Applying for a Student visa

Use the following information to help you apply for your Student visa (formerly known as Tier 4) from outside the UK. Before you apply for your visa, make sure you are confident that you can travel and only book your flight when your visa has been granted.

For the latest information about Student visas, please check the UK Government website.

Step 1 – Accept your offer

Firmly accept your unconditional offer. 

Step 2 – Pay any tuition fee deposit required

Only taught postgraduate students are required to pay a fee deposit of £3,000 or provide evidence of full funding before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) can be issued. This includes students taking a summer pre-sessional English language course at the University of Leeds Language Centre before their taught postgraduate degree.

Find out how to pay a tuition fee deposit if you are a taught postgraduate student.

Step 3 – Check your CAS details

Your CAS will be emailed to you after you have accepted your offer. If you are a taught postgraduate student it will be emailed to you after you have also paid your fee deposit or provided acceptable evidence of full funding. You do not need to contact us to request a CAS. 

You will receive an electronic version of your CAS – an original version is not required for your visa application. 

Check all the information on your CAS to confirm it is correct. In particular, please ensure that your passport number is for the passport you will use to travel to the UK.

If any details are incorrect, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing the CAS enquiries team at casqueries@leeds.ac.uk.

Any tuition fees (including fee deposits) that you have paid prior to the CAS being issued will be shown on the CAS you receive. If you make any further payments towards your tuition fees before using your CAS to apply for a visa, we will email you an updated CAS summary automatically once the payment has been processed – you do not need to contact us to request this and your CAS number will not change. If you do not receive an updated CAS before you apply for your visa you can submit receipts for your payments with your visa application.

Your email provider may not display the CAS fee data correctly if they are not used to rendering the British pound sterling symbol. However, please be assured that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will receive the correct information in the electronic version of your CAS.

We cannot make any updates to your CAS once it has been used for a visa application. 

Step 4 – Prepare your visa application documents 

Depending on your situation, you will need some, or all, of the following documents:

• Your current passport and any other passports that you hold.
• Sponsor/scholarship/bursary letter dated no more than six months old (if you are financially sponsored). Confirmation of sponsorships/scholarships/bursaries is not listed on your CAS therefore the original sponsor letter is required.
• Financial documents – including bank statements, bank letters and savings books. You need to hold the required funds for a minimum of 28 days and your bank statement must be no more than 31 days old on the date you submit your application online. For more information, please read our financial document checklist before you make your visa application.
• If you are relying on money held in your parents’ bank accounts you will need proof of your relationship to your parents, your parents’ bank statements and a letter in English from your parents confirming they are supporting you.
• Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
• Previous qualifications if mentioned in your CAS.
• Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if applicable. These are valid for six months.
• Check whether you need a tuberculosis test certificate. These are valid for six months.
• Birth and marriage certificates for dependants (husband/wife, children) if applicable and only if they are applying as part of your immigration application.
• Supporting letter about gaps in study – this is not a mandatory document but if there are gaps in your previous study history, we recommend that you submit a letter explaining your circumstances, for example (but not limited to) if you have had domestic responsibilities, or if you have been working in a field related to your intended course.
• If you are below the age of 18, you will need to provide a letter from your parents/legal guardian confirming their consent to the application and evidence of your relationship to your parents/guardian (such as a copy of your birth certificate). Please ensure that you apply for a Student visa. Do not apply for the Child Student visa for study at Leeds.

Please note that under the Student visa guidance, only personal bank statements in your name or your parents’ names can be submitted. You are not able to use company statements, even if the company is owned by your parent nor can you use a bank statement from another relative such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle. 

UKVI has confirmed it will accept funds in a certificate of deposit if the certificate confirms that the money has been held for the required 28 day period and that the account holder can access the funds at any time.

If you would like the Student Visa Advice team to check your financial evidence before you submit your Student visa application please scan and email it as a PDF attachment to the Student Visa Advice team at studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk. We will let you know if it meets the requirements.

All documents must translated into English by a certified translator if they are not in English. If you are uploading copies of your documents please make sure that the copies are in colour, that the entire document is visible, and that all the text is legible.

Step 5 – Check your finances

In addition to demonstrating that you have enough money to pay your outstanding tuition fees for the first year of your course, you will also need to show that you have enough funds to meet the maintenance requirement (money for your living expenses):

• If you apply for your Student visa before 2 January 2025, you will need £1,023 for each month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months (a total of £9,207 if your course is 9 months or longer)
• If you apply for your Student visa on or after 2 January 2025, you will need £1,136 for each month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months (a total of £10,224 if your course is 9 months or longer)

Please read our financial document checklist before you make your visa application. You can also find out more about Student visa financial requirements from UKCISA.

If you're applying with dependants, you will need to show a higher sum of money. The maintenance requirement for each dependant is £680 per month for nine months (£6,120).

If you will receive official financial sponsorship, a scholarship or a bursary please ensure that this funding meets the above requirements. If not, you are required to submit a bank statement to supplement your funding. 

UKVI consider nationals from some countries to be 'low risk' and as such, they do not need to submit any financial or qualification evidence with their visa application. If this applies to you, you must still meet the requirements on the date of your application by having those documents prepared, as UKVI can and do request these documents at any time. Please check if your country is on UKVI’s list before submitting your application.

Step 6 – Complete your Student visa application online

Complete your application on the UKVI website. The earliest date you can submit your application is six months before your course start date.

Please make sure that you are applying using the correct Student visa application form. Do not submit an application using the Child Student or Short-term student application forms.

The application should be made in your home country, or the country where you are normally resident.

The University of Leeds is a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance. 

Please note that your visa application will be decided by UKVI on the basis of the information and documents you provide to them. The issue of a CAS does not guarantee a successful application. 

Step 7 – Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and the Visa Application Fee

You will be required to make two payments to submit your visa application. You will need to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge and a Visa Application Fee.

The amounts listed below are in British pounds, but if you are applying from outside the UK you will be required to make the payments in your local currency or, in some countries, US dollars. This means that the true cost may vary based on the currency exchange rate.

Step 8 – Submit your documents

Once you have paid the visa application fee and IHS your application will be submitted. You will then need to you will need to book an appointment to attend in person to submit your documents and give your biometrics. Some visa application centres have additional charges when booking the appointment.

Find a visa application centre.

If you have a biometric EU, EEA or Swiss passport, you will not need to attend an appointment to submit your application as you will be eligible to apply using the 'UK Immigration: ID Check App'.

Credibility interviews

Anyone applying for a Student visa from outside the UK can be interviewed as part of their visa application. The purpose of the interview is to check if you are a genuine student and that your English ability is at the correct level.

If UKVI decide to interview you they will contact you after you have submitted your application and ask you to be available tor a telephone interview on a particular date and time, or they may ask you to attend an interview in-person at a designated time and location. You must make sure that you check your email regularly, including your junk folder, in case you are contacted with an interview invitation or a request for further evidence. At your interview a UKVI caseworker may ask you about the information in your application form, your course, why you want to study in the UK and at the University of Leeds, your education and employment history, your future plans and any other relevant information.

What will happen next?

If your course duration is less than six months, an entry clearance vignette (visa sticker) will be added to your passport covering the full length of your course.

If your course is more than six months, an entry clearance vignette (visa sticker) will be added to your passport. This visa will be valid for 90 days only. When your visa is granted you will also receive instructions from UKVI telling you how to create a UKVI account to view your eVisa (your online immigration status). The eVisa will be valid for the full length of your stay in the UK.

If you are granted your visa after 1 November 2024 you will not receive a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). UKVI stopped issuing new BRPs on 31 October 2024 and have replaced them with eVisas, an online record of your immigration status.

You must make sure that you travel to the UK after the start date of your Student visa. During registration, the University is required to check the date you enter the UK and confirm that you entered within the dates of your visa. If you enter the UK via an electronic ePassport gate or the Republic of Ireland you will not pass through UK immigration control and you will not receive an entry stamp in your passport. Please retain your boarding pass and/or flight details as evidence of your date of entry to the UK.

Booking flights

Please do not book your flight to the UK until you have received your visa. Most visa applications are decided within 15 working days of your visa appointment; however, on occasion, there can be delays and we advise against booking a flight in advance that may need to be cancelled or rescheduled. 

Vignette transfer/visa error

If there is an error on your vignette, please contact the Visa Application Centre where you made your application to correct it before you travel.

Find out more about identifying and correcting visa errors.

If the passport containing your vignette has been lost or stolen, you should apply online for a vignette transfer at a cost of £189 after you receive your new passport. When making the application select, the following route – Reason for visit: Other; Visa Type: Others; Visa sub-type: Vignette transfer.

You can also apply for a vignette transfer if you will be starting your course later than expected. However, if you are a PhD student, please check with your academic school first if your course end date will remain the same otherwise you may not be able to apply to transfer your visa. Please email the Student Visa Advice team at studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk if you require any further guidance.

What if my visa application is refused?

If your application is refused or rejected, please email a copy of the refusal letter to the Student Visa Advice team at studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk. Please wait for our advice before making a new visa application.