Adult students - Tier 4 (General)
How long can you stay?
This page explains how much time you can spend in the UK as an adult student under Tier 4 (General) of the points-based system.
If your application is successful, we will allow you to stay in the UK for the full length of your course, and for some time (depending on the type and length of your course) after your course finishes. At the end of that time, you must leave the UK unless you have applied to extend your stay or to switch into another immigration category.
More information
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Maximum length of stay under Tier 4 (General)
Type of course Length of course Length of stay allowed Main course of study (including student union sabbatical officers) 12 months or more The full length of the course
plus
four months after the end of the course
Main course of study (including student union sabbatical officers) At least six months but less than 12 months The full length of the course
plus
two months after the end of the course
Main course of study (including student union sabbatical officers) Less than six months The full length of the course
plus
seven days after the end of the course
Short course to prepare you for study 12 months or more The full length of the course
plus
four months after the end of the course
Short course to prepare you for study At least six months but less than 12 months The full length of the course
plus
two months after the end of the course
Short course to prepare you for study Less than six months The full length of the course
plus
one month after the end of the course
Postgraduate doctor or dentist on a recognised Foundation programme, providing you are being sponsored by the UK Foundation Programme Office or as a postgraduate dentist if you are being sponsored by the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority.
Maximum of three years The full length of the course (up to a maximum of three years)
plus
one month after the end of the course
The confirmation of acceptance for studies issued by your education provider will include the start and end dates of the course. We will consider a course to be 12 months long if it lasts a full calendar year. For example, a course starting on 1 January 2011 and ending on 1 January 2012 will be considered to be 12 months long.
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If you are at least 18 years old and studying below degree level
If you are 18 years old or over, you can spend no more than three years in the UK studying below UK bachelor's degree level as a Tier 4 (General) student during your lifetime. You can spend this time studying one course or a number of courses.
We will not give you new permission to study below degree level if you have already been studying below that level for three years in the UK since your 18th birthday.
This three-year limit does not include any time that you have spent studying below UK bachelor's degree level under:
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the student rules that were in place before 31 March 2009; or
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Tier 4 (General) when you were 16 or 17 years old; or
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Tier 4 (Child) when you were aged under 18; or
- any other immigration category outside Tier 4 which permits study.
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If you are at least 18 years old and studying at or above degree level
If you are 18 years old or over, you can spend no more than 5 years in the UK studying at or above UK bachelor's degree level as a Tier 4 (General) student. This 5-year limit is in addition to any time spent studying below degree level as a Tier 4 (General) student and any time spent in the Tier 4 (Child) category.
We will only include the length of the course to calculate the maximum amount of time you can spend studying at or above degree level. We will not include the extra periods of permission to stay we gave you before or after the main course of study. You can find more details under: 'Maximum length of stay under Tier 4 (General)'.
The 5-year limit does not apply to the following situations:
Studying a course at or above degree level in certain subjects
The 5-year limit does not apply if you are studying:
- architecture;
- medicine;
- dentistry;
- law, where the applicant has completed a course at degree level in the UK and is progressing to:
- a law conversion course validated by the Joint Academic Stage Board in England and Wales, a Masters in Legal Science (MLegSc) in Northern Ireland, or an accelerated graduate LLB in Scotland; or
- the Legal Practice Course in England and Wales, the Solicitors Course in Northern Ireland, or a Diploma in Professional Legal Practice in Scotland; or
- the Bar Professional Training Course in England and Wales, or the Bar Course in Northern Ireland."
- the bar professional training course.
- veterinary medicine and science; or
- music at a music college that is a member of Conservatoires UK (CUK).
Studying for a master's degree
The limit will be 6 years if you are studying for a master's degree at a recognised body or at a higher education institution (HEI), following completion of an undergraduate degree where the length of that degree course was 4 or 5 academic years.
Studying for a PhD
The limit will be 8 years if you are studying for a PhD at a recognised body or at an HEI.
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If you have official financial sponsorship
If you have official financial sponsorship which covers all of your course fees and living costs, and your financial sponsor limits the time that you may spend as a student in the UK, we will limit your permission to stay to that length of time plus the usual post-course period.
Application forms
Policy guidance for Tier 4 students
- Tier 4 policy guidance PDF 690KB opens in a new window