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If you’re not a British or Irish citizen, and you don’t already hold UK immigration permission that allows study (for example settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, indefinite leave to remain, or other permission to stay), you will need to apply for the appropriate visa.
For undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, you will need to apply for a Student visa which is part of the points-based immigration system. This is true for any programmes of study longer than 6 months in the UK.
You can begin applying for a Student visa up to 6 months before your course start date if you’re applying from outside the UK.
The School will send you an email with details on how to apply once you have accepted an unconditional offer from us.
Once you have satisfied all conditions of your offer, or have received an unconditional offer, the school will send you a checklist to ensure you have all of the correct documentation.
We will carefully check each document you supply to us against the points-based immigration system requirements. Before we issue a Confirmation of Acceptance (CAS), we will confirm that you:
Once you’ve provided all required documents, we’ll email your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). That email will outline your next steps and any further requirements. Please keep in touch throughout the process and let us know as soon as you receive your visa. If your application is refused by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), you must notify us the same day; our admissions team will advise you on the next steps.
Students whose first language is not English must provide recent evidence that their English language ability is sufficient for the programme(s) to which they have applied. This may be evidenced by a Secure English Language Test (SELT), such as IELTS for UKVI (Academic), or by another qualification listed on our Language Requirements page.
You will need to be at CEFR level B2 for our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with an overall score equivalent to IELTS 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band). UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires education providers to verify that applicants meet the minimum English language level before we are permitted to issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
The UKVI does not require SELTs from the following countries which they consider majority English speaking:
The UKVI will confirm your nationality using your passport.
You are also exempted from requiring a SELT if you have completed a degree from the countries listed below:
A full list of acceptable English Language tests can be found here
Before we issue your CAS, the School must check the financial documents you’ll submit to UKVI. This section outlines the school and UKVI financial requirements which must be satisfied before you can apply.
The UK government requires Student visa applicants to show living costs of £1,483 per month for up to 9 months (£13,347 in total) plus any outstanding tuition fees shown on your CAS.
If you’ve prepaid for accommodation arranged by your student sponsor, you may deduct up to £1,483 from the amount you need to show (payments to private landlords/private halls cannot be deducted). Always check the latest GOV.UK guidance before applying.
You need to be able to show that you have access to this money in one of the following ways:
For all these three sources, if your account is not held in UK pounds (GBP), you should demonstrate to us that you have sufficient funds by making a currency conversion calculation of the funds that you hold into UK pounds, and then clearly displaying this sum on the proof of your finances. The UK Home Office (the government ministry which runs UKVI) uses the OANDA website to convert currencies into GBP. You should use this site for your calculation.
You may use either an account in your name or a joint account which you hold with other people or an account in your parents’ name.
The money in the account(s) must be ‘cash’ e.g. not shares, bonds, property or a fixed‐term deposit (a deposit which you are not allowed to withdraw whenever you want). You may use more than one account to show that you have the total money required. You should also check that your bank statement is issued by a financial institution accepted as valid by UKVI.
UKVI is very specific about the documents which it accepts as proof that you meet the financial requirements. The document must be either:
or
It must show the following information:
Note: If you have only internet bank statements, these must contain all of the details listed above and you must include a letter from your bank on headed paper confirming that the statements are authentic. Some banks will stamp and sign a printed internet bank statement, and you should check whether your bank offers this service. A statement of your finances (as detailed above) stamped and signed by your bank is acceptable.
If you are using a bank statement provided by your parents, you have to provide additional information.
This can be one of the following documents:
You will need to submit an original signed and dated letter from the parent(s) or legal guardian when you submit your application form, confirming
If you are using a loan made to you as your financial evidence, you must provide a document confirming the loan.
The UKVI will accept only government-provided loans or approved educational loans as proof to support a Student visa application. You will need to provide a loan letter, which must be from a regulated financial institution and be dated no earlier than 6 months before the date of your application.
The letter must be the original (not a copy) and must clearly show:
UKVI now defines an ‘official financial sponsor’ as:
The letter from your financial sponsor must be an original document, should be on the official headed paper of the organisation, have the official stamp of the organisation, and contain the following information:
If your official financial sponsor is providing all of the funds for your course fees and maintenance, you do not have to provide separate evidence of your savings.
If your sponsor pays only some of your costs, you will need a letter from the sponsor and proof that you have enough money of your own to meet the rest of the maintenance (living expenses) requirement – for example, your personal bank statements.
