You must prove that you: have been offered a place on a course in the UK at an accepted place of study have enough money to support yourself without working or help from public funds, or that relatives and friends can support and house you can pay for your return or onward journey If you’re under 18 you must also: have made arrangements for your travel and stay in the UK have permission from your parent or guardian to study in the UK Where you can study You must be accepted on a course with an education provider that holds a Tier 4 sponsor licence . Otherwise your course will need to be held at an educational institution listed by one of the following: Accreditation Body for Language Services Accreditation Service for International Colleges Accreditation UK British Accreditation Council Education and Training Inspectorate (in Northern Ireland) Estyn (in Wales) Education Scotland Independent Schools Inspectorate Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) Office for Students Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education Learning English as a foreign language You can apply for an 11 month Short-term study visa to learn English as a foreign language if you: are at least 16 years old have been accepted onto a course that teaches it If only part of the course focuses on teaching English as a foreign language, and the rest of the course teaches something else, you can only apply for a 6 month Short-term study visa. Visiting the UK as part of an overseas course You can apply for a Short-term study visa if you’re at least 16 years old and studying at an overseas higher education institution and part of your course is in the UK. Your institution must: hold its own national accreditation offer only part of its educational programme in the UK offer programmes that are equivalent to a UK degree Researching in the UK for a short time You can come to the UK for a short period of research if already enrolled on an overseas degree course. To be eligible: your course must be equivalent to a UK degree you must be carrying out the research at a UK higher education provider you must be at least 16 years old Medical, veterinary or dentistry electives You can apply for a Short-term study visa to do an ‘elective’ - an optional additional placement for certain courses. You can only do this if your main course of study is medicine, veterinary medicine and science, or dentistry. To be eligible: your overseas course of study must be at least equivalent to a UK degree the elective must be relevant to your main course of study you must have been accepted onto an elective by a higher education provider the elective must be unpaid, and must not involve treating patients

Documents you must provide

When you apply you need to provide: a current passport or other valid travel identification evidence that you can support yourself during your trip, for example bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans - you should not pay for accommodation or travel until you get your visa your tuberculosis ( TB ) test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test and you’re coming to the UK for more than 6 months contact details for at least one parent or guardian in your home country (if you’re under 18 years old) You also need to provide a certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh. You need a blank page in your passport for your visa. Documents about your course You must provide proof of the course you’re studying, for example a letter of acceptance from the educational institution - on official headed paper, stating the course’s name, duration and cost (including accommodation). You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances, such as evidence of your: previous study, for example academic certificates, references or transcripts English language qualifications, for example certificates or awards accommodation and travel plans permission to be in the country you’re applying from (if you’re not a national) financial sponsor’s occupation, income, savings or funds that will support your studies To study or research certain subjects, you’ll also need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme ( ATAS ) certificate. You need to apply for this before applying for your Short-term Study visa. Find out if you need an ATAS certificate . If you’re under 18 If you’re under 18 you need to provide additional documents if: you’re travelling on your own you’re travelling with someone who is not your parent or guardian Travelling on your own You can travel to the UK without an adult (someone 18 or over). Your parent or guardian needs to provide their: written consent for you to travel to the UK full contact details They also need to provide proof that you have somewhere suitable to live during your stay in the UK, including: the name and date of birth of the person that you will be staying with an address where you will be living details of your relationship to the person who’ll be looking after you consent in writing so they can look after you during your stay in the UK You must provide a letter from the school confirming it has notified the local authority of your visit and the details of who’ll be caring for you if: you’re under 16 (or under 18 if you have a disability) you’ll be looked after for more than 28 days by someone who is not a close relative (called ‘private foster care’) You must include the reply from the local authority if the school has received one. Travelling with an adult When travelling to the UK with an adult (someone 18 or over), you need to identify them in your visa application. Their name will appear on your visa, and you’ll be refused entry to the UK if you arrive in the UK without them. You can identify up to 2 adults in your visa application, and your visa will only be valid if you travel with at least one of them. The adult can apply for a visa at the same time, but you must each complete separate applications.

You must apply online for a Short-term study visa. You need to have your fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken at a visa application centre as part of your application. Find out how to get your visa decision faster - this depends on what country you’re in. Check if your visa application centre offers faster decisions and other services. North Korea You cannot apply online if you’re living in North Korea. To apply from North Korea you must: download the application form read the instructions for North Korea on how to apply

Short-term study visa

Overview

You can apply for a Short-term study visa if:

you’re doing a short course of study in the UK
you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
you meet the other eligibility requirements

You need a Standard Visitor visa if you’re an academic visitor.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

do a short course of study in the UK, such as an English language course or a training course
do a short period of research as part of a degree course if you are studying abroad

You cannot:

study at a state-funded school
work or carry out any business (this includes work experience or work placements, unless the placement is an eligible medical, veterinary or dentistry elective)
extend this visa
bring family members (‘dependants’) with you - they must apply separately
get public funds

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK for the length of your course or research.

You may be allowed to stay an extra 30 days if your total stay in the UK would be no more than 6 months, or no more than 11 months if you’re both:

16 or over
studying an English language course

Your visa will say how long you are allowed to stay in the UK.

If you do not normally need a visa to visit the UK, you can study for up to 6 months without applying in advance. You must see a border officer when you arrive in the UK - do not use the ePassport gates.

If you want to study for longer than 6 months, you must apply for a Short-term study visa in advance.

Fees

It costs:

£97 for a 6 month visa
£186 for an 11 month visa

How long it takes

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.

You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks when you apply from outside the UK.

Find out about paying for a faster decision.

Print entire guide

Step 1 Check if you need a visa
You might be eligible for different visas depending on why you're visiting the UK and how long for.
1. Check if you need a visa
2. Compare the different types of short stay visa
Step 2 Prepare the evidence you need
Step 3 Apply
The cost of your visa depends on how long it's valid for.
You should get a decision within 3 weeks of your appointment.

You might be able to pay an extra £220 for a decision within 5 working days or £956 for a decision within 24 hours (not including weekends or bank holidays). Check with your visa application centre.
Step 4 Attend an appointment
1. What you need to prove at your appointment
You'll be told when a decision has been made about your visa.
Step 5 Travel to the UK
1. Check what you need to show at the UK border
2. Check what you can bring with you
Keep the documents that prove why you're visiting the UK in your hand luggage so you can show them if asked.
1. Check the documents you can use to show why you're visiting the UK
Step 6 After you arrive in the UK
If your visa allows you to stay in the UK for longer than 6 months, you'll need to collect your biometric residence permit soon after you arrive.
1. Collect your biometric residence permit
Check your visa to find out when you must leave the UK. If you break the conditions of your visa you may not be able to return to the UK again.

Short-term study visa

Overview

What you can and cannot do

How long you can stay

Fees

How long it takes

Step 1 Check if you need a visa

Step 2 Prepare the evidence you need

Step 3 Apply

Step 4 Attend an appointment

Step 5 Travel to the UK

Step 6 After you arrive in the UK

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Help us improve GOV.UK

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Short-term study visa

Overview

What you can and cannot do

How long you can stay

Fees

How long it takes

Part of Apply for a Short-term study visa: step by step

Step 1: Check if you need a visa

Step 2: Prepare the evidence you need

Step 3: Apply

Step 4: Attend an appointment

Step 5: Travel to the UK

Step 6: After you arrive in the UK

Is this page useful?

Help us improve GOV.UK

Help us improve GOV.UK

Step 1 Check if you need a visa

Step 2 Prepare the evidence you need

Step 3 Apply

Step 4 Attend an appointment

Step 5 Travel to the UK

Step 6 After you arrive in the UK