UK Sponsor Requirements for Student Visas Explained

To get a UK Student visa, you must have an unconditional offer of a place on a course from a licensed student sponsor, evidenced by a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). The sponsor must hold a valid student sponsorship licence, and the course must be at a level and type that the visa route permits. You must also meet the English language, financial maintenance, and — if you are 16 or 17 — parental consent requirements. This page sets out what the sponsor must provide, what the CAS is, and what you must prove as the applicant.

What a licensed student sponsor is

A licensed student sponsor is an education provider that the Home Office has approved to sponsor students on the Student visa route. You cannot apply for a Student visa without an offer from one of these sponsors. The offer must be unconditional, meaning the sponsor has confirmed your place on the course without conditions that remain to be satisfied.

The sponsor issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) to evidence the offer. The CAS is not a document you can produce yourself; it is generated by the sponsor through the sponsorship system and contains the details of your course, your personal information, and the sponsor’s licence reference. You will need the CAS reference number when you apply.

If you are extending your visa, you must also have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed student sponsor, shown by a CAS. The same sponsorship requirement applies whether you are applying from inside or outside the UK.

What the CAS must show

The CAS confirms that a licensed sponsor has offered you a place on a course. When you apply to extend your Student visa, you must apply within 6 months of getting the CAS. The CAS is therefore time-limited in its use for an extension application.

For an initial application from outside the UK, the earliest you can apply is 6 months before your course starts. The CAS will normally be issued in time for you to make that application, but the exact timing is set by the sponsor. You should confirm with your sponsor when they will issue the CAS and check that the details on it are correct before you submit your application.

The academic progress requirement for extensions

If you are already in the UK on a Student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa and you want to extend, you will usually need to show that your new course is at a higher academic level than your current course. This is called the academic progress requirement. There are some exceptions.

Your new course must be one of the following:

• at a higher academic level than your current course
• at the same level and related to your previous course or career aspirations, provided it is degree level or above at a Higher Education Provider (HEP)
• intercalated to a medicine, dentistry or medical science course you started studying under your Student visa (including a Tier 4 (General) student visa)

You do not need to show your studies are at a higher level if you are doing one of the following:

• resitting exams or repeating modules
• applying for the first time to a new institution to complete a course you started at an institution that lost its student sponsorship licence
• applying after working as a student union sabbatical officer to complete a qualification you started studying under your last Student visa (including a Tier 4 (General) student visa)
• completing a PhD or other doctorate that you started studying under your last Student visa (including a Tier 4 (General) student visa)
• continuing your medical, dentistry or medical science degree after completing an intercalated course
• applying to extend your stay to complete your studies because you have done (or want to do) a work placement or study abroad programme

If you are applying to work as a student union sabbatical officer, you can get a CAS for that purpose. The academic progress rules still apply to the course you are studying.

Financial and English language requirements

You must have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course. The amount will vary depending on your circumstances. If you have been in the UK with a valid visa for less than 12 months, you will need to prove you have enough money to support yourself in the UK when you apply to extend.

You must also be able to speak, read, write and understand English. The Home Office requires you to prove your knowledge of the English language as part of the application. The specific evidence you need depends on your nationality and the qualification you hold.

If you are 16 or 17, you need consent from your parents, and you will need evidence of this when you apply. If you are 16 or 17 and want to study at an independent school in the UK, you may be eligible for a Child Student visa instead.

Fees and processing times

The fee for a Student visa is £558, whether you apply from outside the UK to enter, or from inside the UK to extend or switch. You must pay the visa fee for each person who joins you. You will also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application; how much you pay depends on how long your visa lasts.

Application type	Fee	Usual decision time
Apply from outside the UK	£558	3 weeks
Extend from inside the UK	£558	8 weeks
Switch to Student visa from inside the UK	£558	8 weeks

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision; you will be told if you can when you apply. There is no fee for having your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken when you extend.

What you can and cannot do on a Student visa

On a Student visa you can study and work as a student union sabbatical officer. You may be able to work; how much depends on what you are studying and whether you are working in or out of term-time.

You cannot claim public funds (benefits) and pensions, work in certain jobs such as a professional sportsperson or sports coach, be self-employed, or study at an academy or a local authority-funded school (also known as a maintained school). If your application is successful, you will be told what you can and cannot do on a Student visa.

What to do next and what to verify

Before you apply, confirm that your chosen institution is a licensed student sponsor and that the course they have offered you qualifies for the Student visa route. Ask the sponsor when they will issue the CAS and check the details on it carefully.

If you are extending, check the academic progress rules against your new course and confirm whether any exception applies to you. Verify the financial maintenance amount that applies to your circumstances on the official financial evidence guidance, and check the English language evidence you need.

You must apply before your current visa expires if you are extending, and your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. The earliest you can apply from inside the UK is 3 months before your course starts. You must also apply within 6 months of getting a CAS. Do not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision on an extension; your application will be withdrawn if you do.

Check the full guidance on GOV.UK for the Student visa to confirm the current fee, the healthcare surcharge rates, and the specific evidence requirements for your nationality and course level.