Applying for a General Student visa or a Child Student visa under Tier 4 is a simple process and should be done in the country of which you are a national or a legal resident. For your application to be successful you will need:

• a current passport or travel document with at least one double sided blank page for the visa;
• a visa letter from the institution you are planning to study at;
• proof of maintenance funds;
  
• evidence of any qualifications the sponsoring institution took account of when deciding to accept you for the course you plan to study; and
  
• any other supporting documents relevant to your application.
  

You will also need to make an appointment at your nearest visa application centre to provide your biometric details (10 digit finger scans and a digital photograph) as part of the application process.

The UK Border Agency will refuse your application and you may be banned from coming to the UK for 10 years if you use a false document, lie or withhold relevant information.

The Visa letter

Please note there are different visa letter requirements for child and adult students.  There are also different requirements for Post Graduate Doctors and Dentists. Read more about the full requirements.

The general (adult) student letter should contain information including:

Route

This should say adult (also known as general) student

Student

• name (as it appears in your passport if applicable)
  
• nationality
  
• your passport or travel document number (optional)

Approved education provider

• licence number
• address (if different from the letterhead)
• contact details (if different from the letterhead)
• the name and address of any partner institution if you are studying at another institution as part of this course
  
• the name and address of any overseas higher education institution if the time of your United Kingdom study is part of an overseas higher education course

Course

• title
• the academic level of course or qualification awarded when finished (the National Qualifications Framework level or the type of qualification, for example, a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering)
• start date (the date you start your main studies, or the date you start an induction or course to prepare you for study if you have an unconditional offer to do your main course)
  
• expected end date
• latest date you can join the course (optional)
• hours per week (optional if studying a full-time degree course that leads to a United Kingdom recognised bachelor or postgraduate degree or an overseas higher education course equivalent to a United Kingdom higher education course)
  
• address of your main place of study if different to the approved education provider's main address
  
• address of the organisation offering you a work placement, if known and applicable

Money

• course fees for the first year, or the length of the course (as stated on your visa letter)
• course fees paid so far (if applicable)
  
• accommodation fees paid so far (if applicable) 
  

Documents used to get the visa letter

List of evidence the approved education provider used to assess your academic ability to finish the course, which  may include:

• level or type of qualification (if applicable)
  
• qualification awarding body and/or institution (if applicable)
  
• confirmation that an Academic Technology Approval Scheme  (ATAS) clearance certificate is needed (if applicable)

The Maintenance requirement for (General) Students and (Child) Students aged 16 or 17 years living independently

To qualify for Tier 4 of the Points Based System you must be able to demonstrate that you have the tuition fees and funds to support yourself and any dependants. The maintenance amount for the main applicant is calculated at £800 per month if you intend to study in the Inner London Boroughs (see below), and £600 per month if you intend studying elsewhere. For courses of up to 9 months duration you will be required to show that you have the full tuition fee plus the appropriate monthly amount for each month you intend to be in the UK. On a course of more than 9 months you will be required to show that you have the first year of the tuition fees plus either £7200 or £5400 depending on whether you intend to study inside or outside of the Inner London Boroughs (see below).

If you apply by 30 September 2009 you will only need to show proof that you have the money needed, on the day that you apply. You must provide bank statements/other evidence to support this.

From 01 October 2009, these amounts must be held in your personal bank account for a minimum period of 28 days. The end of that 28-day period must not be more than one month before the date of your application, for which you must show bank statements/other evidence.

Proof of funds

Only the following documents will be accepted as evidence:

• Personal bank or building society statements;
• Savings account/building society pass book/s;
• Letter from your bank or building society;
• Letter from a financial institution regulated by the home regulator (official regulatory body for the country in which the institution operates and the funds are located) confirming funds or loan.
  

Ad hoc bank statements printed on the bank's letterhead are allowed as evidence, but not if they are mini-statements from cash points. If you wish to send electronic bank statements from an online account they must have all of the details listed above. You will also need to send a supporting letter from your bank, on company headed paper, confirming the authenticity of the statements provided. An electronic bank statement bearing the official stamp of the bank will be accepted. This stamp should appear on every page of the statement.

Please note that the money needs to be held in a bank account in cash. Shares, bonds, pensions funds and savings accounts are not acceptable. Fixed deposits which can be cashed in immediately the holder wishes to use the money, will be considered as cash in a bank account.

For Overseas Education Allowance evidence, a pay slip is not sufficient. You must produce an official and original letter from the HK government (Treasury ) or your parent's home department confirming your parent's name, the annual value and the end date of the OEA entitlement.

Child Students (Other than 16 or 17 years old living independently)

See paragraph 245ZZ to 245ZZD of the immigration rules for full details of the requirements of the child student category.

As well as having enough points, a child must have suitable care arrangements in place for their travel, reception and care. The money a child will need depends on their living arrangements while they are in the United Kingdom.

To meet the maintenance requirement the parent/legal guardian must show that they have enough money to pay the fees for the course the child will study and to support him/her (up to a maximum of 9 months).

There is no maintenance concession for these (Child) Students applying for extensions. They must provide the same evidence of fees and maintenance as they would for initial applications. There is also no difference in the level of maintenance for students whose primary site of study is inside or outside of the Inner London Boroughs (see below).

The maintenance requirements for a Tier 4 (Child) Student depend on:

• Their care arrangements; and
• The location of the school at which the applicant will study.
  

We will assess maintenance requirements according to one of the following scenarios (whichever is the most relevant):

• The applicant will be studying and boarding in a Residential Independent School; or
• The applicant will be staying in the United Kingdom with a resident British citizen or other United Kingdom resident who has entered into a private foster care arrangement with the applicant's parent/legal guardian; or
• The applicant will be staying with a parent/legal guardian who will be accompanying them to the United Kingdom (under 12 year olds only).
  

Child studying and boarding in a Residential Independent School

The applicant or parent/legal guardian must show that he/she has enough funds to cover:

• The tuition fees for one year plus
  
• Board/lodging fees for one year.

Child staying with an intended carer (resident British citizen or other United Kingdom resident in a private foster care arrangement)

The applicant or parent/legal guardian must show that:

• He/she has enough funds to cover the school fees for one year plus;
• The intended carer has agreed to look after and accommodate the child in the United Kingdom for the duration of the course and has at least £500 per month to cover this (for up to 9 months);
• Confirmation that the intended carer is a resident British citizen or other legal United Kingdom resident.
  

Child staying with a parent/legal guardian who will be accompanying them to the United Kingdom (under 12 year olds only)

The money needed depends on how many children are coming with the parent or guardian.

• The tuition fees for one year and
• Evidence of maintenance for parent/legal guardian and child for each month up to a maximum of 9 months.
  

The level of funds required, in addition to the tuition fees, will depend on whether this is the first or second or subsequent child.

We will need to see the full school fees plus £800 per month for the parent/legal guardian and £533 per month for each child, up to a maximum of 9 months.

(General) Students and (Child) Students aged 16 or 17 years

Children are all students under 18 years old.

Please see Paragraphs 47-54 of the Points Based System Tier 4 Policy Guidance for further details of the requirements for care arrangements.

All students under the age of 18 need a letter from their parents. See paragraphs 167 to 169 of the Points Based System Tier 4 Policy Guidance for details.

The visa letter for child students aged 16 or 17 years, like all adult students, must state the evidence the sponsor used to make sure the child would be albe to finish the course.

Points Based System Tier 4 Checklists

Click below for student checklists:

Student - Adult or general [PDF, 62KB] Chinese version click here

Student - Child [PDF, 70KB] Chinese version click here

Student visitors

Students looking to study in the UK for six months or less, and who do not wish to take any employment while they are in the UK, or to extend their stay while they are in the country, can enter the UK on a student visitor visa.

Please note that the above is not a comprehensive list of all the requirements, link to the UK Border Agency website for more information on

• Student visa products
• How to apply and the application form
• Tier 4 of the Points Based System - Policy Guidance
• Guidance - Points Based System Tier 4: (General) Student and (Child) Student (INF 29)
• Child student requirements
  

Download a checklist  for Student Visa Application.