If you are a national of a country that joined the European Union in or after 2004

Bulgarian and Romanian nationals

If you are a national of Bulgaria or Romania, you do not need to apply to us under the points-based system in order to study in the UK.

You must not work for more than 20 hours per week while you study until we have given you permission. This is unless you are working during your vacation, as part of a course of vocational training, or are otherwise exempt from the worker authorisation requirements. See Bulgarian and Romanian nationals for more information.

Nationals of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Slovenia

If you are a national of one of these countries, you do not need to apply to us under the points-based system in order to study in the UK.

You will need to register under the Worker Registration Scheme if you want to work while you are studying in the UK, unless you are exempt from the worker registration requirements. See Worker Registration Scheme for more information.

Do you need to apply for a Tier 4 student visa?

You can study in the UK without needing to apply for a student visa if:

• you are a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland;
• you are a British overseas territories citizen, unless you are from one of the sovereign base areas in Cyprus;
• you are a Commonwealth citizen with permission to enter or stay in the UK because at least one of your grandparents was born here; or
• you have no conditions or time limit attached to your stay.

However, there may be restrictions on your ability to work during your studies if you are a national of a country that joined the European Union in or after 2004.

Using this website

. Read Can you apply? to find out whether you are eligible to come to or remain in the UK to study under Tier 4 (General).

2. Read What evidence must you provide? to find out which documents you must provide with your application - including evidence that you have enough money to pay your fees and living costs.

3. Read Visa fees to find out how much it costs to apply for a student visa under Tier 4 (General).

4. Read Applying to find out how and when to apply.

5. Read Conditions of your stay to find out when you can come (if you are applying from outside the UK), and what you can and cannot do while you are here as a Tier 4 (General) student.

What is the Tier 4 (General) student category?

The Tier 4 (General) category is for adult students who want to come to or remain in the UK for post-16 education.

If you are 16 or 17 years old and you want to study a course at or above National Qualfication Framework level 3, you and your approved education provider (known as a 'Tier 4 sponsor') can agree whether you should apply under this category or under Tier 4 (Child). However, if you want to study English as a foreign language, you must apply as a Tier 4 (General) student.

Part 6A (p aragraphs 245ZT to 245ZY) of the Immigration Rules contains full details of the category's requirements.

Can you do extra studies while you are in the UK as a Tier 4 student?

You are allowed to do extra courses (such as evening courses) in addition to your main studies. The course can be on any subject, and does not have to relate to your main course of study.

You do not need toobtain our permission in order to do extra studies, and you do not need to tell your Tier 4 sponsor. But you must ensure that the extra course does not get in the way of the course that you have permission to stay for.

Work placements

Under Tier 4 (General), you can do a work placement as part of your course of study, provided that the work placement is an assessed part of the course and the course is:

• at degree level or above; or
• a foundation degree course; or
• provided by a Highly Trusted sponsor.

The work placement must be no more than 50 per cent of the length of the course in the UK, unless there is a legal (statutory) requirement for the course to contain a specific period of work placement.

Example 1. You can study a two-year Master's degree course involving 12 months studying with your education provider and a 12-month work placement.

Example 2. You can study for an NQF level 4 diploma involving 26 weeks' classroom learning (with a minimum of 15 hours' taught study per week) and a 26-week work placement arranged at the end of or at any time during the course.

Example 3. You can study for an NVQ level 3 qualification with a work placement run concurrently with the course: 15 hours' classroom study per week with your education provider, plus 15 hours' work placement. Any additional hours worked during the week may be allowed as part of your entitlement to work part-time during term-time (see the 'Conditions of your stay' page), but these additional hours cannot be an assessed part of the course. You will need to arrange them directly with the employer - they cannot be arranged by your education provider.

If your course involves a work placement, your education provider will be responsible for you throughout the work placement.

If you are coming to the UK to do a 'study abroad' programme as part of a higher education course at an overseas higher education institution, you may do a work placement as part of the programme as long as it is no more than 50 per cent of the length of your study in the UK.

Course to prepare you for a main course of study (pre-sessional course)

A pre-sessional course to prepare you for study is an intensive English language course, or any other course you take to prepare you for your main course of study in the UK.

The pre-sessional course does not need to lead to a qualification, but it must be at the acceptable level for Tier 4 (General) students (see the Your course of study page) unless it is:

• a pre-sessional course at an independent school, which may include some academic study as well as English language, to prepare you for your main full-time course of study at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 3 or above; or
• a pre-sessional English language course which you study immediately before taking up an unconditional offer of a full-time course of study at NQF level 6 or above, and which is covered with the main course of study under a single confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) issued by your Tier 4 sponsor; or
• a pre-sessional English language course which will allow you (if you successfully complete it), to study a full-time course at NQF level 6 or above. You must have the same Tier 4 sponsor for both courses, and that sponsor must have already given you a CAS for the pre-sessional course and a conditional offer for the main course.

If a pre-sessional course meets these requirements, it can be at any level.

If a pre-sessional course is below the acceptable level for Tier 4 (General) students, you may want to apply to study under a different immigration route. However, you cannot switch into Tier 4 if you are in the UK as a child visitor or student visitor - you will need to leave the UK at the end of the pre-sessional course and apply from overseas for permision to study your main course here.

If you have a unconditional offer

If you have an unconditional offer of a place on your main course of study, we may give you permission to study in the UK for both your pre-sessional course and your main course. We will only do this if your pre-sessional course will be:

• with the same education provider as your main course; or
• with a partner institution named on your education provider's sponsor licence.

Your education provider will need to assign you a single CAS that covers both the pre-sessional course and the main course. The pre-sessional course must end no more than two months before the main course starts.

If you have a conditional offer

If you only have a conditional offer of a place on your main course of study, or if your pre-sessional course provider is separate from your main course provider, you will need to apply to us for permission to do the pre-sessional course first.

If you successfully complete the pre-sessional course, you can apply from inside the UK to extend your stay under Tier 4 and do your main course.

Postgraduate doctors and dentists

A recognised Foundation Programme for postgraduate doctors and dentists is an acceptable course under Tier 4 (General). You must already have successfully completed a recognised UK degree in medicine or dentistry from:

• a Tier 4 (General) sponsor; or
• a UK publicly funded institution of further or higher education; or
• an institution that is included as a recognised body or a listed body on the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills website.

Higher education course at an overseas institution

If you are already enrolled on a higher education course at an overseas higher education institution, you can do a short-term 'study abroad' programme in the UK as part of your course. Your overseas course must lead to a qualification that is validated by UK NARIC as being at or above UK degree level. For more information about validation of overseas courses, visit the UK NARIC website.

You will not need to send us evidence that your overseas course is at the right level. Your education provider sponsor will check this before it assigns a confirmation of acceptance for studies to you.

What is an acceptable course of study for a Tier 4 (General) student?

• study full-time in the UK on a course that leads to an approved qualification for our purposes and meets the additional requirements below; or
• undertake a recognised Foundation Programme as a postgraduate doctor or dentist in the UK; or
• work as a student union sabbatical officer in the UK.

If you want to study full-time, your course must also:

• lead to a qualification at or above level 6 on the revised National Qualifications Framework (NQF) or its equivalents; or
• be a short-term 'study abroad' programme as part of your qualification at an overseas higher education provider, if UK NARIC has confirmed that the qualification is at or above UK degree level; or
• be an English language course at or above level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); or
• be an English language course at any level, if you are a government-sponsored student or if the course is a pre-sessional course which you are taking before a degree course; or
• involve at least 15 hours per week of organised daytime study. 'Daytime' is 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday.

If the course is below revised NQF level 6 or equivalent and is not an English language course or a study abroad programme, it must:

• be approved at or above level 3 on the NQF or Qualifications and Credits Framework (QCF), or accredited at or above level 6 in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), if you will be studying with a Highly Trusted sponsor; or
• be approved at or above level 4 on the NQF or QCF, or accredited at ar above level 7 in the SCQF, if you will be studying with a sponsor that has an A (Trusted) or B (Sponsor) rating; or
• be a pre-sessional course to prepare you for your main course of study in the UK.

Level 3 of the NQF is equivalent to a UK 'A-level'. Level 6 of the revised NQF is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree.

A course below degree level cannot include a work placement unless it is:

• offered by a Highly Trusted sponsor; or
• a foundation degree course.

A work placement must be an assessed part of the course, and must not exceed 50 per cent of the length of the course in the UK.

Your course of study

This page explains the types of course that you can study as an adult student under Tier 4 (General).

You must study a course at an acceptable level, and there are additional requirements for certain types of course.

You can do a work placement as part of your course, and a short preparatory course if you need one before starting your main course of study.

As well as being at an acceptable level, your course must be provided by an education provider which has a Tier 4 (General) sponsor licence. For more information, see the Your education provider page.