The Student route is for international students, including EU, EEA and Swiss students, who want to apply for immigration permission to study in the UK.
You can apply for a Student visa outside of the UK (this is referred to as ‘entry clearance’) if you’re 16 or over and want to study on an eligible course at an educational provider in the UK. at an educational provider in the UK.
Before you apply for entry clearance as a Student you must have applied and been accepted to your chosen course at an education provider in the UK. Once you have been accepted, you will receive an electronic document called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), which you can use to apply for a Student visa. A CAS is issued for a specific course at a specific education provider.
Essential definitions you should know
A Student sponsor is an education provider, such as a university or college, that can sponsor international students to study in the UK.
Entry clearance means that you are applying for a visa from outside of the UK and will use that visa to enter the UK.
Immigration permission means that you have a visa for the UK with certain conditions.
You might have heard of Tier 4, but the Student route has replaced Tier 4 (General) and Child Student has replaced Tier 4 (Child).
If you do not have immigration permission that allows you to study in the UK, then you will need to apply for a visa.
You cannot hold immigration permission under multiple categories simultaneously for the UK, so any successful application under the Student route will cancel any other immigration permission held.
If you want to check whether your current permission already allows you to study your chosen course, ask for advice at the institution where you intend to study.
Students under 16 can apply for immigration permission as a Child Student to study at an independent fee-paying school. Always speak to your school directly if you are applying as a Child Student.
If you are 16 or 17 years old, you can sometimes choose to apply either as a Child Student or as a Student. This will depend on:
- The level of the course.
- Whether you are studying at an independent school, as other types of institution cannot sponsor a Child student application.
- The type of sponsor licence the institution holds: there are separate licenses for the Student and Child student routes. The sponsor's listing on the register of licensed sponsors: students says which route(s) they can sponsor.
For a short course, including an English language course which lasts no more than 11 months, you may be eligible to apply to enter the UK as a Short-term student (or as a 'Short-term student (Child)' if you are under 16 years old).
