Requirements for Student Visa UK, A person applying for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Student must apply on the specified form on the gov.uk website as follows:
for applicants outside the UK applying for entry clearance, form “Student visa”; or
for applicants in the UK applying for permission to stay, form “Student”.
. An application for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Student must meet all the following requirements:
any fee and Immigration Health Charge must have been paid; and
the applicant must have provided biometrics when required; and
the applicant must have provided a passport or other travel document which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality; and
the applicant must provide a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies reference number that was issued to them no more than 6 months before the date of application.
If the applicant has, in the last 12 months before the date of application, completed a course of studies in the UK for which they have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship by a Government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs for study in the UK, they must provide written consent in relation to the application from that Government or agency.
UK Solicitors
If applying for permission to stay, the applicant must be in the UK on the date of application
If applying for permission to stay, the applicant must not have, or have last been granted, permission:
as a Visitor; or
as a Short-term Student; or
as a Parent of a Child Student; or
as a Seasonal Worker; or
as a Domestic Worker in a Private Household; or
outside the Immigration Rules
The applicant must be at least 16 years old on the date of application.
An application which does not meet all the validity requirements for a Student may be rejected as invalid and not considered.
Requirements for Student Visa UK
The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal.
If the applicant is applying for permission to stay, they must not be:
in the UK in breach of immigration laws, except that where paragraph 39E applies, that period of overstaying will be disregarded; or
on immigration bail.
Entry requirements for a Student
A person seeking to come to the UK as a Student must apply for and obtain entry clearance as a Student before they arrive in the UK.
A person applying for entry clearance as a Student must, if Appendix Tuberculosis applies, provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.
Date of application requirement for a Student
An application for entry clearance must be made no more than 6 months before the start date of the course stated on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
An application for permission to stay must be made no more than 3 months before the start date of the course on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
An application for permission to stay must be for study on a course with a start date no more than 28 days after the expiry date of the applicant’s previous permission.
Genuine Student requirement
The applicant must be a genuine student.
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies requirement
The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must have been issued by a student sponsor whose licence is still valid on the date on which the application is decided.
The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must not have been used in a previous application which was either granted or refused (but could have been relied on in a previous application which was rejected as invalid, made void or withdrawn).
The student sponsor must not have withdrawn the offer to the applicant after the date that the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was issued.
The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must contain the necessary information to confirm all the following requirements are met:
the course requirement; and
the approved qualification requirement; and
the level of study requirement; and
the place of study requirement.
The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must state the cost of any accommodation provided by the sponsor and fees (and any payment already made) so that the financial requirement can be assessed.
The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must show how the English language requirement has been met, and where the sponsor has assessed the applicant’s English language ability, must include the information in ST 13.3. and ST 13.4.
Course requirement for a Student
The application must be for a single course of study that meets the requirements in ST 8.2. unless it is one of the following:
a combined pre-sessional course which meets the requirements in ST 15.1. to 15.3.; or
a full-time, salaried, elected executive position as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer, where the applicant is either part-way through their studies or will fill the position in the academic year immediately after their graduation
The application must be for a course which is one of the following:
(a) a full-time course at degree level or above that leads to an approved qualification; or
(b) a full-time course below degree level involving a minimum of 15 hours per week of classroom-based daytime study (08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday) that leads to an approved qualification; or
(c) a full-time course involving a minimum of 15 hours per week of classroom-based daytime study that is a pre-sessional course; or
(d) a part-time course above degree level that leads to an approved qualification where the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies has been issued by a higher education provider with a track record of compliance; or
(e) a full-time course at degree level or above that is recognised by Ecctis as being equivalent to a UK higher education course where the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies has been assigned by an overseas higher education institution or a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.
If the course is an Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) qualification or an ACCA Foundations in Accountancy qualification, the student sponsor must be an ACCA approved learning partner – student tuition at either Gold or Platinum level.
If the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) requirement in Appendix ATAS applies, the applicant must have a valid ATAS certificate and provide it with the application.
Approved qualification requirement for a Student
The course of study, unless it is a pre-sessional course, must lead to an approved qualification which is one of the following:
(a) validated by Royal Charter; or
(b) awarded by a UK recognised body; or
(c) covered by a legal agreement between a UK recognised body and another education provider or awarding body, which confirms both:
(i) the UK recognised body’s independent assessment of the level of the student sponsor’s or awarding body’s programme compared to the Regulated Qualifications Framework or its equivalents; and
(ii) that the UK recognised body would admit any student who successfully completes the education provider’s or the awarding body’s named course onto a specific or a range of degree-level courses it provides; or
(d) recognised by one or more recognised bodies through a formal articulation agreement with the awarding body; or
(e) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, is at Regulated Qualifications Framework level 3 or above; or in Scotland is accredited at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6 or above; or
(f) an overseas qualification that Ecctis assesses as valid and equivalent to Regulated Qualifications Framework level 3 or above; or
(g) an aviation licence, rating or certificate issued by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Level of study requirement for a Student
If the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies has been assigned by a probationary sponsor, the course must meet one of the following requirements unless it is a pre-sessional course:
(a) the course will be studied in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and the applicant is aged under 18, and the course is at Regulated Qualifications Framework level 3 or above; or
(b) the course will be studied in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and the applicant is aged 18 or over, and the course is at Regulated Qualifications Framework level 4 or above; or
(c) the course will be studied in Scotland, and the applicant is aged under 18, and the course is at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6 or above; or
(d) the course will be studied in Scotland, and the applicant is aged 18 or over and the course is at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 7 or above.
If the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies has been assigned by a student sponsor, the course must meet one of the following requirements:
(a) the course will be studied in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and it is at Regulated Qualifications Framework level 3 or above; or
(b) the course will be studied in Scotland and it is at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6 or above; or
(c) the course is a short-term study abroad programme in the UK as part of the applicant’s qualification at an overseas higher education institution outside of the UK, and that qualification is recognised as being at UK bachelor’s degree level or above by Ecctis; or
(d) the course is a pre-sessional course in English language at level B2 or above of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; or
(e) the course is a recognised Foundation Programme for postgraduate doctors or dentists; or
(f) the course is being delivered under a partnership between a higher education institution and a research institute and is accredited at Regulated Qualifications Framework level 7 or above, or at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Level 11 or above.
Place of study requirement for a Student
All study that forms part of the course of study apart from permitted remote delivery must take place on the premises of the student sponsor or a partner institution unless the applicant is on a course-related work placement, a study abroad programme overseas, or a pre-sessional course.
Financial requirement for a Student
If the applicant is applying for permission to stay and has been living in the UK with permission for 12 months or more on the date of application, they will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.
If the applicant is applying for entry clearance or permission to stay and is applying as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer or to study on a recognised foundation programme as a doctor or dentist in training, they will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.
Source of Infroamtion : UK Immigration Rules 2025
