Study in the UK as an international student

If you plan to study in the UK as an international student, you deal with two systems: the university admissions process and the UK Student visa. For a bachelor’s degree, admissions run through UCAS; for a master’s, you usually apply to each university directly. The visa comes after the offer, once the university has confirmed your place. This page explains how the system works, the main dates for 2027 entry, what studying costs and what the visa involves, with the official source for every figure listed at the end.

The rules on this page apply to applicants from outside the UK and Ireland. Where EU citizens are treated differently, we say so.

How UK higher education works

Universities in the UK set their own entry requirements, fees and course structures, but the route you use to apply depends on the level of study:

• Bachelor’s degrees. Applications to most full-time undergraduate (bachelor's) courses at UK universities and colleges go through UCAS.
• Master’s degrees. Most postgraduate courses, including master's degrees, are applied for directly to the university, not through the UCAS undergraduate application.
• Part-time study. Part-time courses are applied for directly to the course provider.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not apply identical fee rules. The fee status rules on this page refer to England; for a course elsewhere in the UK, check the university’s fees page.

How to apply for a bachelor’s degree through UCAS

You apply online in the UCAS Hub: you register, fill in your personal details and education history, add your choices, write a personal statement, get a reference and pay. Our UCAS application guide walks through each section of the form step by step. The main rules are:

• Choices. You can add up to 5 choices, at the same or different universities. For medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or veterinary science, the limit is 4 choices in any one of these subjects. You can usually apply to only one course at either Oxford or Cambridge, not both.
• Qualifications. Enter qualifications with their actual names and grades as on your certificates, not UK equivalents. The university decides how your school-leaving certificate compares with UK qualifications, not you.
• Personal statement. Since 2026 entry, the UCAS personal statement is three separate questions instead of one long text: why you want to study the course or subject; how your qualifications and studies have prepared you; what else you have done outside education and why it is useful. The limit is 4,000 characters in total across the three answers, including spaces. Each of the three answers needs at least 350 characters.
• Originality. When you submit, you declare that your personal statement has not been copied or provided from another source, including AI software. UCAS runs similarity checks and may notify universities. Our guide on how to write a UCAS personal statement covers the three questions in detail.
• Reference. You need one reference, from someone who is not family, a friend or a partner. You cannot submit the application until the referee has added it.
• Fee. The UCAS application fee for 2027 entry is £34.50, for all your choices together.

UCAS dates for 2027 entry

If you are applying now, you are most likely aiming at courses that start in autumn 2027. These are the dates UCAS publishes for that cycle:

• 12 May 2026: applications opened in the UCAS Hub.
• 1 September 2026: completed applications can be sent to UCAS from this date.
• 15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time: equal consideration date for the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and for most courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine/science (2027 entry). This date has passed.
• 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time: equal consideration date for most undergraduate courses (2027 entry).
• Universities must decide by 12 May 2027 on applications submitted by 13 January 2027.
• Clearing opens on 2 July 2027. International students, including EU students, can use Clearing in the same way as UK students.
• 23 September 2027, 18:00 UK time: final date for 2027 entry applications.

What “equal consideration” means: UCAS says every complete application, including the reference, that arrives by the equal consideration date will be considered. You can still apply after that date, but universities do not promise to give a late application equal consideration. UCAS also has a note for international applicants. The 15 October deadline is usually inflexible, but many universities keep accepting applications from international students after the January date, closer to the start of the course.

The earlier October date for 2027 entry has passed. If you are aiming at Oxford, Cambridge or medicine, dentistry or veterinary science, plan for the next cycle and check the UCAS dates page when it publishes the dates for 2028 entry. Our application deadlines guide compares the UK dates with those of the Netherlands, Germany and Spain.

Offers and replies

Each university decides on its own and tells you through UCAS. A conditional offer means you still need to meet requirements, usually exam results. An unconditional offer means you already have a place, although there may still be things to arrange. Once all your decisions are in, you reply. You can accept one firm choice and, if your firm choice is conditional, one insurance choice as a back-up. All other offers must be declined. UCAS points out that you cannot choose between your firm and insurance offers once your results arrive, so decide which is which before you reply.

Applying for a master’s degree

There is no national deadline and no shared form for a master’s: you apply to each university on its own terms. Universities typically ask for a degree transcript, a personal statement written for the course, references and proof of English, and some add a portfolio, a test or an interview. Entry requirements and deadlines differ by course, so check each course page before you start.

A master’s leads to the same Student visa as a bachelor’s degree, so the visa steps below apply too, including the limits on bringing family members.

What it costs to study in the UK

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are set by each university and vary by course, by where you study and by your fee status, which depends, for example, on whether you are from the EU or from outside the EU. Check the course page of each university. Two published examples for 2027/28 show how wide the range is:

• Example: University of Huddersfield, international undergraduate fee for 2027/28: £17,600 a year (BA, BSc, BEng, BMus, LLB).
• Example: University of Sheffield, new full-time overseas undergraduates in 2027/28 pay between £27,650 and £34,670 a year (medicine and dentistry more).

Some universities also ask for a deposit towards tuition fees to confirm your place; the amount is set by each university.

EU citizens. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who started courses after 1 August 2021 and are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreements (for example through settled or pre-settled status) or the Common Travel Area with Ireland do not get home fee status in England. In practice they pay international fees.

Living costs and official charges

The official figures to plan around are the visa charges and the money the Student visa rules ask you to show:

The visa funds are a legal minimum, not an estimate of what you will spend: rent, food and transport depend on the city, and many universities publish living-cost information for their area. You also need to show the unpaid part of your first year’s tuition; the amount appears on your CAS (see below).

Documents and the Student visa

This section is a general overview. The rules are on GOV.UK: Student visa, which is the page to follow for your own application.

Who needs a visa. Most international students coming for a full degree apply for a Student visa, and this now includes most EU citizens. Since Brexit, citizens of EU countries (except Ireland), the EEA and Switzerland who do not have settled or pre-settled status need a Student visa for a university course in the UK. Spanish citizens included. If you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you do not need a Student visa. Irish citizens can enter and live in the UK without a visa.

The CAS. You need an unconditional offer from a licensed student sponsor. The university then sends a reference number called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), which you need before you can apply for the visa. You must apply for the visa within 6 months of receiving your CAS.

When to apply. From outside the UK, the earliest you can apply is 6 months before your course starts. A decision usually takes up to 3 weeks when applying from outside the UK. In some countries you can pay for a faster decision.

Money. You need to show your living costs for up to 9 months plus any course fees still to pay. The money must be held for at least 28 days in a row, and the 28-day period must end within 31 days of the visa application. Nationals of some countries, including Spain and other EU countries, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru and the Dominican Republic, usually do not need to send proof of funds with the application if they apply from the country where they live or from inside the UK. The money must still be there, and UKVI may ask for the evidence before deciding.

English. English at CEFR level B2 for courses at degree level or above. Universities can assess this themselves, so they may accept a test other than a SELT. Universities set their own English requirements for each course, separately from the visa rules, so check the course page as well.

Tuberculosis test. If you have lived in certain countries, you need a tuberculosis (TB) test from a Home Office approved clinic for a stay of 6 months or more. The list includes, for example, India, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic; Spain and other EU countries are not on it.

Family members. Undergraduate students cannot bring a partner or children on a Student visa, unless they are government-sponsored students on a course longer than 6 months. Postgraduate students can bring dependants only on a PhD, other doctorate or research-based higher degree.

Travel and length of stay. If your course lasts more than 6 months, you can arrive up to 1 month before it starts, but never before the start date on your visa. At degree level, aged 18 or over, you can usually stay up to 5 years; the exact length depends on the course.

The full list of documents, including passport and evidence of qualifications, is on GOV.UK: Documents you must provide. The visa decision is made only by UK Visas and Immigration.

Working during and after your studies

During your studies. Up to 20 hours a week during term time, full-time outside term time, for full-time students at degree level or above (including postgraduate) at a university with a track record of compliance. Self-employment is not allowed. Your university can confirm which limit applies to its students.

After graduating. The Graduate visa lets you stay in the UK to work or look for work after you finish your degree. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, the Graduate visa lasts 18 months for bachelor's and master's graduates (3 years after a PhD). The length depends on the date you apply, and the rules may change again before you graduate. The application fee is £937, and you apply from inside the UK before your Student visa expires. Details are on GOV.UK: Graduate visa.

How Wisemore can help

We help international students with the parts of a UK application that take the most time: preparing and checking the UCAS application or a university’s own form, giving feedback on your personal statement drafts (you write the statement yourself; we give two rounds of draft feedback) and helping you gather your Student visa documents and check the pack for completeness against the official checklist. We confirm the timeline before you pay, based on your university deadlines. Universities make admission decisions and UK Visas and Immigration makes visa decisions, so we cannot guarantee an offer or a visa.

Prepared by the Wisemore editorial team · Last checked: 13 Oct 2026