Student visa

Overview

You are granted permission for the length of your course plus some extra time: for a course of 12 months or more, 1 month before it starts and 4 months after it ends; for a course of 6 to 12 months, 1 month before and 2 months after. You can arrive up to 1 month before a course of more than 6 months starts, or 1 week before a shorter course, but never before the start date of your visa.

There are limits on the total time you can spend studying from the age of 18: usually 5 years at degree level and 2 years below degree level. Some longer degrees, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and architecture, are exempt.

Your work rights depend on your course:

• degree level or above at a university or other higher education provider with a track record of compliance: up to 20 hours a week in term time, and full time in vacations;
• below degree level at such a provider: up to 10 hours a week in term time, and full time in vacations;
• other courses, including most part-time courses: no work.

Students cannot be self-employed, work as a professional sportsperson, sports coach or entertainer, fill a permanent full-time job, or claim public funds.

Three dates matter now. For applications made on or after 30 November 2026, the maintenance funds rise (see below). From 1 January 2027, the Graduate visa will last 18 months instead of 2 years. And since January 2024, most students can no longer bring family members.

Who can apply

You can apply if you are 16 or over and have an unconditional offer from a licensed student sponsor. The route is for:

• undergraduate and postgraduate students at universities;
• students on full-time further education courses at RQF level 3 or above (SCQF level 6 or above in Scotland), such as A levels or a foundation year;
• students on a pre-sessional English course before a degree;
• doctoral researchers, and students sponsored by their government.

Since 26 March 2026, Student visa applications made from outside the UK by nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan are refused.

It is not for children under 16, who need a Child Student visa; for an English course of 6 to 11 months, which needs a Short-term study visa; or for a short course of up to 6 months, which can usually be done as a visitor.

Requirements

• CAS: your sponsor issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, a reference number with your course details. You must apply within 6 months of it being issued, and each CAS can be used only once.
• English: at CEFR level B2 for degree-level courses and B1 below degree level. Universities can assess your English themselves; otherwise you need a Secure English Language Test, a qualifying UK qualification or degree, or a nationality exemption.
• Money: you must show you can pay any outstanding course fees for the first year and your living costs.
• Parental consent: if you are 16 or 17, your parents must agree to your study, travel and living arrangements.
• ATAS certificate: some postgraduate courses in sensitive science and technology subjects need one. Your CAS will say so.
• Tuberculosis test: if you live in a country on the Home Office list.
• Academic progress: if you extend in the UK for a new course, it must normally be at a higher level than your last one.

Maintenance funds

Living costs are calculated for up to 9 months:

So a student starting a one-year master's in Manchester and applying in December 2026 needs £10,827 for living costs (9 times £1,203), plus any unpaid fees for the first year. The money must have been held for at least 28 days in a row, and the 28-day period must end no more than 31 days before you apply.

You do not need to show funds if you are applying in the UK and have held permission here for at least 12 months. Nationals of some countries listed by the Home Office, and BN(O) passport holders, do not have to send the evidence with the application, but must keep it in case they are asked.

How to apply

1. Accept an unconditional offer and receive your CAS from the sponsor.
2. Gather your evidence: passport, bank statements, qualifications listed on the CAS, English evidence if needed, ATAS certificate, tuberculosis test result and parental consent where relevant.
3. Apply online. From outside the UK, you can apply up to 6 months before your course starts; from inside the UK, up to 3 months before.
4. Pay the visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
5. Prove your identity, either with the UK Immigration: ID Check app if your passport allows it, or by giving fingerprints and a photo at a visa application centre or service point.
6. If you are granted, link your eVisa to your passport through a UKVI account.

Costs

The Home Office charges a visa fee, the same from outside or inside the UK, and the Immigration Health Surcharge, which students pay at a reduced rate for each year of their visa. Each family member pays both. The current figures appear beside this page, and our visa cost calculator works out the surcharge for your course length.

Other costs include priority processing, English tests, tuberculosis tests, translations, and the course fees and living costs you must show.

Processing times

Applications from outside the UK are usually decided within 3 weeks; applications from inside the UK within 8 weeks. In many cases you can pay for a faster decision, and you will be told when you apply whether this is available. Summer is the busiest time for student applications, so apply as early as the rules allow.

Partners and children

For courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, only two groups of students can bring a partner and children under 18:

• full-time postgraduate students on a course of 9 months or longer that is a PhD, another doctorate or a research-based higher degree;
• government-sponsored students on a full-time course of 6 months or longer.

Each dependant needs extra funds of £845 a month in London or £680 a month elsewhere, for up to 9 months. Partners can usually work. Other students cannot bring family members as dependants; a partner or child would need to qualify for a visa of their own, and our personal visas page sets out the options.

Extending your stay and settlement

You can extend your Student visa in the UK for a new course, normally at a higher level and within the time limits. You can switch into the Student route from most other visas in the UK, but not from a visit visa, a Short-term study visa, a Parent of a Child Student visa, a seasonal worker or domestic worker visa, or leave outside the rules. You must apply before your current permission ends, and your new course must start within 28 days of its expiry.

The Graduate route

After a UK bachelor's or postgraduate degree, or certain other eligible courses, you can apply in the UK for a Graduate visa, which lets you work at any level without a sponsor. It lasts 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027; doctoral graduates get 3 years. You must still hold your Student visa when you apply, and your university must have reported that you completed the course.

Switching to Skilled Worker

You can switch to a Skilled Worker visa once you have completed your course, or before then if your job starts after the course ends, or if you are a full-time PhD student with at least 24 months of study done.

The Student route does not lead to settlement on its own, but lawful time as a student can count towards indefinite leave to remain on long residence after 10 years.

How we can help

We check your eligibility and CAS details, and we review your financial evidence before you apply, because a small error, such as money held for 27 days instead of 28, is enough for a refusal. We also advise families on whether a Student or Child Student visa suits a 16 or 17 year old better.

For students already in the UK, we advise on extensions, academic progress and the move to the Graduate or Skilled Worker routes. If you have been refused, we advise on administrative review or a fresh application. Book a consultation to discuss your plans.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring my husband or wife on a master's course?

Only if your master's is a research-based higher degree or you are government-sponsored. On a taught master's, your partner cannot come as your dependant and would need to qualify for a visa in their own right.

How many hours can I work during term time?

Up to 20 hours a week on a degree-level course at a university, or 10 hours a week below degree level. You can work full time during vacations. Working more than the limit breaches your visa conditions and can lead to your visa being cancelled.

I have been in the UK for a year. Do I need to show money?

No. If you are applying in the UK and have held permission here for at least 12 months on the date you apply, you do not need to show maintenance funds.

My visa runs out before my graduation ceremony. Can I stay for it?

The extra months after your course usually cover the ceremony. If not, you can apply for a Graduate visa as soon as your university reports that you have completed the course, without waiting for the ceremony.

Should I apply for the Graduate visa before 1 January 2027?

If you are eligible before then, applying on or before 31 December 2026 secures 2 years rather than 18 months. You can only apply once your university has reported that you have completed your course, and while your Student visa is still valid.

Can I switch to a Student visa from a visit visa?

No. If you came to the UK as a visitor, for example to attend interviews or look at universities, you must go home and apply for a Student visa from there.