If you need more time to complete your studies or want to move on to another eligible course in the UK, you can apply to extend your Student visa if you meet the requirements.

A Student visa extension is an application for further permission to stay in the UK under the Student route. You should not assume that your right to study ends when the expiry date on your current visa passes. If you make a valid in-time application for further permission, you may extend your existing permission while your application is pending, subject to the conditions of that permission. The extension must be applied for before your permission ends.

The requirements relate to your immigration status, your education provider, your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), academic progression and the timing of your application. You must meet the requirements that apply to your circumstances, including any applicable exceptions.

If you are preparing to continue your studies, our Student Visa Support page can help you organise your questions and understand your next step.

Who Can Extend a UK Student Visa?

To extend your Student visa from within the UK, you must:

  • Be in the UK
  • Currently have permission as a Student or under the previous Tier 4 (General) Student route
  • Have a place on an eligible course from a licensed Student sponsor
  • Have been assigned a new CAS by your sponsor
  • Meet the academic progression requirement unless an exception applies

You must also meet the other relevant Student route requirements.

If you are not currently in the UK with Student or Tier 4 (General) permission, you cannot use the Student visa extension process described here. Depending on your circumstances, you will need to make a different type of Student application instead.

What Is a CAS and Do You Need a New One?

Yes. You need a valid Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies for your Student visa extension.

A CAS is an electronic record created by your licensed Student sponsor. It contains information about you, your sponsor and the course you have been accepted onto.

Your education provider must assign the CAS before you make your application.

You must apply no more than three months before the start date of your course, and the CAS must still be valid when you apply. A CAS is normally valid for six months from the date it is assigned.

A CAS does not itself grant immigration permission. You must still make a valid Student application and meet the requirements of the route.

What Is the Academic Progression Requirement?

Applicants extending Student permission from inside the UK are subject to the academic progression requirement unless an exception applies.

The requirement is designed to show that your continued study represents genuine academic progression rather than simply extending your stay in the UK.

In most cases, an applicant who previously held Student permission must have successfully completed the course for which their previous Student permission was granted.

Your new course must be at a higher academic level, unless a specific exception applies.

Progressing from a bachelor’s degree to a Master’s degree is a typical example of academic progression.

Can You Study Another Course at the Same Level?

Studying at the same academic level can satisfy the academic progression requirement, but only in specific circumstances.

A course at the same level can meet the academic progression requirement where:

  • Your Student sponsor is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance
  • The new course is at degree level or above
  • Your sponsor confirms that the new course is related to your previous course, or that the previous and new courses in combination support your genuine career aspirations

The sponsor must explain the basis for this on your CAS.

This is a genuinely fact-specific assessment. Do not assume it applies to your situation without checking with your sponsor and, where necessary, a regulated immigration adviser.

When Does the Academic Progression Requirement Not Apply?

The academic progression requirement does not apply in the following specific circumstances.

The exceptions cover:

  • Re-sitting examinations or repeating modules
  • Completing a course after re-sitting examinations or repeating modules
  • Continuing a PhD or other doctorate started during the previous period of Student permission
  • Moving to another sponsor because the previous sponsor’s licence was revoked
  • Undertaking or returning from an eligible Student Union Sabbatical Officer role
  • Undertaking an eligible intercalated course
  • Continuing the main course after an eligible intercalated course
  • Undertaking or returning from an eligible study abroad programme or work placement that forms part of the course

The exact exception must apply to the applicant’s circumstances. An applicant should not assume that needing additional study time automatically removes the academic progression requirement.

Can You Extend Your Visa to Finish the Same Course?

There are circumstances where a Student may need further immigration permission to complete a course they have already started, for example where the course has been extended because of a work placement, study abroad programme, or the need to re-sit examinations or repeat modules.

Whether you can apply for further Student permission from inside the UK depends on the circumstances and the requirements of the Student route. Specific exceptions to the academic progression requirement apply to some students who are continuing their existing course, including certain students who need to re-sit examinations or repeat modules.

Your Student sponsor must confirm whether it can assign a new CAS for the additional period. You should check with your sponsor whether you are eligible to make an in-country application before assuming that you can extend your Student permission from within the UK.

When Should You Apply to Extend Your Student Visa?

The earliest you can apply is three months before the start date of your course.

You must apply before your existing Student visa expires.

Your new course must start no more than 28 days after your current immigration permission expires.

For example, if your current Student permission expires on 1 December, the new course must start by 29 December for an in-country extension application.

You must also apply within six months of your CAS being issued.

Timing is one of the most common reasons Student visa extensions become complicated. Do not assume that receiving an offer or being assigned a CAS means you have unlimited time to apply. You must apply before your current permission expires.

Can You Stay in the UK While Your Extension Is Being Decided?

If you submit a valid in-time application before your existing immigration permission expires, you can remain in the UK while the application is being decided.

You must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while the application is pending.

If you leave before a decision is made, your application will automatically be withdrawn and cannot be reinstated.

This catches many students out. Plan all international travel around your immigration position, not the other way around.

Do You Need to Show Money to Extend a Student Visa?

Whether you need to show maintenance funds depends on how long you have held valid UK immigration permission continuously.

If you are applying for permission to stay and have been living in the UK with permission for 12 months or more on the date you apply, you meet the Student financial requirement without having to show the specified maintenance funds.

If you have been in the UK with permission for less than 12 months, you must meet the relevant financial requirement unless another applicable provision applies.

The maintenance requirement is:

  • £1,529 per month for study in London
  • £1,171 per month for study outside London

The maintenance requirement applies for up to nine months.

Where the financial evidence requirement applies, you must also show that you have sufficient funds to cover the course fees for the academic year stated on your CAS, after taking account of any permitted payments already made towards those fees.

Where the financial evidence requirement applies, the funds must have been held continuously for at least 28 days. The closing balance date on your bank statement must be no more than 31 days before the date you apply. The balance must not drop below the required amount at any point during those 28 days.

Financial requirements can change. Always check GOV.UK immediately before applying – do not rely on figures from earlier articles or guidance.

Do You Have to Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge Again?

Yes. A Student visa extension is a new immigration application. You will normally need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for the period of immigration permission granted. The Student rate is currently £776 per year, with specific rules applying to part-years.

The amount depends on the length of permission being granted.

Budget for both the application fee and the IHS before you apply. The total cost depends on the length of permission you are applying for.

How Much Does a Student Visa Extension Cost?

The application fee to extend a Student visa from within the UK is £558 per applicant.

You will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

There is no separate fee for biometrics as part of a Student extension application. Optional faster appointment services carry additional charges.

Fees can change, so check GOV.UK immediately before applying.

How Long Does a Student Visa Extension Take?

GOV.UK states that in-country Student visa applications are typically decided within eight weeks.

An application can take longer where, for example:

  • Supporting documents need to be verified
  • An interview is required
  • There are circumstances that require additional checks

A priority service may be available, which typically reduces the decision time to around five working days. Availability is not guaranteed and an additional fee applies.

Do not make travel or course start plans that depend on receiving a decision by a specific date.

Can You Start Your New Course Before Your Extension Is Approved?

Whether you can begin a new course while an application is pending depends on the circumstances.

In certain circumstances, you may be able to start your new course before your Student visa extension application has been decided. This can apply where you have made a valid in-time application and the requirements in the Student Sponsor Guidance for starting a new course while an application is pending are met.

Whether you can start before a decision depends on your circumstances, including your existing Student permission, your previous and proposed courses and your Student sponsor. You should confirm with your sponsor that the relevant requirements are satisfied before beginning the new course.

Making an application does not, by itself, give you unrestricted permission to start a new course.

Is There a Maximum Time You Can Spend Studying in the UK?

There are limits on the amount of time some applicants can spend studying under the Student route.

For courses below degree level, there is a general limit of two years of Student permission. This limit applies from the point at which the student turns 18.

For study at degree level, there is generally a maximum of five years of Student permission, subject to the detailed rules and applicable exceptions. This five-year limit does not apply to postgraduate courses at degree level or above.

Certain courses are exempt from the five-year limit. These include:

  • Architecture
  • Medicine
  • Dentistry
  • Veterinary medicine and science
  • Music
  • Specified legal studies

If you have previously held Student or Tier 4 permission in the UK, your remaining permitted study time should be confirmed before your sponsor assigns a new CAS.

What Happens to Your Partner or Children When You Extend?

Extending your Student visa does not automatically extend the permission of your partner or children. Each dependant must make their own separate application.

Dependants can apply at the same time as you or before their own permission expires – do not wait until your extension is approved before starting their applications.

The restrictions on Student dependants introduced in January 2024 are strict. Whether your family members qualify for further permission depends on your course type. Check the dependant rules separately before assuming they can extend alongside you.

What Documents Could You Need?

The documents required depend on your circumstances. An extension application will typically require:

  • A valid passport or other identity document
  • Your new CAS
  • Evidence of your English language ability, where required by the route
  • Evidence of maintenance funds, where required
  • Evidence of previous course completion or academic progression, where required
  • An Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate, if your course requires one
  • Written consent from a government or international scholarship agency, where the Immigration Rules require it
  • Documents relating to any dependants applying separately

Use the requirements that apply to your specific application. Document requirements vary between applicants and should not be assumed from someone else’s experience.

Common Reasons a Student Extension Can Become Complicated

A Student visa extension is more likely to raise issues in the following circumstances:

  • Your current permission is close to expiry
  • Your new course starts more than 28 days after your current permission ends
  • You did not complete your previous course
  • You are applying to study another course at the same academic level
  • You have already spent several years studying in the UK
  • You need to repeat part of your existing course
  • Your education provider cannot issue a new CAS
  • Your financial evidence does not meet the Immigration Rules
  • Your personal or immigration circumstances have changed since your previous application

None of these circumstances necessarily means that an application will be refused, but some can mean that an in-country Student application is not available or that additional requirements must be satisfied.

Visit our Student Visa Support page to organise your questions and understand your next step.