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You can apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK if you’re 16 or over and you:
There will be no change to the rights and status of EU nationals living in the UK, nor UK nationals living in the EU, while the UK remains in the EU.
When to apply
The earliest you can apply for a visa is 3 months before you start your course.
You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks. You can check visa processing times for your country.
Fees
It costs £335 to apply for this visa from outside the UK.
You must pay £335 per person for any dependants.
You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application. Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.
How long you can stay
You can arrive in the UK before your course starts:
How long you can stay depends on the kind of course you’re doing and what study you’ve already completed.
What you can and can’t do
You can:
You can’t:
You may be able to bring in family members (dependants).
Read the full guidance to find out how long you might be able to stay and what you can and can’t do.
You must have:
Read the guide and appendix
1. appendix - Points based system Appendix 8: Tier 4 (General) Student self-assessment
2. appendix - Guide to supporting documents: Points based system - Tier 4 (General)
3. appendix - Guide to supporting documents: Points based system - Tier 4 (General) (simplified Chinese)
for the full list of documents and how much money you’ll need.
Your course
You can do a course that’s one of the following:
Postgraduate doctors and dentists
You can apply for this visa if you’re sponsored to do a recognised foundation programme and you’ve:
Confirmation of acceptance for studies
Your education provider will send you a reference number called a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) once they’ve offered you a place on a course. You’ll need to enter this on your visa application.
You must apply for your visa no more than 6 months after you receive the CAS.
Further study in the UK
You can only get a CAS for a new course if you’ve studied in the UK before and you’re:
You must prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply.
This usually means passing a secure English language test (SELT).
| Where you’re studying | What you’re studying | Knowledge of English needed | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher education institution (HEI) | Degree level or above | Reading, writing, listening and speaking | Equivalent to CEFR (Common European Framework for languages) level B2 |
| Institution that’s not HEI | Degree level or above | SELT in reading, writing, listening and speaking | CEFR level B2 |
| Any institution | Below degree | SELT in reading, writing, listening and speaking | CEFR level B1 |
HEIs can choose how to assess a student’s knowledge of English. They must still be at:
Your test needs to be from an approved provider.
Check the full visa guidance for detailed information.
Exeptions
You don’t need to prove your knowledge of English if you’ve completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in:
You also don’t need to prove your knowledge of English if one of the following apply:
When you apply for the visa you must provide:
You need a page in your passport that’s blank on both sides for your visa.
You may also need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.
Your documents will usually be sent back within 14 days.
Read the guidance and appendix for the full list of documents and how much money you’ll need according to your situation.
You should read the full guidance before you apply.
You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application. Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.
Apply outside the UK
You must apply online for a Tier 4 (General) student visa.
You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit) as part of your application.
You’ll have to collect your biometric residence permit within 10 days of when you said you’d arrive in the UK (even if you actually arrive at a later date).
You may be able to get your visa faster or other services depending on what country you’re in - check with your visa application centre.
North Korea
You can’t apply online if you’re living in North Korea.
To apply from North Korea you must:
Apply in the UK
Check if you can apply from inside the UK to:
You may be able to stay longer to continue your course or study a new one.
You must:
Who can sponsor you
You must include your dependants in your application if they’re on your current visa, including children who have turned 18 during your stay.
Read the full Tier 4 guidance before you apply.
When to apply
You must apply:
You can stay in the UK until you get your decision.
Ways to apply
If you want to get a decision more quickly than the standard 8 weeks, you can apply:
| Application type | Time for a decision | Cost per person |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 8 weeks | £457 |
| Priority | 10 days | £916 |
| Premium | Same day | £1,047 |
You’ll also need to provide biometric information and pay the healthcare surcharge.
Apply for the standard or premium service
You can apply online:
Pay the appropriate fee at the same time.
Apply for the priority service
You must fill in a request form before you can use the priority service. Send it to the email address on the form.
Only the first 60 requests received each day after 8:30am (Monday to Friday) are accepted - you’ll get an email saying if you’ve been successful.
Once you’ve been accepted for the priority service you should apply online for yourself and any dependants within 24 hours. Pay the fee at the same time.
Send your supporting documents by registered post or courier to the address given in the priority service acceptance email. Send your dependants’ documents in the same envelope.
Your documents should reach UK Visas and Immigration no later than two days after you applied.
Provide your biometric information
For all applications you must also provide your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo). You can do this at:
You’ll be told when you need to provide your biometric information for the standard or priority service. You’ll have to do it within 2 working days if you’re using the priority service.
You’ll get a biometric residence permit if your application to extend your visa is successful.
Pay the healthcare surcharge
For all applications you must also pay the healthcare surcharge for each person. Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply for your extension.
What happens next
You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example because:
You may be able to change (switch) to a Tier 4 (General) student visa if you’re in the UK under any of the following visas or schemes:
You should include any dependants who are on your current visa on your application to extend - including children who have turned 18 during your stay.
When to apply
You must apply:
You can stay in the UK until you get your decision.
Ways to apply
If you want to get a decision more quickly than the standard 8 weeks, you can apply:
| Application type | Time for a decision | Cost per person |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 8 weeks | £457 |
| Priority | 10 days | £916 |
| Premium | Same day | £1,047 |
You’ll also need to provide biometric information and pay the healthcare surcharge.
Apply for the standard or premium service
You can apply online:
Pay the appropriate fee at the same time.
Apply for the priority service
You must fill in a request form before you can use the priority service. Send it to the email address on the form.
Only the first 60 requests received each day after 8:30am (Monday to Friday) are accepted - you’ll get an email saying if you’ve been successful.
Once you’ve been accepted for the priority service you should apply online for yourself and any dependants within 24 hours. Pay the fee at the same time.
Send your supporting documents by registered post or courier to the address given in the priority service acceptance email. Send your dependants’ documents in the same envelope.
Your documents should reach UK Visas and Immigration no later than two days after you applied.
Provide your biometric information
For all applications you must also provide your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo). You can do this at:
You’ll be told when you need to provide your biometric information for the standard or priority service. You’ll have to do it within 2 working days if you’re using the priority service.
You’ll get a biometric residence permit if your application to extend your visa is successful.
Pay the healthcare surcharge
For all applications you must also pay the healthcare surcharge for each person. Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply for your extension.
What happens next
You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example because:
Your family members (dependants) might be able to apply to join or remain with you in the UK if they’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
A dependant is either:
You can apply to bring a dependant to the UK if you’re:
They’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of their application. Check how much they’ll have to pay before they apply.
Savings
You must show that your dependants can be supported while they’re in the UK.
Each dependant must have a certain amount of money available to them - this is in addition to the money you must have to support yourself.
The amount of money you need depends on:
You must have proof you have the money, and that it’s been in your bank account or your dependant’s bank account for at least 28 days before you or they apply.
Read the detailed guidance for dependants for how much money you’ll need and the full list of documents you need to provide.
-This guidance gives the full UK Visas and Immigration policy on applications by ‘PBS dependants’ (the dependant family members of people who have, or are applying for, visas under Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 4 or Tier 5).
Dependants applying outside the UK
Your family members must apply online.
They’ll need to have their fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit) as part of their application.
They’ll have to collect your biometric residence permit
within 10 days of when they said they’d arrive in the UK.They may be able to get their visa faster or other services depending on what country they’re in - check with the visa application centre.
North Korea
Your family members can’t apply online if they’re applying from North Korea.
Each family member will need to make their own application. They must:
Dependants applying in the UK
You should apply for your dependants’ visas at the same time as you extend or switch your own visa.
If you can’t do it at the same time, your dependants can apply to extend or switch their visas at a later date.
They can’t apply in the UK as dependants if they already have a Standard Visitor visa.
If your dependants want to get a decision more quickly than the standard 8 weeks, they can apply:
| Application type | Time for a decision | Cost per person |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 8 weeks | £457 |
| Priority | 10 days | £916 |
| Premium | Same day | £1,047 |
You’ll also need to provide biometric information and pay the healthcare surcharge.
Apply for the standard or premium service
Your partner or child can apply online:
Pay the appropriate fee at the same time.
Apply for the priority service
Your dependant must fill in a request form before they can use the priority service. They must send it to the email address on the form.
Only the first 60 requests received each day after 8:30am (Monday to Friday) are accepted - they’ll get an email saying if they’ve been successful.
Once they’ve been accepted for the priority service your partner or child should apply within 24 hours. They should pay the fee at the same time.
They should send their supporting documents by registered post or courier to the address given in the priority service acceptance email.
Their documents should reach UK Visas and Immigration no later than two days after you applied.
Biometric information
Each person applying must also provide their biometric information (fingerprints and a photo).
They can give their biometric information at:
They’ll get a biometric residence permit if their application is successful.
Children born in the UK
If you have children while you’re in the UK, you can apply online.
You must do this if you want to travel in and out of the UK with your child.
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