Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

All postgraduate taught (masters) applicants (excluding Masters by Research MPhil/PhD) who require a Student Visa must pay a £5,000 non-refundable deposit*, which is treated as part of the first instalment of your tuition fee before you can request a CAS.

* Exclusions

You are not required to pay the non-refundable deposit if:

• you are an undergraduate student;
• you do not require a Student Route Visa to study at Kingston University;
• your studies are being sponsored by your government or a company (evidence of your sponsorship must be provided);
• you are receiving funding or a student loan from Lånekassen, US Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program (CSFA Program) (evidence must be provided);
• you are receiving a student loan from a regulated student loan scheme (evidence of your student loan for the full fee amount must be provided).

Pay your non-refundable deposit now

After you have paid the postgraduate deposit (if applicable), log into OSIS select the 'Your Visa' tab and then click ‘Request a CAS'. Remember you must pay the deposit first.

Follow the steps and answer the questions – we will ask you:

• If you are studying or have previously studied on a student visa in the UK
• If you have had any previous UK visa refusals*
• If you have any other pending applications with UKVI
• If your studies are either partially or fully funded by a scholarship, organisation or government

Our CAS team will assess the documents you have uploaded to ensure they meet UKVI requirements and may contact you if they require any additional documents or information, so check your email regularly. You can also track the progress of your CAS request by logging in to OSIS.

* Please note: You must tell us about any previous visa refusals, and upload scanned copies of the refusal notice (or other confirmation) onto OSIS using the instructions outlined below.

You will be asked to upload supporting documents to OSIS. Our CAS team will assess the documents you upload to ensure they meet UKVI requirements. If we require any additional documents or information, the CAS team will contact you directly, so check your email regularly.

You can track the progress of your CAS request by logging in to OSIS.

You must submit copies of the following documents:

Financial documents

You must be able to show that you have enough money to pay your course fees and living costs while you study in the UK.

Your supporting documents must show the full amount needed (first year course fees + £12,006 maintenance funds) held for a consecutive 28-day period. At no time can the funds dip below the total amount required.

A bank statement should:

• be printed on the 29th day.
• show the closing balance on the account – the date on the statement should be no more than 31 days before the date you submit your student visa application.

You can show you have enough money using:

• an official financial or government sponsorship or grant;
• a student loan from a government, government-sponsored loan company, or a regulated student loans scheme;
• your own money;
• your parents' money (if they provide a letter confirming they agree to you using it this way);
• your partner's money if your partner is present in the UK or applying at the same time.

If using your parents' bank statements, you must include a letter of support from your parents and proof of the relationship (such as a birth certificate). Read the Kingston Guide to bank statements (PDF), Bank Verification Form and UKVI Student Route Guidance for detailed information about the financial requirements. 

Tuberculosis (TB) certificate

If you are resident in any of these listed countries, you'll need to have a TB test from a UKVI-approved TB test centre.

ATAS certificate

Students intending to study certain science or engineering degrees will need to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate. You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to nine months before the start date of your course. Find out if you need an ATAS certificate.

When your draft CAS is ready, you will receive an email asking you to check and confirm that the details on your draft CAS are correct.

1. Log into OSIS.
2. Go to the Your Visa page on OSIS.
3. Click View draft CAS against your CAS request record.
4. Check that each section is correct and confirm the information by approving your draft CAS.

You will receive a copy of your final CAS statement by email when you have approved your draft CAS, and our CAS team has checked your supporting documents.

The CAS statement is an 'e-document', so you will not receive a paper copy.

You can apply for your student visa when you have receive your final CAS statement.

Low-risk nationals

Students from one of these countries are classified as a 'low risk national' (LRN) and will not be required to submit supporting documents with their student visa application. However, UKVI may still request to see your supporting documents after you submit your application, so you must ensure you have them.

If you are a low-risk national you must complete the Low-risk National Self-Declaration Form (Word) and upload it to OSIS.

As a low-risk national you must have access to the required funds for your tuition and maintenance fees but you do not need to provide evidence of this if you complete the LRN form.

The following documents are also required where applicable:

Tuberculosis (TB) certificate

If you are resident in any of these listed countries, you'll need to have a TB test from a UKVI-approved TB test centre.

ATAS certificate

Students intending to study certain science or engineering degrees will need to apply for a clearance certificate as part of the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate. You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to nine months before the start date of your course. Find out if you need an ATAS certificate.

The processing time for a CAS is between 5-10 working days. During our busy periods, it could take longer.

All postgraduate taught (masters) international students must pay the £5,000 non-refundable deposit before the CAS can be issued. You can also pay any amount above this.

You can still submit a CAS request without paying your deposit. However, we cannot issue your final CAS until we have received this payment.

The quickest way to pay is by debit or credit card via the Kingston University London Payment Portal.

If you require a receipt please contact accountsreceivable@kingston.ac.uk.

International student applicants are not required to pay a deposit if:

• you are an undergraduate student
• you do not require a Student Route Visa to study at Kingston University
• your studies are being sponsored by your government or a company (evidence of your sponsorship must be provided)
• you are receiving funding or a student loan from Lånekassen, US Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program (CSFA Program) (evidence must be provided)
• you are receiving a educational loan from a regulated educational loan scheme (evidence of your educational loan for the full fee amount must be provided)

The quickest way to pay your fees is by debit or credit card.

International payments such us international bank transfers and card payments must be made via Convera GlobalPay.

All information about payment methods can be found on the Kingston University Online Payment Portal.

If you have any fee payment questions, please contact the finance team at accountsreceivable@kingston.ac.uk.

Students intending to study certain science or engineering postgraduate level (RQF7) will need to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. If this applies to your course, it will be stated in your offer letter.

You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to nine months before the start date of your course. For more guidance, find out how to apply for an ATAS certificate.

A Tuberculosis (TB) medical certificate is required if you are coming to the UK for more than six months and are a resident of one of the countries listed on the UK Government's Tuberculosis tests for visa applicants web-page.

You must be tested at an approved UKVI clinic. Some countries don't have approved testing centres so you will need to get tested in a neighbouring country.

If you would usually require a TB certificate but have resided in a country for at least six months that does not require a TB certificate, you will be exempt from this requirement. You must upload a written explanation of your circumstances with any relevant residence permits.

There will be important changes to the Student Visa Route from January 2024.

The latest information about dependants and switching can be found in this document:

• Rules changes - Student reforms Q&A July 2023 (PDF)

Currently, your partner and children (‘dependants') may be able to apply to come to the UK or stay longer in the UK.

You must be one of the following:

• A full-time student on a postgraduate level course (RQF level 7 or above) that lasts nine months or longer
• A new government-sponsored student on a course that lasts longer than six months
• A Doctorate Extension Scheme student

For more information, visit the UK Government's Student visa 'Your partner and children' page.

Your dependant does not require a CAS, but you need to show enough funds for your dependants while making a CAS request.

Your dependant needs to be able to support themselves. How much money they need depends on where you will be studying. They must have:

• £845 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London

To find out more about how much money your dependent(s) will require, visit the UK Government's Student visa family members page.

Please note you will receive an invoice for the full course fee. The discount is applied as a credit to the invoice shortly after your enrolment. You will receive a separate credit note via email.

To find out more, check out our alumni discount page.

If you are considering changing course, more advice is available by emailing ukvi@kingston.ac.uk.

If you would like to add a placement year, you must first secure the placement by the relevant deadline. The placement office must then approve the course transfer.

You will need to apply for a new CAS as a continuing student to obtain a new visa that will cover the remaining length of the course.

You are permitted to work full time hours for your approved placement employer. In addition to this, you can work a maximum of 20 hours per week for any other employer. 

For more information, visit our Working in the UK page for international students.

Your faculty will transfer you off the placement route and you will be awarded the one-year masters at the next exam board. Once this is completed, the compliance team will report your change of course to the Home Office and your visa will be cancelled.

After you receive the email confirmation of your visa curtailment from the UKVI team, you will have about four months of extant leave.

Please obtain a course completion letter from your faculty student office after your new course end date. You can provide this to your employer as proof of your course completion.

For more details on working requirements, read our advice on working in the UK on a Student Visa. Or contact our immigration advice team for more details on ImmigrationAdvice@Kingston.ac.uk.

Students who are transferred off the placement year and complete the one-year masters are reported to the Home Office by the compliance team. They are then required to report your early completion and new end date. Your visa is then cancelled, and you will have 4 months extant leave.

If you travel outside the UK after your new end date has been reported to the Home Office, you risk not being eligible to apply for the Graduate Route.

The advice from the Home Office is not to travel outside the UK until your Graduate Route visa has been granted.

For further guidance on this matter, contact ImmigrationAdvice@Kingston.ac.uk.

If you are unable to pay any outstanding fees, you will need to contact the finance department immediately at AccountsReceivable@kingston.ac.uk.

If you miss any payments, your status will be suspended. Whilst you are suspended, you will not have any access to your student account. This includes your student email and Canvas access. This will only be reinstated once you have paid the outstanding fees.

For more information on when to pay fees, please visit our fees and funding page.