International applications for students who require a visa

Student Route Visa

The Student Route is a points-based visa system for all international students (including EU, EEA, and Swiss students) who want to study in the UK. If you are applying to the Student route you will need to demonstrate that you meet the required 70 points. To achieve the required points, you need to show that:

• You have been offered a place on a course and have received a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) – 50 Points
• You can speak, read, write and understand English – 10 Points
• You have enough money to support yourself and pay for any outstanding course fees – 10 Points

Obtaining your CAS

We will issue you with a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) once you have been offered a place to study at Bloomsbury Institute and have accepted that offer.

• You can view all our courses here.
• On each course page, entry requirements are given in British qualification levels and international equivalents.
• As part of your application, you will be required to complete an Extended Personal Statement and potentially a Pre-CAS credibility interview.

Pre-CAS Credibility interviews

Once you have been made an unconditional offer, you will be requested to complete an online automated Pre-CAS Credibility interview. You can record your interview at your own convenience. During the interview, you will be asked a series of questions about your course and why you want to study in the UK. The interview should take around 10-15 minutes to complete.

English language requirement for studying with Bloomsbury 

It is important that applicants have a good standard of English to be successful in their studies with us. Applicants will be asked to prove their knowledge of the English language when making a Student Visa application.

English tests or academic English qualifications that we accept as proof of an applicant’s level of English can be found here. These include IELTS Academic. All English tests must not be more than two years from the date of submitting your online Student visa application.

Password Skills Plus Test

Alternatively, applicants can take the online Password Skills Plus Test to meet the English language requirement. It is scored on the same basis as the IELTS for Academic. There is a charge of £110, with a practice test beforehand costing £40.

You can book your test here. Once you have sat the test, you will normally receive the results within 5-7 working days.

Exemptions

There are some exemptions to the need to provide evidence of English language competency:

• Completion of a GCSE, A Level or Scottish Higher in English in the UK, which was started before applicants were 18. The qualification must be in English literature or English language and be issued by an Ofqual, SQA, Qualifications Wales or CCEA-regulated awarding body in the UK. The applicant must also have undertaken their education at a UK-based school.
• The applicant is a national of a majority English-speaking country.
• The applicant previously completed an academic qualification equivalent to a UK degree which was taught in a ‘majority English-speaking’ country.
• The applicant obtained an academic degree qualification from an educational establishment in the UK, which is a bachelor’s degree or above.

You can find more details about these exemptions here.

Supporting documents

You will need the following documents to apply for your visa:

• Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS)
• Current and valid passport/travel document
• Your original transcripts and certificates
• Evidence of finances
• Proof of English language proficiency
• Tuberculosis certificate* (if you are living in a country that is listed on the UKVI website)

* You may be exempt under specific conditions outlined by the UKVI.

If the entire or any part of the documents you provide are not in English or Welsh, you must also have them officially translated by a certified translator and submit the official translations with the rest of your documents.

Depending on your individual circumstances, you may be required to provide more documents. More information about the supporting documents required for your visa application can be found here.

Student Visa application costs

From 4 October 2023, a Student Visa application costs £490 for a standard service (which takes approximately 15 working days) if applied for from outside the UK. However, you can opt to have a faster service for the following costs:

• an additional £500 for the priority service which takes up to 5 working days for a decision to be made; or
• an additional £1,000 for the super priority service which takes 1 working day for a decision to be made.

You can check if these additional services are available in your country by visiting the UKVI website.

In addition, you will also need to pay £470 per year for the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of your visa application. This gives you access to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) on generally the same basis as a UK permanent resident. More information can be found here.

Applying for a Student visa extension

We can help you if you need to apply for an extension to your existing Student visa in order to finish your course. You must apply for a visa extension before your current visa expires. You can start the process and submit your application within 3 months of its expiry date.

International finance requirement

Tuition fees

*Subject to final approval

Deposit

From October 2023, deposits payable for international students are as follows:

• Postgraduate and Top-up Applicants from India: Deposit 75%
• Postgraduate and Top-up Applicants (Excluding India): Deposit 50%
• Undergraduate Applicants: Deposit 100%   

Scholarships

Excluding Top-Up courses, Bloomsbury Institute provides all graduates with a £1,000 scholarship that is paid upon successful completion of the course, as a contribution to the cost of the 2-year Graduate visa.

We’re also providing a £1,500 Entry Scholarship to our new MSc Accounting and Finance and MSc Finance and Wealth Management international students for the June and October 2024 intakes.

General

Students need to prove they have enough money to support themselves whilst studying in the UK. This means they need to have £1,334 per month available to cover living costs whilst studying in London for Student visa applications to be successful. For any course that is 9 months or more, students need to have a minimum of £12,006, plus any outstanding course fees.

Funds must be maintained in a bank account for at least 28 consecutive days and the bank document must not be more than 31 days old on the day that the online visa application is submitted. Funds can be from a current account, deposit account, savings account or investment account that belongs to either the student, parent(s) or legal guardian(s). Funds can also be in a joint account, if the student is named as a joint account holder to that account, but they must provide a consent letter from the other account holder.

If students show funds in the name of parent(s) or legal guardian(s), they must also provide a birth certificate or adoption certificate and a consent letter from the account holder(s) agreeing to use of the funds in the account.

Students can also provide a loan letter if they have received a student loan or a financial guarantee letter, or if they received official financial sponsorship from the relevant bodies recognised by the UKVI as official financial sponsors. These letters must state how much money is granted for course fees and/or maintenance.

We will check all financial documents to make sure they meet the UKVI requirements before we issue a CAS. Students may also be required by the UKVI to confirm the source of funds during the application process. This is particularly requested where there are large random cash, cheque or transfer deposits seen on the bank statement and/or where the bank statement has been printed for just a 28-day period. In some cases, during the assessment of financial documents, we may ask students to provide evidence of the source of the funds reflected on the bank statement.

Working during your studies

The main purpose of a Student visa under the Student route is that you come to the UK for study, however, as we are a Student sponsor with a Track Record of Compliance our students are permitted to work up to 20 hours per week during term time and full-time during official vacation periods.

More information

For more information about sponsored students and our compliance procedures, please read our International Sponsored Student Guide and International Sponsored Student Policy and Compliance Procedures documents which can be found here.