Student visa - applying outside of the UK

You need to show that you have enough money for your:

Tuition fees for your first period of study. You can deduct payments that have been made towards your tuition fees and that are noted on your CAS. 

PLUS

Living expenses:

• Students have to show that they have £1,023 per month to cover their living costs, for a maximum of 9 months, i.e. £9,207 for a full academic year. (From 2 January 2025, this will increase to £1,136 per month, £10,224 for a full academic year). 
• If you are allowed to bring dependants, they will need to show  £680 per month/per person, i.e. £6,120 for a full academic year.
• If you live in University accommodation, you can deduct money you have paid to the University from the total amount of living costs. A maximum of £1,265 can be deducted - even if you have paid more than this. (From 2 January, this will increase to £1,483).
• All funds must have been available to you for a minimum period of 28 continuous days on the date that you apply for your visa.

The immigration rules are very strict about the financial documents you must show to prove you have enough money to support yourself (and your dependants if you have any) whilst you are studying in the UK .

You will need to provide evidence of one, or a combination of the following:

1.  Cash in a bank account.  Cash in your, or a parent or legal guardian’s, bank account for a 28 day period - see more information about bank statements you need to provide.

IMPORTANT:  If you are using your bank account or the bank account of your parents or legal guardian, the money must be held in cash and you must show that you have held the money in your, your parents', or your legal guardians' bank account for at least 28 continuous days.  Your balance must not have dropped below the required amount.  If the balance has dropped below the right amount even for just 1 day, you will not meet the financial requirements and your student visa will be refused.

The date of the bank statement must not be more than 31 days old on the date that you submit your visa application.

The money must not be held in a bank or a financial institution which UKVI view as untrustworthy. 

2.  Loan.  A loan must be a student loan provided by: a government; or, a government sponsored student loan company; or, an officially regulated academic or educational loans scheme.

3.  Letter from an official financial sponsor.  The UKVI define only the following institutions as "official financial sponsors":

• Your country’s national government or the UK government
• British Council
• an international organisation
• an international company
• a University
• a UK independent school

If I am using a bank account, what evidence do I need to provide?

If you are using your own personal bank account, you need to provide your original bank statement in your name covering a 28 day period.

The date of the bank statement must be no more than 1 month old at the time you submit your student visa application.

Your original personal bank statement must show:

• your name
• account number
• the date of statement
• the name and logo of the bank
• bank's contact details
• that the balance has not fallen below the required amount for the full 28 day period.

If you use electronic statements, they must include all the standard information above.  You cannot use mini-statements from automatic teller machines (ATMs).

Cash in a parent or legal guardian's account If you are using cash in a bank account in your parent or legal guardian’s name then you must include your parents’ or legal guardian’s original bank statement including all the same information as on the personal bank statement.  Your parents must write a letter saying that they will support you financially for the duration of your course.

If your parents or legal guardians are providing your tuition fees and living costs, you must also prove that they are your parents or legal guardians.

You do this by providing one of the following:

•  your original birth certificate, showing the name of your parents
•  certificate of adoption showing your name
•  original court documents stating the name of your legal guardian

Overseas Banks Statements

You can use an overseas bank account. However, if your funds are not in pounds sterling (£), you should convert the closing balance and write this sum on the document that you are using as evidence of your finances. The Home Office uses http://www.oanda.com/ to convert currencies into pounds sterling, so you must use this exchange rate too.

Funds will not be considered if they are held in a financial institution where any of the following apply:

• the Home Office is unable to make satisfactory verification checks; or
• the financial institution is not regulated by the appropriate regulatory body for the country in which that institution is operating; or
• the financial institution does not use electronic record keeping.

UKVI define an official sponsor as one of the following:

• your country's national government or the UK government
• the British Council
• an international organisation
• an international company
• a University
• a UK Indepedent school

If your official financial sponsor is paying all your tuition fees and living expenses, you do not have to provide separate evidence of your savings. However, you must provide a letter from your official financial sponsor confirming that your sponsor will pay all your tuition fees and living expenses. This letter must be on official letterhead paper showing:

• Your name
• The name and contact details of the official financial sponsor
• The date of the letter
• The length of the sponsorship – start and end date
• The amount of money the sponsor is giving you or confirmation that they will pay all your tuition fees and living expenses
• The official stamp of the organisation

If your sponsor only pays some of your costs, you will need a letter from them and proof that you have enough money yourself to meet the rest of the maintenance requirements (e.g. personal bank statements).

Yes, you can deduct the following from the total amount of money you need:

the amount you have paid towards course fees

and

up to a maximum of £1,265 you have paid towards your Aberystwyth University accommodation fees

You cannot deduct anything for accommodation fees if you arranged the accommodation yourself (in other words, private accommodation).

If you pay all or some of your tuition fees to Aberystwyth University before we send you the CAS email, you need to check that the amount that you have paid is recorded in the CAS email.

We do not recommend that you pay any fees between receiving your CAS email and applying for your visa.

You can apply for your visa up to 6 months before the start date of your course.

The time required to process your visa will depend on the country where you are making your application but is likely to take around 4 weeks, so you must start the process early.

The UKVI webpages lists recent processing times for visa applications from different countries.

You must use the information on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Study – CAS email, sent to you by Aberystwyth University to apply for your Student visa. Your CAS must not be more than 6 months old when you apply for your student visa. If you use it after this date, your application will be refused.

Credibility Interviews

If you are not from a low risk country, then as part of your visa application you will be required to attend a short interview at a visa application centre. The interview will focus on your reason for coming to the UK, this is known as a credibility interview. You will be asked questions about your immigration history, your previous education, the course you are planning to study at Aberystwyth University, your post study plans and your financial circumstances.

If you do not attend this interview without a good reason, your application will be refused.

You should be able to answer the questions at the interview without the assistance of an interpreter and to a standard that matches the English Language requirements that are stated on your CAS.

It is important to prepare for the interview and to help you, here are some examples of the types of questions that you may be asked:

Why you want to study in the UK:

• if you are going back to education after a long break from studying you should be prepared to explain why you have chosen to do this;
• how studying this course will help with your future plans;
• how this course fits in with any previous courses you have done.

You should know the following details of your course at Aberystwyth University:

• how long your course is;
• what modules you will be studying;
• how you will be assessed;
• how many students will there be on your course;
• what qualification you will receive at the end of your course;
• whether the course offers any professional qualifications/recognition;
• why you have chosen not to study this course in your home country.

You should know some details about Aberystwyth University, for example you may be asked:

• where Aberystwyth is in the UK;
• how big the University is;
• why you chose to study at Aberystwyth;
• what other places you considered.

You should not be asked about your academic ability to follow the course, as Aberystwyth University has already assessed this.

Here are some examples of things you may be asked about your finances:

• if the money you have shown for your application is genuinely available to you;
• who is financing your studies;
• the profession of your financial sponsor and what relationship they are to you;
• whether you have evidence of the financial status of your financial sponsor; e.g. current bank statements
• if you have a loan, you may be asked how you plan to pay this back.

You should know some details about the cost of living and studying in the UK, for example, you may be asked:

• how much your tuition fees are and when you are paying them;
• where you are planning to live and how much it will cost;
• what your anticipated annual living expenses will be while you are studying at Aberystwyth;
• if you are planning on working, whether you know how many hours you are allowed to work, and how much you are likely to be paid;
• how reliant you are on being able to work.

What happens after the credibility interview?

A report of the interview will be sent to the visa officer who will consider it alongside your visa application and supporting documents. You may be called for a further interview if the visa officer needs more information.

What happens if I am refused a visa?

If your application is refused on the basis of your answers to these questions at interview, please contact the International Student Adviser email immigrationadvice@aber.ac.uk. 

You are considered to be a low risk national by UK immigration officials (UKVI) if you are from one of the following countries:

• Australia
• Bahrain
• Barbados
• Botswana
• Brazil
• British National Overseas
• Brunei
• Cambodia
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• The Dominican Republic
• EU and EEA countries
• Indonesia
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Kuwait
• Malaysia
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Oman
• Peru
• Qatar
• Serbia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Taiwan (those who hold a passport issued by Taiwan that includes the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan)
• Tunisia
• United Arab Emirates
• United States of America

If you are a national of one of these countries you do not always have to provide your qualifications or evidence of your maintenance funds.

However, the Immigration Officials reserve the right to request the full range of documents in all cases. Therefore you MUST have these documents prepared just in case. UKVI change the list of low risk nationals regularly, so please check your country is still on the list.  Further advice is available from http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Visas-and-Immigration/Tier-4-eligibility-and-requirements

It can take up to 3 to 5 weeks after you attend your appointment to get your visa. The time it takes will depend on the visa application centre you apply to.

In some countries it is possible to pay an additional 'priority fee' of £250 or in some cases an additional 'super priority fee' of £956 to have your application processed more quickly.

You will be able to come to the UK up to 1 month before your course start date if your student visa is for a course of 6 months or more (undergraduate or postgraduate courses), or for a pre-sessional English language course.

You will only be able to come to the UK 7 days before the course start date if you are coming for a course that is less than 6 months, and is not a pre-sessional English language course.

The start date of the course will be stated in the CAS email you receive from Aberystwyth University.

Before making the decision about whether to bring your family to Aberystwyth, you will need to consider whether the immigration rules allow them into the UK, your financial position and whether your partner and children will adapt to life in the UK.

UKVI only allow your "dependants" to obtain visas to come and live with you in the UK. A "dependant" is your partner/husband/wife and any dependant children you may have. As of 1 January 2024, they can stay with you in the UK if:

• you are studying a full-time research-based higher degree, a PhD or other doctoral qualification of nine months or longer or
• you are in receipt of a scholarship or sponsorship from a Government and the course is full-time and at least six months long

More information on bringing your dependants with you is available from the UKCISA website http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Visas-and-Immigration/Dependants

You will need to complete a separate on-line application form for each dependant available from here https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-visa-type/dependant. 

You must make your preparations well in advance. It is particularly important that you ensure that your finances are arranged and that you have organised suitable accommodation for you and your family.

If your Student visa application is successful, you will be issued with a 'entry vignette' visa on your passport which is valid for 90 days from the date you indicated as your intended travel date in your visa application. 

The 'entry vignette' allows you to enter the UK once only.  If you do not travel to the UK within the 90 day period, your entry visa will expire and you will need to apply and pay for another entry visa.  You will also be issued with a decision letter from the Home Office which will give you instructions on how to collect your biometric residence permit. 

Your final visa will be issued as a biometric residence permit, also known as a BRP.  You must collect your BRP within 10 days of arrival in the UK from the main Post Office in Aberystwyth.  The main Post Office is located inside the branch of W.H. Smiths, 36 Terrace Road, Aberystwyth, Dyfed SY23 2AB.