UK Student Visa Application: Requirements and Process

To apply for a UK Student visa you must be 16 or over, have an unconditional offer from a licensed student sponsor, be able to speak, read, write and understand English, and have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course. The application fee is £558, and you must also pay the healthcare surcharge. You apply online, and a decision is usually made within 3 weeks if you apply from outside the UK or 8 weeks if you apply from inside the UK.

Who can apply

The Student visa has replaced the Tier 4 (General) student visa. You can apply if you are 16 or over and you have been offered a place on a course by a licensed student sponsor. You also need to show that you have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course — the amount varies depending on your circumstances — and that you can speak, read, write and understand English.

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.

Extending your visa

If you are already in the UK on a Student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa, you may be able to extend your visa to stay longer and continue your course or study a new course. To extend, you must:

• be in the UK on a Student visa or a Tier 4 (General) student visa
• have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed student sponsor, shown by your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
• show that your studies are at a higher academic level than your current course (the ‘academic progress requirement’), with some exceptions

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.

Your partner or children will need to apply separately to extend their visa. They can apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.

Academic progress requirement

If you are currently studying in the UK, you will usually need to show that your studies will be at a higher academic level than your current course. 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 — it must be 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
• completing a PhD or other doctorate that you started studying under your last 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

When to apply

The timing depends on whether you are applying from inside or outside the UK.

Situation	Earliest you can apply
Applying from outside the UK	6 months before your course starts
Applying from inside the UK	3 months before your course starts

If you are applying from inside the UK, you must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. For example, if your visa expires on 1 December, you must apply for a new visa before 1 December, and your new course must begin by 29 December. You must also apply within 6 months of getting a CAS.

You can stay in the UK until you get your decision. If you applied for an administrative review because your application was refused, you can stay in the UK until you get your review decision.

Fees and costs

The visa fee is £558 to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK, and £558 to extend or switch to a Student visa from inside the UK. You must pay the visa fee for each person that 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. There is no fee for having your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken.

How to apply

You must apply online. As part of your application you will need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you are from and the type of passport or resident permit you have. You will either:

• use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document — you will also create or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account
• have your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point

You will be told what you need to do when you apply.

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

How long it takes

You will usually get a decision on your visa within:

• 3 weeks, if you are outside the UK
• 8 weeks, if you are inside the UK

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision — you will be told if you can when you apply. You will be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example because your supporting documents need to be verified, you need to attend an interview, or because of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction).

After you apply

If you need to change something in your application after you have sent it, contact UKVI. You can ask to withdraw your application by contacting UKVI. Your fee will only be refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

If your application is successful, you will get an eVisa — a digital record of your identity and immigration status. Your decision email or letter will tell you how to get access to your eVisa. You will need to create a UKVI account.

What you can and cannot do 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 (for example 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.

How long you can stay

How long you can stay depends on the length of your course and what study you have already completed in the UK. If you are 18 or over and your course is at degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 5 years. If it is below degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 2 years.

You may also be able to switch to a Graduate visa after successfully completing your course. A Graduate visa will allow you to stay in the UK for 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, or 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. It will allow you to stay for 3 years if you completed a PhD or other doctoral qualification.

What to do next

Before you apply, check the official GOV.UK Student visa guidance to confirm your eligibility and the documents you will need. The exact amount of money you must show and the specific evidence requirements depend on your circumstances, so read the full guidance carefully. If you are applying from inside the UK, check the extension rules carefully, including the academic progress requirement and the 28-day rule for your new course start date. Verify the current fee and healthcare surcharge amounts on the official page before you submit, as these can change.