Before you arrive

Information to help you before you arrive in the UK.

Student Visa - How to apply for your course

Step 1. Making an application

The University offers a wide variety of courses, ranging from English Study programmes to Doctorates; all of these can be viewed on our course finder.

It is very important that you find the right course so we would recommend you visit the University and attend an open day. If you cannot attend in person don’t panic – look at our country-specific information. This page contains a wealth of information, including entry requirements and what qualifications we accept.  

Once you have decided on your course of study you can apply for your programme here.

Important note for Students Requiring a Student Visa to study – acceptance of Recognition of Prior Learning may affect the duration of your programme of study and therefore affect your Student Visa. Please seek advice from Home Office Compliance team prior to submitting an application.

If you have any further questions about making your application, please contact our admissions team using the details below:

Step 2. Receiving an offer

If you meet the criteria for the course you have applied for then you will be made a formal offer by the University.

If you have applied for undergraduate study, you must let UCAS know that the University of Salford is your first choice. If you have applied for postgraduate study, you must let the University know that you want to accept your offer.  You can do this by returning the reply slip attached to your offer letter or emailing pg-admissions@salford.ac.uk.

Step 3. Meeting your conditions

If your offer is conditional upon academic results, proof of English language or an ATAS, you should provide these to us as soon as possible.  Send this information to ug-admissions@salford.ac.uk (for undergraduate students) or pg-admissions@salford.ac.uk (for postgraduate students) stating your full name, date of birth and your student ID number (your student ID number can be found at the top of your offer letter from Salford and is written in the following format: @00XXXXXX).

To help you secure the visa that you will need to study at Salford, all international students must pay a study deposit. The payment of a study deposit to a University shows the seriousness of your intent to study there. The amount of the deposit and how to pay will be detailed in your offer letter. If you are a sponsored student you will not have to pay a study deposit as long as the University has been supplied with proof of sponsorship from your sponsor.

Step 4. Tuberculosis certificate requirements

You will need to have a tuberculosis (TB) test at a UKVI approved clinic if you are coming to the UK for more than six months and are a resident in any of these listed countries.  If your test shows you do not have TB you will be given a certificate that is valid for six months.  You will need to include this certificate with your UK visa application.  For more information please see here.

You do not need to apply for a TB certificate if:

  • You are a diplomat accredited to the UK
  • You are a returning UK resident and have not been away for more than two years
  • You lived for at least six months in a country where TB screening is not required by the UK and you have been away from that country for no more than six months.

Step 5. Financial requirements

As part of your visa application you will be required to show evidence that you have enough money to support yourself whilst studying in the UK.  If you are sponsored by an official financial sponsor, you will need an official sponsor letter as evidence.  If you are supporting yourself, you must provide a bank statement that:

  • Is no older than one month.
  • Shows that you have held the required funds for 28 days or more.
  • Is produced on letter headed paper from your issuing bank. If electronic or on-line bank statements are used, each page of the statement must be stamped by your branch.

Please note: If your financial evidence is not in English or Welsh, you will need to submit an original certified translation.

You can find information on how much money you need to show to meet the Home Office’s requirements and how to demonstrate this on the UKCISA website and in the Home Office’s Student Visa Policy Guidance.   If you are applying with dependants please note that you will also be required to show additional maintenance funds are held for each of your dependants.

Financial documents from overseas institutions

Bank statements issued from overseas banks will often show overseas currency.  The Home Office will accept this and will use OANDA to calculate the UK sterling equivalent on the date you submit your visa application. The date you submit your visa application is classed as the date on which you submit the application and pay the fee. 

Please note: If the exchange rate for the currency shown on your financial documents fluctuates regularly, we would advise ensuring you have documented enough funds to take this into account.  We would also recommend you check the exchange rate on OANDA on the day you intend to make your visa application.

Step 6. Applying for your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

Once you have met all of the conditions of your offer, you can apply for your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) if your course start date is within the next 6 months. You should fill out the request form carefully making certain there are no errors otherwise these could appear in your final CAS.

If I have an offer, why do I need to request a CAS?

An offer issued to you does not automatically entitle you to a CAS: as part of the CAS request, we will require more information from you.  
You must ensure you provide all of the necessary information requested and within plenty of time of your course start date.  If there is anything that needs to be addressed before you submit a visa application then it is much easier for us to help you if you submit your CAS request in a timely manner.

What information do I need to supply with my request?

In order to apply for your CAS number, you will need to provide certain information, including:

  • Details of any student visas you have held to study in the United Kingdom.
  • Details of any visa refusals you may have had (for any country in the world).
  • Evidence that you have enough money to support yourself whilst studying in the UK.
  • Your Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate (where applicable).  If you require an ATAS, please read our guide

If you have any further queries concerning your CAS then please contact us via salford-cas@salford.ac.uk.

Step 7. Receiving your CAS

Once you have submitted your CAS request we will write to you within 2 working days to confirm receipt and a date when you will next hear from us regarding your CAS. 

What will my CAS look like?

Your CAS will be emailed to you when your request has been processed and all accompanying documents verified.  When you receive your CAS please check all the information carefully to make sure everything is correct.  If there are any errors or you have paid further tuition fees, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing salford-cas@salford.ac.uk.

If you have any further queries concerning your CAS then please contact salford-cas@salford.ac.uk.

Step 8. Making a Student Visa application

Once you have received your CAS and have gathered all your documentation, you are ready to start your Student visa application.