Student Visa
Tier 4 (General) student visas
If you are 16 or over and want to study at higher education level, you’ll need to apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa.
You need to wait until you have an offer from a university or college before applying for your Tier 4 (General) student visa. Your university or college will then be able to give you a document called a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). To do this, your chosen institution needs to be approved by the UK government as a ‘licenced Tier 4 sponsor’.
If you apply outside from UK, the earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you start your course. You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.
If you apply inside from UK, the earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course starts. You must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks.
It costs:
- £490 to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK
- £490 to extend or switch to a Student visa from inside the UK
In addition, you will have to pay for a healthcare surcharge as part of your application.
Short term study visas
Short term study visas are available to students who want to join courses that are up to six months long or English language courses up to 11 months long.
You can stay in the UK for the length of your course plus an extra 30 days as long as your stay is no longer than 11 months.
Your English language course must be with an ‘accredited institution’.
This can be either:
- an accredited UK institution
- an eligible overseas provider, if you’re studying in the UK as part of an overseas course
It costs £200 for a Short-term study visa.
You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your online application.
