Visa advice
If you are not a British or Irish national you will need a visa or immigration permission to study in the UK.
You must enter the UK with the appropriate visa or immigration permission, or we cannot register you as a student at Exeter.
On your application you will confirm if you will be entering the UK as a Visitor or applying for the Student visa. You should research which is required, or best, for your situation.
If you have any questions about visas please contact our immigration experts at visaadvice@exeter.ac.uk. They will be able to assist you. You are advised to visit their dedicated website for international students which provides information about immigration, travel to the University and much more.
The Inbound Team are not trained immigration advisers and are not permitted to give visa advice. You must contact the dedicated team.
Students coming to study for one semester will usually enter the UK as a Visitor if they are not a UK/Irish national. If you are coming to study as a Visitor, you will need to check the UK Visa National list in the first instance.
Visa Nationals: If your nationality is on the visa national list you will need to apply for and receive a Visitor visa before travelling to the UK. You will need to provide your formal acceptance letter from the University for your Visitor visa application.
Non-Visa Nationals: If your nationality is not on the visa national list you are considered a ‘non-visa national’ and you will not need to apply for a Visitor visa before travelling to the UK. This includes EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. You can instead enter as a Visitor on arrival*. This will be automatically granted if you enter the UK via an eGate at a UK port or are permitted to enter by a Border Force Officer. All students should carry a print-out of their formal acceptance letter from the University with them to present at the border if required.
*Whilst you can enter as a Visitor on arrival to the UK you may need to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before you travel, this depends on your nationality and when you travel. Further details can be found here.
For full details on applying for a Visitor visa in advance or entering as a Visitor on arrival to the UK please visit the Visitor Visas page.
Students studying for one year must apply for the Student visa. You must receive the visa before you travel to the UK. You will require a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) in support of your visa application and this will be provided by the Inbound team in the form of a CAS Statement.
Your CAS Statement will include information about you, your programme of study and your CAS number which is your unique reference number provided by UK Visas and Immigration. When you complete your Student visa application form you will need to provide your CAS number.
