student visa covers younger pupils at independent schools, and converts to the Student visa at 16 or 18 in most cases. The Short-Term Student visa is a stand-alone route for English language courses only, and does not lead to settlement.

• The UK Student visa: requirements and how to apply
• The Child Student visa guide

The sponsorship requirement

Every student visa begins with a sponsor. The applicant must have an unconditional offer of a place on a course from an education provider that holds a student sponsor licence, and the sponsor issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, known as a CAS.

The CAS is a unique reference that confirms the course, its dates and fees, and that the applicant meets the sponsor's entry requirements. It is used in the visa application, and an application cannot be made without it. The CAS is valid for six months, so the application is made within that window.

The financial requirement

A student visa applicant must show they can pay their course fees and support themselves in the UK. The requirement is any outstanding course fees for the first year, plus living costs for up to nine months, at a monthly rate set by the Home Office that is higher for study in London than outside it.

The money must usually have been held for at least 28 consecutive days before the application, ending no more than 31 days before it is made, and evidenced in the correct form. Some applicants are exempt from showing funds, including those who have been in the UK with permission for at least 12 months, and government-sponsored students.

• The student visa financial requirement and the 28-day rule

The English language requirement

Most Student visa applicants must show English at the level their course requires, which is usually B2 of the Common European Framework for a degree and B1 for a course below degree level. The level is proved through an approved test, a degree taught in English, or nationality of a majority English-speaking country.

Higher education sponsors can assess English themselves for degree-level courses, in which case the sponsor confirms the level on the CAS rather than the applicant sitting a separate test. Child Student and Short-Term Student applicants are not subject to the same formal English requirement.

Work, dependants and conditions

A student visa carries conditions on work and on bringing family, and understanding them early avoids a breach later. The conditions depend on the level and type of the course.

Most students studying a full-time degree-level course can work up to 20 hours a week during term time and full-time outside term, but cannot be self-employed, work as a professional sportsperson, or fill a permanent full-time vacancy. Students below degree level and Short-Term Students have tighter or no work rights.

Bringing dependants is now limited. Since January 2024, only students on a postgraduate research course of nine months or more, or a government-sponsored course, can bring a partner or children as dependants. Most other students cannot.

• Working in the UK on a student visa

How to apply for a UK student visa

A student visa is applied for online, using the CAS from the sponsor, followed by a biometric appointment. An applicant outside the UK applies for entry clearance, and an applicant already in the UK on an eligible visa can often switch into the Student route without leaving.

The application is supported by the CAS, evidence of the financial requirement, the English result where relevant, and, for some applicants, academic qualifications and a tuberculosis test certificate. A student can usually apply up to six months before the course start date from outside the UK, or three months from inside it.

A grant is issued as an eVisa, the digital status that replaced the biometric residence permit for new grants from the end of 2024, accessed through the applicant's UKVI account.

Fees and processing times

A student visa carries a Home Office application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, both payable per applicant. The application fee is the same whether the application is made from inside or outside the UK, and each dependant, where allowed, pays their own fee and surcharge.

A standard decision is usually made within three weeks of the biometric appointment for an application from outside the UK, and within eight weeks from inside it, with priority services available for a faster decision where offered.

• UK visa and immigration fees guide
• UK visa processing times guide

After your studies

Study in the UK can lead to further routes once a course is complete. The most common is the Graduate route, which lets a person who has completed a UK degree stay to work or look for work for a set period without needing a sponsor.

Students who find a graduate job with a licensed sponsor can also switch into the Skilled Worker route, which counts towards settlement. The Student visa itself does not lead to settlement, so a person planning to stay long term moves onto a route that does.

• The Graduate visa after study

What happens if a student visa is refused

A refused student visa application can usually be addressed with a fresh application, once the refusal reason is understood. The refusal notice sets out the ground, which is the starting point for the next step.

Common grounds include the financial requirement not being evidenced in the correct form, an issue with the CAS, or a credibility concern about the applicant being a genuine student. Many of these are answered by a corrected and better-evidenced fresh application, made within the CAS validity period.

Where a course start date is close, timing matters, and the sponsor may need to defer the place or issue a new CAS. The right next step depends on the specific ground and on the course timetable.

Cost and timeline in practice

The examples below show how a student application tends to come together. They are anonymised and indicative, given as ranges, and are not a quote for any individual application.

A postgraduate applicant with a place at a UK university received a CAS from the university, evidenced the outstanding fees and nine months of London living costs held for 28 days, and applied from outside the UK. The standard decision arrived within the three-week service window, in good time for the course start.

A family sending a child to an independent school used the Child Student visa. The school issued the CAS, the parents evidenced the fees and maintenance, and a parent applied separately to accompany the child under the parent of a Child Student route.

A graduate finishing a UK degree applied for the Graduate route to stay and look for work, then later switched into the Skilled Worker route once a sponsored job was secured.

Glossary

• CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies): the reference a licensed sponsor issues that confirms a course place and is required to apply.
• Student sponsor: an education provider licensed by the Home Office to sponsor student visa holders.
• The financial requirement: proof of course fees plus up to nine months of living costs, usually held for 28 days.
• Child Student: the route for pupils aged 4 to 17 at an independent fee-paying school.
• Short-Term Student: a stand-alone route for an English language course of 6 to 11 months.
• Graduate route: the post-study route that lets a UK graduate stay to work for a set period without a sponsor.
• eVisa: the digital immigration status that replaced the biometric residence permit for new grants.

Frequently asked questions about UK student visas

Sources

• GOV.UK – Student visa
• GOV.UK – Child Student visa
• GOV.UK – Short-term study in the UK