What is this guidance about?
This guidance explains what you will need to do if you want to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) to study, and what the Immigration Rules say. It is only a guide but it aims to answer some common questions.
How do I qualify to travel to the UK as a student?
What is a visa?
Do I need a visa to study in the UK?
How do I apply for a visa?
What will I need to make my application?
What supporting documents should I include with my application?
What will happen when I make my application?
What are public funds?
Can I extend my stay as a student?
Can I work?
Can I switch to work permit employment whilst in the UK?
Can I bring my husband, wife or civil partner and children with me?
Will my husband, wife or civil partner be allowed to work?
Can I go to the UK to arrange my studies?
When should I apply?
More advice and information
How do I qualify to travel to the UK as a student?
You must be able to show that you have been accepted on a course of study at an educational establishment that is on the UK's Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Register of Education and Training Providers. Contact details are under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance, or you can search the register on the DfES website at: www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister
You must be able to show that you are going to follow:
a recognised full-time degree course, or
a course run during the week involving at least 15 hours of organised daytime study each week, or
a full-time course at an independent fee-paying school
You must also:
be able to pay for your course and support yourself and any dependants, and live in the UK without working or needing any help from public funds, and
intend to leave the UK when you complete your studies.
If you are a degree student and you successfully complete your studies, you may be able to take work permit employment if you meet the requirements. You can get more information about work permits in our Work permit holders (INF 13) guidance note.
If you graduate in an approved science or engineering subject you can apply to stay in the UK, to look for or to take work, for an additional year after your degree course finishes without getting a work permit. For more information, please see the Permit free employment (INF 14) guidance note.
Under the ‘Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland’ scheme, if you successfully complete a degree level course or above, and it was awarded by a Scottish institution, you may be able to apply to live and work in Scotland for up to two years after achieving your qualification.
Back to questions
What is a visa?
A visa is a certificate that is put into your passport or travel document by an Entry Clearance Officer at a British mission overseas. The visa gives you permission to enter the UK.
If you have a valid UK visa, we will not normally refuse you entry to the UK unless your circumstances have changed, or you gave false information or did not tell us important facts when you applied for your visa.
When you arrive in the UK, an Immigration Officer may ask you questions, so take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.
Back to questions
Do I need a visa to study in the UK?
You will need a visa if you:
are a national of one of the countries listed at the end of this guidance
are stateless (you don't have a nationality)
hold a non-national travel document, or
hold a passport issued by an authority that is not recognised in the UK
If you are not an EEA national and you intend to stay in the UK for more than six months, you will need to get an entry clearance before you travel. More information will be available on this website or from your nearest British mission overseas where there is a visa section.
If you do not need an entry clearance, you will have to satisfy the Immigration Officer that you qualify for entry when you arrive in the UK. They will then give you permission to stay in the UK for up to six months. You will not be allowed to extend your stay in the UK as a student unless you arrived with a student or prospective student visa, or you are studying on a course at degree level or higher.
To extend your stay you will need to apply for a residence permit at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. (Contact details are under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance.) They will charge you a fee for this.
If you have any doubts about whether you qualify for entry, you should apply for a visa before you travel to the UK.
Back to questions
How do I apply for a visa?
You will need to fill in a visa application form (VAF 1 – Non-settlement). You can download the form from this website, or get one free of charge from your nearest British mission overseas where there is a visa section.
You must apply for your visa in the country of which you are a national or where you legally live.
You can apply in a number of ways, for example by post, by courier, in person and online. The visa section will tell you about the ways in which you can apply.
In some countries, if you are applying for a visa to stay in the UK for more than six months, you may need to be tested for active tuberculosis before we will accept your application. You can find out if you need to be tested by using the Do I need a UK visa? on this website, or by contacting your nearest British mission overseas where there is a visa section.
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