When and how to apply for your Student visa

Applying for a new Student visa

If you are applying from overseas, the earliest you can apply is six months before your course starts. We recommend that you apply no later than six weeks before your course begins so you can arrive on time. Do not make any non-refundable travel plans until you have received your visa.

If you are applying from within the UK, the earliest you can apply is three months before your course starts. There must be no more than 28 days between your most recent visa expiring and your new course starting. For example, if your course starts on 23 September and your current visa expires before 28 August, you will not be able to make your visa application from within the UK.

You must also make your new visa application before your visa expires or before your new course starts, whichever is the earlier date of the two.

You mustn’t leave your application until it’s too late. Take the time to gather your supporting documents before starting your application.

Where to apply from

Whether you make your application from inside or outside of the UK depends on your circumstances.

Coming to the UK for the first time

You should make your application from your home country or country of residence.

Within the UK

If you are already studying and preparing your visa application to either join a follow-on course or extend your visa, there are strict requirements on whether you can make the application from the UK.

You must:

• meet UKVI’s academic progression rules
• have no more than 28 days between your current visa expiring and your new course starting
• be able to switch into the Student visa category if you are currently in the UK under a different immigration category
• make sure that you apply for your new visa before your current existing visa expires

You should email [email protected] if you are unsure if your visa application can be made from within the UK.

What happens next?

When you apply for your UK Student visa, you will pay for:

• the cost of the application
• the health surcharge for both yourself and your dependants

A visa application centre will scan your supporting documents and take your biometric information.

Once you have submitted your application and supporting documents, UKVI may also ask you to attend an interview to check you are a genuine student.

If you are making your application from within the UK and UKVI still have a record of your biometric information, they may ask you if it’s okay to use this information again. Please make sure you check your email regularly to see if they request this as it may speed up your application.

If you are making your application within the UK, you will be required to submit your biometric information via the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app.

Application timelines

If you apply from within the UK, you should receive a decision within eight weeks.

If you are applying from outside the UK, visit UKVI to find out their visa turnaround times. We recommend that you apply no later than six weeks before your course start date as timelines can vary significantly by country. 

Depending on where you are when you apply, you may be able to pay an additional cost to speed up the visa application process.