Study in the UK on a Student visa
Source: gov.uk (2025-08-11)

Student visa - check which courses you can study, prepare supporting documents, apply, what happens at the UK border

Check if this visa is right for you

You can apply for a Student visa if you’re 16 or over and want to study on a further or higher education course in the UK.

Check what you can and cannot do on this visa (/student-visa) Check what courses you can study on this visa (/student-visa/course) Check if you can bring your partner or children (‘dependants’) with you (/student-visa/family-members)

If you’re under 18 and you want to study at an independent school in the UK, you may be eligible for a Child Student visa instead.

Check which visas you’re eligible for (/check-uk-visa)

Prepare the evidence you need

Check what documents you can use as evidence (/student-visa/documents-you-must-provide) Prove your knowledge of the English language (/student-visa/knowledge-of-english) Check if you need a tuberculosis (TB) test (/tb-test-visa)

If you’re doing a masters degree or above, you may need to apply for the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Check if you need to apply for ATAS (/guidance/academic-technology-approval-scheme)

Apply from outside the UK

Apply from outside the UK (/student-visa/apply) £524

You’ll need to prove your identity as part of your application.

You’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

Find out if you can pay more to get a faster decision (/guidance/visa-decision-waiting-times-applications-outside-the-uk)

Apply from inside the UK

Apply to extend if you’re already in the UK on Student visa (or a Tier 4 (General) visa) (/student-visa/extend-your-visa) £524 Apply to switch to this visa if you’re already in the UK (/student-visa/switch-to-this-visa) £524

You’ll need to prove your identity as part of your application.

You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks.

You may be able to pay more to get a faster decision (/faster-decision-visa-settlement) you’ll be told if you can when you apply

Get access to your eVisa

If your application is successful, you’ll get an eVisa. This is an online record of your immigration status.

Get access to your eVisa (/get-access-evisa) by setting up a UKVI account.

You’ll need to link your travel document to your UKVI account. This should be the travel document you use to come to the UK.

You may have to prove your immigration status when you travel to the UK (/view-prove-immigration-status)

Check what you can bring into the UK with you

Check what you can bring in your hand luggage (/hand-luggage-restrictions) Check what to do if you’re bringing cash with you (/bringing-cash-into-uk) Check what goods you can bring with you (/duty-free-goods) Check what food, animals or plants you can bring into the UK (/bringing-food-animals-plants-into-uk)

Check what you need to show at the UK border

Check what you need to show at the UK border (/uk-border-control/at-border-control)

After you arrive in the UK

You might be able to extend your visa to stay longer in the UK.

Check if you can extend your visa (/student-visa/extend-your-visa)

If you break the conditions of your visa you may not be able to come to the UK again.