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Top tips for UK student visa applicants

If you are heading to the UK to study this year, read our top tips on making a Tier 4 student visa application.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
UK visa

UK visa

  • Apply as early as you can. You can apply up to 3 months in advance.

  • You will need a certificate of acceptance for studies (CAS) from your chosen place of study before you make an application.

  • You should read the guidance on Tier 4 student visas here.

  • You should know what additional supporting documents you will require for your application and allow plenty of time to get these together.

  • If you are applying in Indonesia you will need a TB certificate from an approved TB test clinic.

  • You will need to provide bank statements and education certificates.

  • Your bank statements should show that you have had the required maintenance funds in your bank account for at least 28 days prior to paying your student visa fee online.

  • Some applicants might also need a Secure English Language Test certificate and/or an ATAS certificate.

  • You should complete your Tier 4 student visa application form, pay your visa fee and book an appointment at your visa application centre online.

  • You should only complete your application form in ENGLISH.

  • When making an appointment you must choose a Tier 4 student appointment.

  • Take a printed copy of your application form, your passport, a passport photo and any supporting documents that you require to your visa application centre appointment.

  • You must provide a certified translation of any supporting documents that are not in English.

  • As you will have completed your application online, Appendix 8 is not required.

  • UK Visas and Immigration will aim to process your visa within 15 working days. However, we are currently experiencing a high volume of applications and you may experience some delays. You should not expect it any sooner. If you need your visa in a hurry, you can choose our 3-5 day priority visa service.

Staff at the British Embassy in Jakarta or Bali can’t answer questions about student visas but you can go to www.gov.uk/visas-immigration for further guidance and contact details.

For further details, please check our Top tips: UK visas (PDF, 225 KB, 2 pages)

Updates to this page

Published 5 August 2014