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Visas and immigration

Most international students coming to the UK to study will require a visa. The type of visa you will need will depend on the length of your course.

  • Student visa – courses six months or longer
    • If you wish to come to the UK to study a course which is longer than six months (or a pre-sessional course which will lead on to a course which is longer than six months).
    • To apply for a Student visa you will need to be sponsored by an educational sponsor. Solent University will sponsor you for your visa once you have met all the conditions of your offer and meet our visa checks by issuing you a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies).
  • Standard Visitor visa – courses up to six months in duration. Please see our guidance on our Visitor visa page.
  • EU nationals – unless you moved to the UK prior to 31 December 2020 and have EU Settled Status, you will require a visa to study in the UK.
  • Other visas – if you already hold a visa for the UK under a different visa category, you may be able to study on this visa. Please check your visa conditions and contact internationalsupport@solent.ac.uk if you are unsure.

If you are unsure please visit the Home Office ‘do I need a visa’ webpage.

This page provides advice on the Student visa.

To apply for a visa from overseas you will need to create an account and apply online.

  • After applying you will need to visit a visa application centre to submit any required documents and submit your biometrics (fingerprints/photo).
  • If you are from the EU/EEA you will usually be able to submit your documents via an app.

More information can be found on the UKCISA website.

Additional information

For more information, please visit the following organisations:

If you are unsure about any aspect of applying for a Student visa, please contact our international student adviser:

Email: internationalsupport@solent.ac.uk
Telephone:+44 23 8201 2104