What is this guidance about?
This guidance explains what you will need to do if you want to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) to study, and what the Immigration Rules say. It is only a guide but it aims to answer some common questions.
- How do I qualify to travel to the UK as a student?
- What is a visa?
- Do I need a visa to study in the UK?
- How do I apply for a visa?
- What will I need to make my application?
- What supporting documents should I include with my application?
- What will happen when I make my application?
- What are public funds?
- Can I extend my stay as a student?
- Can I work?
- Can I switch to work permit employment whilst in the UK?
- Can I bring my husband, wife or civil partner and children with me?
- Will my husband, wife or civil partner be allowed to work?
- Can I go to the UK to arrange my studies?
- When should I apply?
- More advice and information
How do I qualify to travel to the UK as a student?
You must be able to show that you have been accepted on a course of study at an educational establishment that is on the UK's Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Register of Education and Training Providers. Contact details are under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance, or you can search the register on the DfES website at: www.dfes.gov.uk
You must be able to show that you are going to follow:
- a recognised full-time degree course, or
- a course run during the week involving at least 15 hours of organised daytime study each week, or
- a full-time course at an independent fee-paying school
You must also:
- be able to pay for your course and support yourself and any dependants, and live in the UK without working or needing any help from public funds,
- be able and intend to follow your chosen course, and
- intend to leave the UK when you complete your studies.
If you graduated from a UK university or other educational institution in the last 12 months with a bachelor's degree (second class honours or above) masters degree or PhD in certain subjects you can apply to stay in the UK, to look for or to take work, for an additional year after your degree course finishes without getting a work permit. For more information, please see our "Permit-free Employment" leaflet.
If you sucessfully complete a degree level course or above, awarded by a Scottish institution, you may be able to apply to live and work in Scotland for up to two years after achieving your qualification under the 'Fresh Talent:Working in Scotland' scheme.
Back to questions
What is a visa?
A visa is a certificate that is put into your passport or travel document by an Entry Clearance Officer at a British mission overseas. The visa gives you permission to enter the UK.
If you have a valid UK visa, we will not normally refuse you entry to the UK unless your circumstances have changed, or you gave false information or did not tell us important facts when you applied for your visa.
When you arrive in the UK, an Immigration Officer may ask you questions, so take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.
Back to questions
Do I need a visa to study in the UK?
You will need a visa if you:
- are a national of one of the countries listed on the Visa and DATV nationals page on this website
- are stateless (you don't have a nationality)
- hold a non-national travel document, or
- hold a passport issued by an authority that is not recognised in the UK
If you are not an EEA national and you intend to stay in the UK for more than six months, you will need to get an entry clearance before you travel. More information is available on this website or from your nearest British mission overseas where there is a visa section.
If you do not need an entry clearance, you will have to satisfy the Immigration Officer that you qualify for entry when you arrive in the UK. They will then give you permission to stay in the UK for up to six months. You will not be allowed to extend your stay in the UK as a student unless you arrived with a student or prospective student visa.
To extend your stay you will need to apply for a residence permit at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. (Contact details are under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance.) IND will charge a non refundable fee for any extension application.
If you have any doubts about whether you qualify for entry, you should apply for a visa before you travel to the UK.
Back to questions
How do I apply for a visa?
You can apply in a number of ways, for example by post, by courier, in person and online. The visa section will tell you about the ways in which you can apply.
Some visa sections will only accept applications made online. To find out if you can apply for your visa online plesse visit www.visa4uk.fco
If you cannot apply online you will need to fill in a visa application for (VAF 1 - non-settlement)
You can apply for a visit visa or EEA family permit at any full service visa-issuing office. If you are applying from within the EEA, you will need to show that you are living legally in an EEA member state. 'Living legally' includes having a visit visa for the member state. For all other types of visa you should apply in the country of which you are a national or where you legally live.
In some countries, if you are applying for a visa to stay in the UK for more than six months, you may need to be tested for active tuberculosis before we will accept your application. You can find out if you need to be tested by using the Do I need a UK visa? on this website, or by contacting your nearest British mission overseas where there is a visa section.
Back to questions
What will I need to make my application?
You will need to make your application online or fill in the following visa application form:
 | Application form VAF1 - Non-Settlement (PDF, 165K) |
You will also need:
- Your passport or travel document .
- A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm), colour photograph of yourself.
This should be:- taken against a light coloured background
- clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
- printed on normal photographic paper, and
- full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons
- The visa fee. This cannot be refunded and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
- Supporting documents relevant to your application.
What supporting documents should I include with my application?
You should include all the documents you can to show that you qualify for entry to the UK as a student. If you do not, we may refuse your application.
As a guide, you should include:
- any relevant diplomas or educational certificates that you have
- a letter from the university, college or school confirming that you have been accepted on a course of study in the UK, and a statement of charges for the course
- evidence of government sponsorship (if appropriate)
- bank statements, payslips or other evidence to show that you can pay for your stay and your course of studies in the UK, and
- if you are being privately sponsored (for example, by a college in the UK) you should provide a letter from your sponsor giving details of how they will support you during your studies, and evidence that they can do so.
We will refuse your application if we find that any documents are forged.
Back to questions
What will happen when I make my application?
The Entry Clearance Officer will try to make a decision using your application form and the supporting documents you have provided. If this is not possible, they will need to interview you.
Please check your visa when you get it. You should make sure that:
- your personal details are correct
- it correctly states the purpose for which you want to come to the UK, and
- it is valid for the date on which you want to travel. (You can ask for it to be post-dated for up to three months if you do not plan to travel immediately.)
If you think there is anything wrong with your visa, contact the visa section immediately.
Back to questions
What are public funds?
Under the Immigration Rules, if you want to travel to the UK to study, you must be able to support yourself and live without claiming certain state benefits. Use this link to see a list of them:
Public funds
You are not allowed to enter the UK or stay as a visitor in the UK to receive medical treatment on the National Health Service (NHS). Information on how you can enter the UK to have private medical treatment is in our Visitors guidance.
You can find more information about public funds in the Immigration Directorate Instructions (IDIs) and Immigration Rules on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate’s website.
 | Immigration and Nationality Directorate |
Can I extend my stay as a student?
If you enter the UK with a student visa or prospective student visa, or if you want to study on a course at degree level or higher, you can apply to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). Their contact details are at end of this guidance. IND will charge you a non-refundable fee for any extension application.
The maximum period of time that a student can stay in the UK on short courses one after the other, below degree level, is two years.
If you do not enter the UK with a student or prospective student visa, you will not be allowed to extend your stay.
Back to questions
Can I work?
You can take part-time or holiday work, but you must not:
- work for more than 20 hours a week during term time unless your placement is part of your studies, has been agreed with your educational institution and leads to a degree or qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body
- do business, be self-employed or provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, or
- work full-time in a permanent job.
If you are coming to the UK as a student for six months or less, you must ask the Entry Clearance Officer (or the Immigration Officer if you do not need an entry clearance) for permission to work.
Back to questions
Can I switch to work permit employment when I am in the UK?
You may be able to switch if:
- you have completed a recognised degree course at either a UK publicly-funded
institution of further or higher education or an approved private education institution that has satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance - you hold a valid work permit for employment
- you have been sponsored by a government or agency and you have their written permission to remain in the UK in a different category
- you have not broken immigration law.
Can I bring my husband, wife or civil partner and children with me?
Your husband, wife or civil partner and any of your children under 18 can come to the UK with you during your studies, as long as you can support them and live without needing any help from public funds.
Back to questions
Will my husband, wife or civil partner be allowed to work?
Your husband, wife or civil partner will be allowed to work in the UK if we give you permission to stay in the country for 12 months or more.
Back to questions
Can I go to the UK to arrange my studies?
You can travel to the UK as a prospective student for up to six months to arrange your studies. You will need to show that:
- you intend to enrol on a course of study within six months of arriving in the UK
- you can pay for your course, support yourself and your dependants, and live without working or needing any help from public funds, and
- you intend to leave the UK when you finish your studies or when your permission to stay ends if you do not qualify to stay in the UK as a student.
Back to questions
When should I apply?
You should apply in good time for your entry clearance so that you are not delayed in getting into the UK. It can get very busy in visa sections, especially over the summer when lots of students are applying. Back to questions
Department for Education and Skills (DfES)
You can get more information about the DfES and the register of approved education providers from:
| | Department for Education and Skills |
Tothill Street
London SW1H 9FN
Phone: (+44) (0) 870 000 2288
Email: info@dfes.gov.u
Website: www.dfes.gov.uk
You can get more advice about studying in the UK from:
UKCOSA
The Council for International Education provides advice and information to international students studying or planning to study in the UK, and to their family, teachers and other advisors:
| | UKCOSA: The Council for International Education |
9-17 St Albans Place
London N1 0NX
Website: www.ukcosa.org.
British Council
The British Council provides information to help international students prepare for study in the UK. This link will take you to the British Council's "First Steps" guidance on preparing for entry clearance:
| | First Steps Guidance - Preparing for entry clearance |
More information about studying in the UK is available from:
| | British Council |
58 Whitworth Street
Manchester M1 6BB
Website: http://www.educ
UKvisas
You can get more advice and information about visas from:
UKvisas
London SW1A 2AH
General enquiries: 0845 010 5555
Please note that this number may not work from overseas. If you are calling from overseas, please contact your nearest British mission:
| | UK diplomatic missions overseas |
Application forms: (+44) (0)20 7008 8308
Textphone: +44 (0)20 7008 8457
Email: www.ukvisas.gov
Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND)
You can get more advice and information about extending your stay once you are in the UK from:
| | Immigration and Nationality Directorate |
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon CR9 2BY
General enquiries: (+44) (0)870 606 7766
Application forms: (+44) (0)870 241 0645
E-mail: indpublicenquir
Website: www.ind.homeoff
Immigration Advisory Service (IAS)
The Immigration Advisory Service is the UK's largest charity providing advice and representation in asylum, immigration and nationality law. It has offices right across the UK and abroad. It provides a free service to those who are eligible, an may be able to help those who are not. The IAS is a non-profit service.
| | Immigration Advisory Service |
190 Great Dover Street
London SE1 4YB
Phone: (+44) (0)20 7967 1200
Duty Office (24 hrs): (+44) (0)20 8814 1559
Fax: (+44) (0)20 7403 5875
E-mail: advice@iasuk.or
Website: www.iasuk.org
Revenue and Customs
Advice on bringing personal belongings and goods into the United Kingdom can be obtained from:
| | HM Revenue & Customs |
Stamford Street
London SE1 9PY
Phone: (+44) (0)845 010 9000
Website: www.hmrc.gov.uk
Health insurance
If you come from a country with a health-care agreement with the UK, or if you are enrolled on a course for more than six months, you may be able to get medical treatment on the National Health Service (NHS). Short-term students who are in the UK for six months or less are not entitled to free medical treatment, and you will have to pay for any treatment you get. Please make sure you have enough health insurance for the whole of your stay.
Drugs warning
Anyone found smuggling drugs into the UK will face serious penalties. Drug traffickers may try to bribe travellers. If you are travelling to the UK, avoid any involvement with drugs.
Forged or destroyed documents
Travellers to the UK may commit an offence if they do not produce valid travel documents or passports to the UK immigration authorities for themselves and their children. People found guilty of this offence face up to two years in prison or a fine (or both).
Alternative formats
In the UK we also have versions of our guidance notes in Braille, on audio tape and in large print. If you would like any guidance notes in one of these formats, please contact:
UKvisas
London SW1A 2AH
Phone: (+44) (0)20 7008 8308
Email: www.ukvisas.gov
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