Student Visa
Overview
Student visa to study in the UK
You are eligible to apply for a UK Student visa if you are 16 years of age or older and you:
Have received an offer of admission from a licensed student sponsor
Possess sufficient funds to support yourself and pay for your course – the required amount will vary according to your circumstances
Are able to speak, read, write, and understand English
Have parental consent if you are 16 or 17 – evidence of this will be required when you apply
If you are 16 or 17 and intend to study at an independent school in the UK, you may qualify for a Child Student visa instead.
- This visa has now replaced the Tier 4 (General) Student visa.
If you or your family are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
If you or a family member began living in the UK on or before 31 December 2020, you may be eligible to apply for the free EU Settlement Scheme.
The deadline for most applicants was 30 June 2021. However, you can still apply if:
You have a later deadline – for example, you are joining a family member already in the UK
You have ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying by 30 June 2021 – for example, you were ill or a victim of domestic abuse
Check to confirm whether you are still eligible to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme.
When to apply
When you can submit your application depends on whether you are applying from within the UK or from outside the UK.
Applying from outside the UK
The earliest you can apply for your visa is 6 months before your course begins.A decision on your visa application is usually made within 3 weeks.
Applying from inside the UK
The earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course begins.
The earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course begins.
You must submit your application before your current visa expires. Your new course must commence within 28 days of your current visa’s expiry date.
A decision on your application is usually made within 8 weeks.
A decision on your application is usually made within 8 weeks.
How long you can stay
How long you can stay depends on the length of your course and what study you have already completed in the UK
If you are 18 or over and your course is at degree level you can usually stay in the UK for up to 5 years If it is below degree level you can usually stay in the UK for up to 2 years
Staying longer in the UK
You may be able to
extend your visa if you are eligible for example to continue your studies in the UK
switch to a Student visa from another visa if you are already in the UK
switch to a Graduate visa to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing your course
When you can travel to the UK
You can arrive before your course starts This can be either
up to 1 week before if your course lasts 6 months or less
up to 1 month before if your course lasts more than 6 months
You must not travel to the UK before the start date given on your visa no matter when your course starts
Fees
It costs
£363 to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK
£490 to extend or switch to a Student visa from inside the UK
You must pay the visa fee for each person that joins you
Healthcare surcharge
You will also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.
How much you pay depends on how long your visa lasts Check how much you will have to pay before you apply.
Your partner and children
You may be able to bring your partner and children dependants
What you can and cannot do
You can
study
work as a student union sabbatical officer
You may be able to work how much depends on what you are studying and whether you are working in or out of term time
You cannot
claim public funds benefits and pensions
work in certain jobs for example as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
be self employed
study at an academy or a local authority funded school also known as a maintained school
If your application is successful you will be told what you can and cannot do on a Student visa