Student visa application

You are required to apply for your Student visa in your country of nationality or residence (where you have permission to live other than as a visitor).  

You must enter the UK after your Student visa has been granted, and within the validity of your Student visa. Do not travel to the UK while your Student visa application is still pending.

Additional information is provided for applicants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.

You must obtain your Student visa prior to travelling to the UK for your studies.  

You will need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from the University to support your application. A CAS is an electronic document sent by email. No physical document is required. You enter the CAS reference number in the relevant section of the visa application.  

Make your application in good time to arrive for the start of your course. UKVI aim to make decisions on applications in 15 working days but the timeframe can vary, particularly in the peak period between July - September. A priority service may be available at additional cost and aims to make a decision in 5 working days. In some countries a super priority 24-hour service may also be available.  

Complete an online application via the government website. The International Student Office has created a guide to help you with the application. 

As part of the application, you will pay the relevant fees.

You will also book an appointment at a Visa Application Centre to enrol biometrics (have fingerprints taken and a photograph) and have your passport scanned. Students with an EEA or Swiss passport are able to complete the process fully online by scanning their passport using a UK Immigration: ID Check app.  

You may need to provide the following supporting documents with your application:  

• Financial evidence.
• A TB certificate from an approved clinic if you have been living in one of the relevant countries. 
• ATAS certificate if applicable to your course and nationality.  
• Proof of parental consent if under 18 years old and proof of relationship (a form will be provided by the University for your parent/s or legal guardian/s to complete).  

UKVI reserves the right to contact you during the application process to request additional information. Most students are not interviewed as part of the process, but it is possible to be asked to attend a ‘credibility interview’ after you have applied. This request would be sent by email from UKVI after you have enrolled your biometrics.  

Your Student visa will be granted as an eVisa, an online record of your immigration status. You will not receive a physical document. You should access your eVisa via your UKVI account prior to travelling to the UK.  

You must enter the UK after your visa has been granted, and within the validity of your Student visa. 

• The earliest your visa will be valid is one month prior to the start date of your course. 
• It is not possible to enter the UK earlier as a Visitor (tourist) and then 'switch' inside the UK to your Student visa. If you enter the UK as a Visitor, you will not be able to start your course. You will need to leave the UK and re-enter within the validity of your Student visa to activate your immigration permission as a student prior to commencing studies.
• Check the information on the government website about entering the UK.    

If your visa application is refused, you must inform the International Student Office and provide a copy of the decision letter. You would require a new CAS to support a further visa application. It is the University's decision whether to issue a new CAS.     

You must make the application either before your current visa expires or earlier if starting a new course. 

• If you hold a current Student visa for another institution, you must make your Student visa application for Cambridge before commencing studies. 
• If you hold a current Student visa for Cambridge and you are continuing onto a new course, you must apply for further permission to stay within 6 weeks after the official start date of the course or prior to your current visa expiring, whichever is earlier.  
• If you are studying at Cambridge and need to extend your visa to complete your course (normally for PhD students or those continuing to the Masters year of an integrated masters), the earliest you can submit an application inside the UK is from three months before your current visa expires.

You will need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from the University to support your application. A CAS is an electronic document sent by email. You enter the CAS reference number in the relevant section of the visa application.  

The advertised timeframe for a decision is 8 weeks. Priority services are available for a quicker timeframe.  

Once you have submitted the application, you cannot travel overseas until you have received the decision or the application is considered withdrawn.  

Complete an online application via the gov.uk website. As part of the application, you will need to confirm your identity. You may be able to do this using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app if:  

• you have a BRP that expired less than 18 months ago  
• you are an EEA or Swiss national using your passport  

If you cannot use the app, you will book an appointment to enrol your biometrics as part of the application.  

As part of the application, you will pay the relevant fees.

You may need to provide the following supporting documents with your application:  

• ATAS certificate if applicable to your course and nationality.  
• A letter of consent from your financial sponsor to continue studies in the UK if, in the last 12 months, you have completed a course of studies in the UK for which you received funding from a government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs.  
• Proof of parental consent if under 18 years old and proof of relationship (a form will be provided by the University for your parent/s or legal guardian/s to complete).  

If you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, you do not need to provide evidence of finances as supporting documentation. If you have been outside the UK for a significant part of the 12 months, and the policy gives an example of 3 months, you may be asked to provide financial evidence.

Once you have received the decision, notify the International Student Office who will provide instructions on how to provide evidence of your status.