Student route visa
International students who want to study on an RAU Undergraduate or Postgraduate, Taught, full-time programme or do their PhD studies here will need to obtain a Student visa before the start of their studies.
New student route
On 5 October 2020 at 09:00 the Tier 4 route closed and has been replaced by the Student route. If you have already applied under the Tier 4 route you do not need to take any action. The two routes are very similar and are updating our website to reflect these changes
The Royal Agricultural University acts as their educational sponsor (Student Sponsor License No: VT0Q9ERW3). Students need to meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Hold a place on an RAU taught course (Unconditional, Firm)
- Meet the English language requirements in addition to meeting the RAU requirements for your chosen course of study (see individual course pages for details on entry requirements for specific programmes and levels of study)
- Have enough money to support themselves and pay for the tuition of their course
- By applying to do the course they won’t exceed the maximum cap of study in the UK
To apply and get a Student visa you need to claim 70 points in total.
| Points type | Relevant requirements to be met | Number of points |
|---|---|---|
| Study | Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies requirement | 50 |
| Financial | Financial requirements | 10 |
| English language | English language requirements | 10 |
The University only sponsors full-time students under the Student visa route. To see the Student route visa process step-by-step click here.
The University has a dedicated Visa Support Team who will guide you through the entire visa application. They will check your application and supporting documents to ensure you meet all requirements before they clear you to submit your Student visa application.
Please click on the following links to read relevant detailed visa information for your study:
- New students
- Existing students (requiring extension to complete their studies)
- Returning students (completed a programme of study with RAU and move to a higher level of study: e.g. Foundation degree to Bachelor degree or Bachelor degree to MSc etc)
For the latest advice regarding Covid-19 please see www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents#outside-uk.