Study in England

Britain has long attracted and welcomed high caliber students from all corners of the world. In the recent UK Visa Policy, Tier 4 is the points-based system that mainly deals with the students.

Can You Apply?
As a Tier 4 (General) student, you must have 40 points in the points-assessment. You can score:
30 points for having a valid confirmation of acceptance for studies at an acceptable level with an approved education provider; and
10 points for having enough money to cover your course fees and living costs.

What Course You Should Study?
You must study a course at an acceptable level. There are additional requirements for certain types of courses.
You may be able to do a work placement as part of your course, and a short preparatory course before the main course.
Your course must be provided by an education licensed Tier 4 (General) sponsor.

What Should I Apply for?
You must be applying to:
1. study full-time in the UK on a course that meets the additional requirements; or
2. undertake a recognised Foundation Programme as a postgraduate doctor or dentist in the UK; or
If you will be studying full-time on a course other than a Foundation

Programme, the course must also:
lead to a qualification at or above level 6 on the revised National Qualifications Framework (NQF) or its equivalents; or
be a short-term ‘study abroad’ programme as part of your higher education course at an overseas institution; or
be an English language course at or above level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); or
be an English language course at any level, if you are a government-sponsored student or if the course is a pre-sessional course; or
involve at least 15 hours per week of organised daytime study. ‘Daytime’ is 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday.

Note: If you are studying English as a foreign language, this qualifies as ‘an English language course’.

If the course is below revised NQF level 6 or equivalent and is not an English language course or a study abroad programme, it must:
be approved at or above level 3 on the NQF or Qualifications and Credits Framework (QCF), or accredited at or above level 6 in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF; or
be approved at or above level 4 on the NQF or QCF, or accredited at or above level 7 in the SCQF; or
be a pre-sessional course to prepare you for your main course of study.

Note: Level 3 of the NQF is equivalent to a UK ‘A level’. Level 6 of the revised NQF is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree.

Money Required
The money you will need depends on the length of your course and the location where you will study.
To score 10 points in points assessment, you must show that you can pay your course fees for your first period of study and your living costs for up to nine months.

Course Fees
If you are applying to start a new course, you must show that you have enough money to pay your course fees for the first year of your course or for the entire course.

Your confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) tells the amount of money you need to show to pay your course fees. If you do not know what this amount is, you must ask your Tier 4 sponsor.

Money to Cover Your Living Costs
The amount of money you must show to cover your living costs will depend on:
where you will be studying in the UK; and
whether you have recently been studying in the UK ‘if you are a current or recent student, it may be considered that you have an ‘established presence’ as a student in the UK.

Where are You Studying?
Normally living costs are calculated as follows:
£1,000 a month if you are spending more than half of your study time in inner London; or
£800 a month if you are spending more than half of your study time outside inner London.

Note: ‘Inner London’ is defined as any of the following London boroughs: Camden, City of London, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster.

How much money do you need?
If you have an established presence, you must show that you have enough money to cover your living costs for:
2 months; or
the length of your course, if this is less than 2 months.
If you do not have an established presence, you must show that you have enough money to cover your living costs for:
9 months; or
the length of your course, if this is less than 9 months.
If the length of your course includes a part of a month, the time will be rounded up to the next month.