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Before you leave to study in the UK you will, in most cases, need to obtain a Tier 4 Student visa. Applying for a visa can take time, so it’s important to plan far enough in advance to get one.
To help you navigate the visa application process, we’ve prepared answers to common questions – take a look below.
Studying in the UK is a big investment, so you need to plan ahead. You must have at least £1,015 for each month of your pathway course (or £1,265 per month if you’re studying in London), up to a maximum of 9 months, as well as funds to cover any unpaid tuition fees. This must be held in a recognised bank account for at least 28 days before you make your application for your Tier 4 Student visa.
You can be sponsored by a number of different bodies, including your own government, the UK government, an international organisation, a university, the British Council or an international company. Alternatively, you may rely on your parents or legal guardians to pay for your studies. If you’re using money from parents or legal guardians, you will need evidence of your relationship to them, such as a birth or adoption certificate.
Unfortunately, Kaplan is unable to financially sponsor students to study in the UK. However, we can offer some partial scholarships to help you in your studies. You can find out more on our scholarships page.
Only students who are studying at postgraduate level for 12 months or more may bring dependents to the UK. This period applies to degree study only, and does not include any time spent studying a Pre-Master’s. Sponsored students may bring dependents at any level of study as long as the study duration is longer than 6 months.
Any student who doesn’t hold a degree or nationality from a majority-English-speaking country will need to satisfy the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) English language requirement. You can do this by taking an IELTS for UKVI test, or another UKVI-approved Secure English Language Test (SELT), at a UKVI-approved test centre, and reaching the required English level no more than 2 years before your CAS is assigned.
For a test to be approved, it needs to be at B1 level or above in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and test all 4 language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. The tests currently accepted are:
If you’re applying to study an International Year One and your current English language level is equivalent to IELTS 5.5 in all skills or higher, we may be able to accept one of the alternatives below as proof of English level if your CAS has been assigned on or after 26 August 2020:
If you have a degree from a majority-English-speaking country, you’ll need to show that it is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree by obtaining a statement of comparability from UK NARIC. Due to curriculum differences, Canadian degrees are not included. Anybody who has completed a course of more than 6 months on a Tier 4 (Child) visa within the last 2 years is also exempt.
Even if you’re under 18, you won’t be able to apply for a Tier 4 Child visa to study at a Kaplan college, as Kaplan colleges are not independent schools. This is in accordance with UK immigration laws.
Holding a passport from a British Overseas Dependent Territory is not sufficient to exempt you from the UKVI English language requirement, so you will still need to meet the criteria in question 5. Unless you are a naturalised British national, you will also still need to obtain a Tier 4 visa.
