Making a Student Visa application - from outside the UK | Visas and immigration

The information on this page must be read together with the Student Visa Policy Guidance and details available on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Please read this guidance carefully! We realise there’s lots of information to read through, but if your visa is refused then you might not have enough time to make a new application before your course starts.

CAS requests for all courses commencing September 2026 opened on 23 March 2026, the deadline to accept CAS requests is 07 August 2026. The deadline to issue CAS is 14 August 2026.

If you are coming to study a short course at LSHTM, please visit the "Visa requirements for short-term study" section.

Student Visa application

How to apply

To be eligible to apply for a Student visa, you need to be able to score 70 points. Points are non-tradable, which means you will need to meet all the requirements. You will be awarded points for meeting the requirements of the route as set out in the table below:

Points type	Requirements to be met	Number of points
Study	Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) requirement Course requirement Approved Qualification requirement Level of Study requirement Place of Study requirement	50
Financial	Financial requirements	10
English	English Language requirements	10

Once you have received your CAS from the School, you will need to complete an online application. Further instructions can be found on the UK Visas and Immigration website

When: You can apply for the student visa up to 6 months before the course start date. You must apply for your student visa before you travel to the UK and can only submit and pay for your application once we issued your CAS.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) advise that decisions standard applications are made in 15 working days, however some application can take longer. A priority service is available in most countries at additional cost and aims to make a decision on the application in 5 working days. Some countries also offer a super priority 24-hour service for a decision.

Where: You should apply for your student visa in your country of nationality or country of residence (where you have permission to live other than as a visitor).

How: You will need to complete the Student Visa application online which includes paying the immigration health surcharge and visa fees. The cost of a standard student visa application is currently £558. Priority and super priority services may be available at a higher cost.

In most countries your appointment will be at a UK visa application Centre and you will submit your passport when you attend.

The Immigration Health Surcharge

Applicants coming to the UK for 6 months or longer are required to pay a mandatory immigration health surcharge in order to access the National Health Service (NHS).

The surcharge is £776 per year based on the amount of leave granted on your visa. If the leave granted includes part of a year that is 6 months or less, the amount payable for that part of a year will be £388. If you have any dependants, they will also have to pay the charge.

For example, an MSc programme student would have to pay £1164: £776 for their 1-year course plus £388 for the additional 4 months of leave granted after the course ends.

Payment is made online as part of the visa application. The amount charged is based on the course start and end dates taking into consideration the short post-study period you will be granted on the end of the visa.

You can use the tool on the UK government webpage to calculate exactly how much you will need to pay.

Students from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein

If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and you started living in the UK on or before 31 December 2020, you can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. If you started living in the UK from 1 January 2021, you'll need to apply for a visa to study in the UK.

Master's intercalating students

Who qualifies as an intercalating student?

An intercalating student is a student who temporarily pauses their current degree program to undertake a separate course of study, often at another institution before returning to complete their original degree.
Intercalating from outside the UK – eligible for a CAS to apply for student visa depending on the period they will be in the UK
Intercalating from inside the UK – not eligible for a CAS, current student visa will be upheld by initial institution, we will require confirmation from institute

What is a shorter CAS, and why can intercalating students receive one

A shorter CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) covers a shorter period than 12 months of the Master’s course, reflecting the reduced period that intercalating students may be based in the UK for their studies with us.

How is the shorter CAS duration determined?

The duration of a shorter CAS is based on the time the intercalating student will be based in the UK, we have noticed that intercalating students will normally leave the UK to resume their initial course during Term 3 once the mandatory classes have ended and the summer project is about to start. We will therefore be reaching out all intercalating students once we have received their CAS request to assess the period they plan to remain in the UK, we shall then advise further on a case-to-case basis.

How long will my visa be valid if I receive a shorter CAS?

Your visa will be valid only for the period specified on your shorter CAS, plus a wrap period allowed by UKVI. For example, a wrap up period of 2 months is provided for courses lasting 6 months or longer but shorter than 12 months. We are of the view that most intercalating students will be based in the UK for Term 1 and Term 2, so more than 6 months but less than 12 months, your student visa will therefore be valid for a total of 8 months.

What will the timeline for the academic year look like for students on a shorter CAS?

Students on a shorter CAS will follow the same academic calendar as all other students. Term dates, exams, and any submissions will be the same. The only difference is that students will leave the UK and complete the course from overseas.

Will I be able to stay in the UK for the full duration of my course at LSHTM if my study plans change ?

You may be able to extend your student visa if your plans change while studying with us, however is dependant on multiple factors and should be discussed with the visa team in the first instance.

Am I eligible to apply for the Graduate Route Visa after my intercalation period if I have a shorter CAS?

No, the Graduate Route visa is only available to students who have successfully completed a full course remained for at least 12 months on a student visa. A shorter CAS will not cover the full 12 months.

Am I expected to leave the UK after term 2?

You will be expected to leave the UK before the expiry of your student visa

Do I need any additional documentation from my home institution to receive a shorter CAS?

Yes, LSHTM will require confirmation from your home institution confirming that you will be intercalating. This must be provided prior to CAS issuance.

How do I complete my course if I am intercalating?

For overseas applicants, you may finish your studies at LSHTM from overseas.

Should I inform the visa team when I leave the UK?

You should contact the LSHTM Visa Compliance team in advance of leaving the UK

How does receiving a shorter CAS affect my tuition fees and funding during intercalation?

Tuition Fees and funding will remain the same for all students as you will be studying the full course.

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) Request

How do I get a CAS?

Once you have received the Conditional Offer letter, you should complete and submit the CAS request form along with all supporting documents. CAS requests can be made no earlier than 6 months from the course start date.

You must read the CAS Guidance to confirm what supporting documentation you need to include before sending the request form.

You should return the CAS request form and supporting documents to [email protected].

The CAS Team will then assess your application, the CAS will normally be issued within 10 working days of receiving the CAS request provided all supporting documents and all other conditions of your offer have been met.

Financial requirements

How much money do I need to show as part of the visa application?

Students coming to study for 9 months or more will need to show:

enough funds to cover the first year’s tuition fees; and
£13,761 for living costs (9 months at £1,529 per month for a student based in London). Even if your course is longer than 9 months, you only need to show 9 months’ living costs at £1,529 per month. You need to show this amount even if you plan to live rent-free (for example with family) in the UK.

Students coming for less than 9 months will need to show:

enough funds to pay the tuition fees, and
£1,529 for each month of the course

How do I show I meet the financial requirements for Student Visa?

It’s very important that you make sure you provide evidence of funds which meets the Home Office requirements. Insufficient evidence of funds will lead to a visa refusal with no right of appeal.

You must be able to prove that you have sufficient funds to cover your first-year course fees plus £1,529 in living costs for each month of your course up to a maximum of 9 months.

Financial documentation must meet the specific student visa requirements, please read through the guidance on the gov.uk website for further details

If you are self-funded

You need to demonstrate the minimum required amount of money, and that you have held it in your bank account for at least 28 consecutive days and these must be from the 31 days before you submit the student visa application.
The money you show must be in cash funds in the bank e.g. current account, savings account, deposit account, pension savings, investment account, provided that the cash can be accessed immediately.
Other accounts or funds will not be accepted e.g. stock and shares, pensions bonds, overdrafts, lines of credit.
Bank accounts that are not regulated by the financial regulatory body in the country you’re applying from, or bank accounts that don’t use electronic record keeping cannot be used.
You need to show that funds have not gone below the minimum required, even for one day, or even by a small amount If necessary, you should provide evidence that is duly translated into English
The bank account you use must be in your name (joint accounts in your name are acceptable), or in your partner’s name if they are applying for the defendant visa at the same time.
If you are being funded by a parent or guardian, you can submit bank statements in their name, but you also need to provide evidence of your relationship (birth certificate) and a letter of permission from them.
As part of the visa application, you are required to declare that the funds will be available to you for the duration of your studies.

If you are funding your studies through a loan

For student loans you need to show a student loan letter which:

is dated no more than 6 months before the date of application
confirms the loan is a student loan provided by either the relevant government or a government sponsored student loan company or an academic or educational loans scheme
confirms there are no conditions on release of the loan funds other than a successful application to study
confirms the amount of the loan
confirms the loan is for you
is on official stationery
confirms the funds will be available to you, or paid directly to the sponsor, before you begin your course

If you are funding your studies through a combination of the above, then you must produce the relevant paperwork for all your sources of funding.

You can submit financial documents in another recognised currency, the conversion rates from https://www1.oanda.com/currency/converter/, the UKVI use the same website.

If you have official sponsorship

To prove you have official financial sponsorship you need to show your reference number for confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS).

You will need to show a letter of confirmation from the official financial sponsor, the letter must show:

the date
he name of the financial sponsor
contact details of the financial sponsor
how long the sponsorship will last
the amount of money that is being given or confirmation that all of your fees and living costs will be covered

Supporting documents

What else do I need to provide with my visa application?

A valid passport: This should be the same passport which you submit as part of your application to the School as we use this to issue the CAS. If you get a new passport before your CAS is issued, then please email the CAS Team and provide copies of your new passport (front cover, photo page, visa and any UK endorsed pages).

Original evidence of qualification(s): You will have to submit the original evidence of qualifications used to obtain your offer to the School, as stated on your CAS. Please contact the CAS Team if you are unsure.

The visa application fee: The fee is £558.

Can I submit documents in a language other than English, as part of my visa application?

Any supporting documents not in English must be sent with a fully certified translation by a professional translator that can be verified by the Home Office.

English Language requirements

Do I need to provide evidence of English language level as part of my visa application?

All students must meet LSHTM’s English Language requirement to meet their offer conditions. This means you cannot be issued a CAS until you submit evidence of the required English Language level to Admissions.

When you make your visa application, you do not need to include evidence of your English Language level because the School will state in the CAS that we have assessed your English Language level as part of the admissions process.

Differentiation arrangements for applicants

Where an applicant qualifies under the differentiation arrangements, they are not usually required to provide evidence they meet the financial requirements. However, applicants should still hold the required level of funds as UKVI reserve the right to request evidence of funds, you will therefore be required to provide financial evidence with the CAS request. The UKVI suggest that nationals from the below countries qualify for differentiation arrangements:

Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United States of America

Once you have received your visa

The UK has transitioned to a digital immigration system, replacing the physical 90-day student visa vignettes in passports with eVisa (digital status) for student visa applications

Students must set up a UKVI account to prove their immigration status.

You should also provide us with the share code as soon as this is available, by visiting eVisa share code , please select other reasons when generating the share to confirm your student visa status for the School. The share code must be provided prior to enrolment.

You may also generate a share code to:

view your eVisa (online immigration status) - this shows what rights you have in the UK, for example to study, work, rent or claim benefits
prove your immigration status to other people, for example employers, landlords or airline staff

Key details on Student eVisas

The eVisa: Instead of a sticker, you will receive a digital status (eVisa) accessible through a UKVI account, which confirms your right to study in the UK.
Validity and Travel: The digital visa serves as proof of your immigration status. The UKVI account allows you to share your status with employers, landlords, or your university.
Dependents: While main applicants are moving to digital-only, dependents may still receive a physical vignette and an eVisa.
What to Check: Your eVisa will state your visa type, validity dates (start and end), If any of the above is incorrect, please contact your visa application centre immediately alternatively you can contact the CAS Team for further advice.

Registration at LSHTM

You must provide your digital status share code to verify your immigration status prior to enrolment, this will allow us to make the “Right to Study” check, you must also bring your passport to complete the “Right to Study” check at Registration. You will be unable to register at the School until our staff have verified your immigration status and checked your passport.

If you will be arriving late for your course and will miss the Visa Check and/or Registration, please contact the CAS Team.

Can I register on my course after the start-date, if I am delayed due to problems with my visa?

If you are not able to register by the course start date or latest date of enrolment as stated on your CAS for reasons beyond your control, you must contact the CAS Team as a matter of urgency to see if it will be possible for you to register at a later date You should not attempt to enter the UK without contacting the us, as you may be refused entry by UK Border Force.