This visa is for foreign nationals, not including Irish Nationals, who want to study in the UK.

You can apply for a student visa to study in the UK if you are 16 or over and you:

• have been offered an unconditional place on a course at RQF level 3 or higher by a licensed student sponsor
• can speak, read, write, and understand English
• You must have enough money to pay for your course and support yourself in the UK:
  • You must show that you have sufficient funds to pay outstanding course fees for the first academic year, and can demonstrate funds to cover your living costs for up to 9 months. The amount you need to pay will be on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (‘CAS’). It is entirely the decision of your academic institution when and if they issue you with a CAS, and you cannot apply for the visa without one.
  • If you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, you do not need to prove you have this money for your visa application.
  • You’ll need to show you have enough money to support yourself – unless you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the date of your application. How much money you need depends on where you will be studying. You’ll need either:
    • £1,334.00 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London.
    • £1,023.00 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses outside London.
  • You must have this money for at least 28 consecutive days. The end date of the 28-day period must be within 31 days of the date you apply for your visa.
  • If you’re a national of a listed country, you may not need to provide evidence that you can pay for your course, however, UK Visas & Immigration reserve the right to ask for documentation from you which confirms you can afford to pay for your course.
• You may require a tuberculosis test if you reside or have resided in a listed country within 6 months of the date of your application.

 You can:

• study
• work as a student union sabbatical officer
• bring certain family members to the UK with you if you are a full-time student on a postgraduate level course (RQF level 7 or above) that lasts 9 months or longer
  • Your partner and child must each have a certain amount of money available to them. This is in addition to the money you must have to support yourself. How much money they need depends on where you will be studying. They must have either:
    • £845 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London
    • £680 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses outside London
  • NOTE: FROM 1 JANUARY 2024 YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO BRING DEPENDANTS WITH YOU IF ARE STUDYING A POSTGRADUATE LEVEL COURSE OF RQF LEVEL 8 OR HIGHER, OR A RESEARCH-BASED HIGHER DEGREE.
• You may be able to work – how much depends on what you’re studying and whether you’re working in or out of term-time.

 You cannot:

• claim public funds
• 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)

The earliest date you can apply for the visa is 6 months before you start your course if you are applying from outside the UK. You can only apply for initial entry clearance from your country of legal residency, and standard processing time for the visa is 15-business days. Please be advised that you must leave the UK when your visa expires, unless you are applying under a new visa category.