Masters Study Visa

What the visa is

Master’s study is covered by the Student visa, at the degree-level band of the rules.

There is no separate “master’s visa”. A master’s degree is a course at RQF level 7, so you apply for the Student visa and the degree-level conditions apply. You need an unconditional offer from a licensed student sponsor shown by a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), enough money for your first year’s fees and your living costs, and English at CEFR level B2. The visa also covers part-time courses above degree level, although part-time students cannot work.

Apply up to 6 months before your course if you are outside the UK (decision usually within 3 weeks) or up to 3 months before if you are already here (usually 8 weeks). For a course of 12 months or longer you are granted 1 month before the start date and 4 months after the end date; for a course of 6 to 12 months, 1 month before and 2 months after. Once your university reports that you have completed, you can apply for the Graduate visa.

Eligibility in detail

Every requirement below must be met at the date you apply.

• Unconditional offer and CAS

  A CAS reference from a licensed student sponsor for a course at RQF level 7 or above. You must apply within 6 months of the CAS being issued, and the details you give must match it.

• Course level and mode

  A full-time course at RQF level 7 (degree level or above), or a part-time course at RQF level 7 or above. The Scottish framework uses different level numbers.

• Course fees

  Money for 1 academic year of fees (up to 9 months) as shown on your CAS, less any amount you have already paid to the university. Waived if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months.

• Living costs (London)

  £1,529 for each month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months (£13,761). London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs.

• Living costs (outside London)

  £1,171 for each month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months (£10,539).

• The 28-day rule

  Funds held for at least 28 consecutive days, with the end of that period within 31 days of your application date. Apply on 1 January and the money must have been in place for at least the 28 days ending on 1 December.

• English language

  CEFR level B2 in all four components. Proved by an approved Secure English Language Test, a UK GCSE or A level, a degree taught in English (Ecctis assessment if not UK-awarded), a previous visa in which you proved English, or your higher education provider’s own assessment.

• Academic entry requirements

  The university, not the Home Office, decides whether your bachelor’s degree and grades meet its entry criteria. Once it issues a CAS the qualification has been accepted by the sponsor.

• ATAS certificate where required

  For certain sensitive subjects at RQF level 7 or above, unless you are a national of an exempt country. You must hold a valid certificate before applying and provide it with your application.

• Genuine student and consent

  You must be a genuine student and may be interviewed. If you are 16 or 17 you need written parental consent, though almost all master’s applicants are adults.

Fees and costs

Figures as published on GOV.UK, content as at 26 August 2026.

Student visa application fee (outside or inside the UK)

£558

Immigration Health Surcharge, student rate (per year)

£776

Immigration Health Surcharge, part-year of 6 months or less

£388

Priority service, where offered (5 working days)

£500 extra

Super priority service, where offered (next working day)

£1,000 extra

Maintenance to show — London (per month, up to 9 months)

£1,529

Maintenance to show — outside London (per month, up to 9 months)

£1,171

Dependant fee (where dependants are permitted)

£558 each

Dependant maintenance — London / outside London (per month)

£845 / £680

Graduate visa fee after your master’s

£937

Graduate visa health surcharge (per year)

£1,035

The health surcharge covers the whole visa period including the months granted either side of your course, and the fee is not refunded once UKVI has started processing your application. Faster-decision services are not offered everywhere; you will be told what is available when you apply.

Processing times

UK Visas and Immigration standard service times; the clock starts once you have proved your identity and provided your documents.

Student visa — applying from outside the UK

3 weeks

Student visa — extending or switching inside the UK

8 weeks

Graduate visa — inside the UK after your master’s

8 weeks

Priority service (where available)

5 working days

Super priority service (where available)

End of the next working day

Times are measured on the UK working week and include UK public holidays. UKVI will tell you within the standard time if your application will take longer — for example because documents must be verified, you are asked to interview, or further information is needed about your circumstances. Source: GOV.UK “Visa processing times: applications outside the UK” (updated 26 June 2026) and “applications inside the UK” (updated 21 July 2025).

Documents you’ll need

The GOV.UK list, plus the financial evidence rules that apply to your bank statements.

• A current passport or other valid travel document
• Your CAS reference number from the university
• Proof of funds for first-year fees and living costs, unless exempt
• Proof of English at CEFR B2, unless exempt or assessed by your higher education provider
• A valid ATAS certificate if your subject and nationality require one
• Tuberculosis test results if you are applying from a listed country
• Written consent from your financial sponsor if they have paid your fees and living costs in the last 12 months
• Your degree certificate and transcripts if the university or UKVI asks for them
• Certified translations of any document not in English or Welsh

Working, dependants and what you can’t do

Conditions under Appendix Student for a full-time master’s at a compliant higher education provider.

• Work up to 20 hours a week during term time and full-time outside term time
• Do a work placement that is an assessed, integral part of your course
• Start a full-time permanent job up to 3 months before your course completion date if you have a pending Skilled Worker application, or once you complete if you have a pending Graduate visa application
• Work as an elected student union sabbatical officer for up to 2 years if a CAS is assigned for it
• Part-time master’s students have no work rights at all

After your master’s: Graduate visa, extending and switching

What GOV.UK says about staying on once you have completed.

• To qualify for the Graduate visa your sponsor must have a track record of compliance and you must have studied in the UK for the whole of a course of 12 months or less, or for at least 12 months of a longer course
• Dependants can only stay with you on a Graduate visa if they were already your dependants on the Student visa
• Time on Student and Graduate visas does not itself count towards settlement; the qualifying period runs on the work route you switch into

Common refusal reasons

Each follows from a mandatory requirement of the Student route or the general grounds for refusal.

• Funds not held for 28 consecutive days, or the bank statement’s closing balance is dated more than 31 days before the application
• Maintenance calculated at the outside-London rate for a London campus, or for fewer months than the CAS course length requires
• The first-year fee balance on the CAS is not covered by the funds shown
• Funds held as an overdraft, in shares or cryptocurrency, in a pension, or with a bank UKVI cannot verify
• Parents’ money used without their letter of consent, or a scholarship relied on without the sponsor’s written consent to the application
• CAS details do not match the application, the CAS has been used or withdrawn, or the application is made more than 6 months after it was issued
• English evidence below CEFR B2 or from a test that is not accepted for the route
• No valid ATAS certificate for a subject and nationality that need one
• Credibility interview answers inconsistent with the study plan or the funds presented, so the genuine student requirement is not met
• Trying to switch from a route that does not permit it, such as a visit or Short-term study visa, or a general ground such as false representations

Source and verification

Information sourced from GOV.UK (Student visa; Graduate visa; Financial evidence for Student and Child Student visa applicants; Visa processing times; Immigration Rules Appendix Student), content as at 26 August 2026, and reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Rules change; we verify requirements at the point of instruction.

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